charging the fence from the other side

Kimo was loose, take Kimo out & take Kimo home

Sue drives by and sees me and I walk Kimo home. And she parks up the street to meet me.

Then comes Cat, Bob, Lori. I let them go up the stairs and close the gate. Then I let Kimo loose. He charges the fence and growls. I grab his leash and he goes wild. Eventually he calms down. Disappointing, especially since Kimo knows them from tennis.

Then come Bry and Joyce with Kimo up the steps. Is anxious at first. But then looks friendly as he sees Joyce. I let them decide how to go up. Bry decides to go to the garage. Joyce kind of wants to go up the steps, but goes through the garage too.

[Sun 8/29, posted 8/31]

sociable dog, cooperative humans

Have you ever wanted to take your dog to work with you, but couldn't get the idea past your boss? According to an article in The Economist, you might soon have some ammunition on your side.

Christopher Honts and Matthew Christensen, under the guidance of Stephen Colarelli, Ph.D., at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, wondered if the mere presence of a sociable, well-behaved canine in the office might make co-workers more likely to co-operate.

Judie Mancuso

Laguna Beach animal welfare advocate Judie Mancuso spent a year and a half trying to get the state Legislature to pass a law requiring that pets be sterilized. A week ago, the bill, AB 1634 -- alternately reviled and cheered -- was finally rejected in the state Senate.

On the tortured road to its death, the bill was amended almost a dozen times, watered down and even name-changed. Breeders and opposition groups howled in protest and said legislators were taking away their rights to handle their animals as they saw fit.

Mancuso, whose voice sounds as though it belongs to a plucky girl cartoon character, had created the original proposal along with Los Angeles city staffers and L.A. Animal Services general manager Ed Boks. Assemblyman Lloyd Levine (D-Van Nuys) became the bill's author and legislative torchbearer.

The goal was to stem the euthanasia of hundreds of thousands of animals in the state's shelters annually by mandating people alter their pets. Fewer animals being born meant fewer strays and owner-surrendered pets being housed in the shelters, Mancuso and company contended. "You're just trying to prevent animals coming in the front door," said Mancuso, pictured here smooching a pooch in the Central Valley SPCA shelter in Fresno.

Despite passing the Assembly last year, the beleaguered bill never had an easy road. Sterilization exemptions for many dogs and cats in the original bill (show dogs, service dogs, etc.) still didn't please opponents. The service dog pictured below that showed up last year in Sacramento with its owner to protest the original bill was actually never in any danger of being altered.

The final version of the bill required sterilization only of pets that were cited for being unlicensed, running loose or impounded, and they had to be guilty of those violations several times.

But Mancuso says the real problem was the backstage battling between some senators and bill author Levine. Some senators were against any bill from the get-go. (One Democratic senator told Mancuso's people working the Senate that there were folks in his district who ate dogs -- and not to count on his vote.)

Levine says it costs the state $300 million a year to shelter and euthanize animals. "I'm disappointed the Senate didn't deal with this," Levine said. "Just because breeders say there isn't a problem out there doesn't mean it's not there."

***

Note: This is the person who [some on] dogbehaviorscience is fighting on bill SB250.

cradling therapy

Dear. Dr. Fox: I have two 1-year-old Pomeranians. Calvin has shown signs of being an alpha dog since we brought him home at eight weeks. He seems to know his place with the family (eight children live at home). The problem occurs when other children come over to play.

He tends to pick one and dominate the youngster. He actually bit one little girl twice. And there are certain people in the neighborhood whom he wants to go after.

He has also started wetting when he sees my husband. He will snuggle up to my husband at night, showing no signs that he fears him. My husband never had a dog and expects Calvin to understand more than he is capable of. He has chased the dog down angrily, punished him for running out the door, etc.

Is there a way to stop these behaviors? The dog's, I mean; I don't think I can do anything about my husband's. -- P.M., St. Louis

Dear P.M.: Husbands can be a problem. Many flunk basic obedience school. Your spouse should learn that getting frustrated and angry at the dog will cause fear and confusion.

Calvin could benefit from the cradling theory described on my website and in my book "Dog Body, Dog Mind." In this book you will also learn how to better communicate with Calvin and help him not to act aggressively toward visiting children. In the interim, keep him in another room or on a leash when children visit; and when on the leash, he must sit and stay. Above all, he needs to learn self-control -- what Ivan Pavlov called "internal inhibition."

[staradvertiser, 8/21/10]

***

What is cradling therapy?

Simply cradling a puppy or kitten in one’s arms is part of the process of animal socialization that is as gentle as it is profound. Pups and kittens soon learn to accept being picked up and gently held in one’s arms without struggling, and enjoy the intimacy and security of close physical contact.

Submitting to and accepting such handling is integral to effective and proper socialization or bonding with the human care giver. It greatly facilitates subsequent training and communication. If and when the animal struggles while being cradled, the gentle embrace becomes firm resistance that immediately softens and yields as soon as the animal ceases to struggle, begins to relax, to accept cradling restraint, and starts to trust.

This gentle psycho-physical ‘judo’ can help in the behavior modification of adult,hyperactive, and poorly socialized companion animals, often with a history of being over- indulged and having no sense of boundaries. They have limited self-control that Russian scientist Ivan Pavlov called internal inhibition. Cradling conditions the animal to accept restraint, develop internal inhibition or self-restraint; and above all, helps the animal develop the kind of trust that is the keystone for a strong and sustaining human-animal bond.

Hershey goes swimming

Took mom to church to help with the luau and decided to bring Kimo too (since I was bringing him in front anyway).

When I came back, I decided to drive up to Puna since it was now a little past the time I usually leave (it was Hoku day). I retrieved Hershey and encouraged/pulled him to the front seat.

Went up Puna, found parking at Skyline near Puna. Noticed Hoku's gate was open, but no sign of Hoku (or anybody). Buddha's gate was open too. But no sign of Buddha (or Betty). So I went to Joey's house.

Went up the steps, but no sign of Joey. Headed for Ilima and Joey runs out but remained quiet. He warily came to the fence. I think something might have scared him from coming to the fence because he used to come to the fence and bark. Fed him a little. Then went to the back gate and treated the dogs a little more.

Walk on Ilima. Only one of the two terriers barked and the other dogs didn't bark. Maybe they're getting used to us.

Down Aulii and back to Puna. Decided to go up Hoku's driveway. There's Hoku tied to the iron rail.

Took the dogs to the pool area. Hershey went to the narrow ledge by the pool, apparently lost his balance and plop, he was in the water. He paddled to the side and pulled himself up. No problem.

Then I decided to take the chain off rail and let the dogs play on leash. After a while of that, I walked them to Buddha's house. Hoku mostly didn't pull and wanted to play more with Hershey. But when she did pull, she was hard to control (mostly because she's so big).

Went back up the driveway and then I saw a car coming up. It was Allen. So the dogs got to play unleashed with the gate closed.

After playtime, got them back in the car and decided to drive up Alewa drive and to the Na Pueo park (nobody was there, but didn't get out).

[Fri 8/20, posted 8/22am]

behavioral effects of spaying and neutering

Although there are scattered reports in the literature of apparently adverse effects of spaying and neutering on canine behavior, there are very few quantitative studies and most of these have employed behavioral measures of unknown reliability and validity.

The present study used the Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ)© to investigate the impact of spaying/neutering in various dog populations, including (1) a random sample of 1,552 dogs belonging to 11 common breeds and (2) a convenience sample of over 6,000 dogs of various breeds recruited via an online survey.

The results of the study suggest that spayed female dogs tend to be more aggressive toward their owners and to strangers than intact females, but that these effects of spaying on behavior appear to be highly breed-specific. Contrary to popular belief, the study found little evidence that castration was an effective treatment for aggressive behavior in male dogs, and may exacerbate other behavioral problems.

Further research will be needed to clarify the relationship between age of spaying/neutering and these apparent effects on behavior.

[via nienke @pos-4-reactivedogs]

*** [2/7/13]

more on the subject from the angryvet [via dwf]

getting past Roxy

Keith barking in the morning gets Kimo running to the side gate. Sure enough it's RMAS.

Take Kimo out. See Hershey is here already. Take Kimo up Tsutsui steps. Amy with Shammy brings in blue bin. Kimo goes wild. Have to hold leash up, Shadow-like.

Follow at a distance. Eventually catch up to Amy and Shammy. They go down driveway. But then Kimo wants to go down driveway too. Sniffs around Oliver's area. Time to go. Wave to Kimo in the house as I think he's waving to me, but he's doing his stretching exercises in front of the TV.

Go to Makanani via the Natsunoya wall. Traffic. Run toward end to run away from traffic.

Up Aulii. Then to Puna. Don't see Hoku, but see Buddha's gate open. See Betty in the yard. She says Kaylen is sick so no walk today. Buddha is at the door. Kimo goes over to door. Betty opens door, but Buddha runs back in the house. Later I open the door, Buddha doesn't run away but doesn't come out. Betty says he's trained not to run out of the house. It's working. Betty hears Kaylen crying and she brings her out.

Chat a while and head to Hoku's house. Let Kimo walk around and sniff a bit. Went up the steps a couple of times. Evidently likes to go up steps. Hoku and Hershey wrestle and chase. But after a while, Hershey seemed to tire out and Hoku barked at him because she wanted to play some more. Then they both tire out. Time to go.

Up Puna. No sign of Joey. Ilima. The terriers bark, but the other dogs across the street don't bark. Their owner seems to have good control over them.

Decide to turn into the street behind our house. The little dog (Roxy) is there. Kimo sniffs her with no incident and she doesn't seem to have a problem with Hershey either. Walk past her to the stonewall. Jump down. The wall seems a little high for Kimo so I carry him down. No problem. Hershey jumps down.

In the afternoon, I I hear some light barking. It's the mailman who likes to give Kimo biscuits. He was in the driveway tossing biscuits over the fence. Kimo would run up the steps away from the biscuits. Then later come back to eat them when the mailman backed off. I told the mailman Kimo's shy.

Still later, Kimo was barking at Keith on the street scampering around at the end of the leash. Took Kimo up the other way and stopped to look as Keith was coming back down. Keith acted up as he passed out house even with Kimo not home.

Head to Yokomoto house. Sniffs around the garage, then see June with her light tan cat. Kimo gets close to the cat and the cat doesn't run away. Chat a bit with June as she says her computer acts quirky when she shuts down. And learned the name of the cat is Tiko, a small male.

Kimo around in circles

decided to take Kimo and Hershey to the park today.

Went down Hala first, then down to visit Pitty, then up Kealakai, then to park. Didn't see the two dogs in front that I saw across the street from the park this time. Maybe they moved them to the back?

A lady (Myle's mother? I forget what she looked like) came with two small dogs and took them to the volleyball court. I took Kimo closer and the smaller younger dog went to the fence and barked at him. Kimo didn't seem fazed. And I took them up the hill.

Finally I came back down and went to the fence. The little dog came to the fence but seemed more playful this time. They left and we went him. Played a little come to food.

Then decided to try it outside. I went out and had them come to me. Hershey came, but Kimo went out to the fence by the hill. I went over to get him and he started running madly around in circles. After he started running out of gas a bit, I lured him to me with food. And we went to the playground set before leaving.

[Thu 8/12, posted 8/13]

progress?

Today Kimo was in the garage and heard the mailman. Instead of barking at the fence, he came up to the front door. Maybe he was waiting for his treat?

Later, I was sitting inside the house by the door with Kimo on the other side of the door. And noticed Keith was going out with Pat (or vice-versa). He didn't run down the steps and bark like he usually does. He just lay there and looked. Maybe Pat kept him from running down the steps? Or maybe he felt really lazy.

Then I went out, sat next to hime, and had him tug jerky from me as Keith walked by. He didn't have any flareups though I noticed Keith acted up briefly a couple of times.

Hey, maybe this thing is working..

[Wed 8/11, posted 8/12am]

do not attempt the techniques you are about to see without consulting a professional

As Dog Bite Prevention week is being recognized across the United States, experts agree that one of the contributing factors to the 4.7 million dog bites that occur each year may be owners mimicking what they see on T.V.

Dr. John Ciribassi, past-president of the AVSAB explains why punishment can cause aggression.

"A typical scenario is a client with a 3 year old dog who was presented because of aggression directed at strangers that the dog meets either on walks or when guests come to the home. Initially the dog barks at people as they pass and backs away if approached, indicating that the aggression is due to fear. The owner is referred to a trainer or watches a show that demonstrates the use of choke chain or pinch collar and verbal or physical corrections. Because the dog now feels pain when it encounters the person it fears, the aggression escalates. As a result, now the dog lunges, snaps, and bites in situations where it used to bark and back away. In some cases the dog is so aroused it learns to redirect its aggression towards humans."

Unfortunately, these bite incidences are not surprising. According to a recent veterinary study published in The Journal of Applied Animal Behavior (2009), if you're aggressive to your dog, your dog will be aggressive, too.

Says Meghan Herron, DVM, lead author of the study, "Our study demonstrated that many confrontational training methods, whether staring down dogs, striking them, or intimidating them with physical manipulation such as alpha rolls [holding dogs on their back], do little to correct improper behavior and can elicit aggressive responses."

These techniques are pervasive in many T.V. shows and some popular books. For instance, The Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan routinely demonstrates alpha rolls, dominance downs and forced exposure to things that cause fear or aggression, and has depicted Millan restraining dogs or performing physical corrections in order to take valued possessions away from them.

[original article by Sophia Yin]

[And again the comments are probably more interesting than the article.]

another reactive dog

Kimo was lying down and it was kind of drizzly, so I decided to just take out Hershey instead. Went to the beginning of the road and came back and encouraged Hershey to come up the side of our house which he is reluctant to do.

Kimo started barking (at something he heard?) so Hershey got even more reluctant. I went in the gate and Kimo started running around back and forth. After a while, he got some of the excitement out and I took them both out.

Up Lolena Hill. There was some work going on the graveyard, so I took the dogs outside the fence.

Makanani. Precious is home. Still a bit excited behind the gate. Kimo seems to want to go to the fence. Guess he didn't learn from the last time he got bit by her.

Past Sonny's house. Didn't see Sonny at first. But then Sonny's head appeared behind the door. Kimo wanted to go down the steps and I let him loose. He went to the door. Jennifer was home and opened the door so Sonny could stick her head out. Kimo went close but didn't really sniff her. Jennifer said she closed the door because the neighborhood dogs were barking at the gas man.

Up to Puna. Don't see Hoku but the dogs wait by the gate -- evidently waiting for me to take them in. A little later, I see Dottie walking up with Hoku. They play a little on leash, but Dottie has to take Lani to Pali Momi for some procedure.

Further up. Let Kimo go up Joey's steps. Kimo sits behind me while Hershey stays near the bottom of the steps. There's Joey looking at a distance. He doesn't come to the gate, then disappears.

OK, around back. Joey is on the steps near the back door. Treat the dogs, but Joey just lies down and looks at a distance though later he sits and looks.

Ilima, back down Aulii. I see what looks like an old lady digging grass at Steve's house. What do you know, it's Steve. Tries to pet Hershey but Hershey stays at a distance. Kimo sniffs him. Tell him Kimo is the one that bites and don't make any sudden moves. So he doesn't pet him.

Go to Lolena Wall. A couple of caucasian young women are coming up with a medium sized short-haired brown dog with a muzzle on. I stop by the end of the wall. They stop by the other end of the wall. And it seems we're waiting for each other to move. After a while, I offer to go down the hill but they say where I am is fine. Then I see them treating her and praising her. So I figure it must be a reactive dog and they're trying to get him used to other dogs.

So I just sat on the wall with Kimo sitting behind me next to me and Hershey on the ground. This goes on for more than a few minutes. So I figure I'll give Kimo and Hershey some treats too. Finally they make their move, calmly walking by. No incidents. As they pass, I asked "reactive dog?" They affirm and I say "this one too". They thank me "very much" as they leave. They must be into R+. Cool.

one fence at a time

When Mikael Hardy moved from Atlanta to Greenville County, S.C., she discovered a frightening way of life. Some of her new neighbors kept their dogs chained up outside every day and every night — oftentimes emaciated, sad creatures with empty water buckets and no food. "I saw all these chained dogs, and I said, 'What is this?'" Hardy says. "I knew I needed to save them."

Last year, Hardy, 40, started knocking on doors, asking these neighbors if she could build them a fence, get their dog spayed or neutered, and provide dog food, toys and veterinary care. For free. "At first they thought there was a catch," she says. "They probably thought I was on crack."

Since August of 2008, however, Hardy has persuaded almost 60 different owners to allow her to build a fence and provide romping room for some 70 dogs. The only requirement: each owner must spay or neuter their dogs before construction begins, paid for by Hardy and her nonprofit, PAWSitive Effects. Incredibly, Hardy has a 90-percent success rate. "We've approached this as a friendly venture, I keep on talking and eventually they say yes," she says in her fast Southern drawl. "It is just so emotionally and physically abusive to keep these dogs at the end of a chain."

Why pets are good for us

Watch a Lassie movie and spit into a cup. It doesn't sound like it, but this is cutting-edge research. By analyzing saliva, researcher Cheryl Krause-Parello can tell that merely watching a dog in a movie lowers people's stress.

In recent years, research has demonstrated the healthful benefits of pets. Now, investigators are trying to figure out why pets are good for us. Krause-Parello, assistant professor and director of the Center for Nursing Research at Kean University in Union, N.J., learned that people feel better after watching a Lassie flick because their levels of cortisol, a hormone associated with stress, take a free fall.

another dog day

RMAS came in the morning with Kimo still in the back. Kimo started running back and forth excitedly and I sort of walked to his back to pseudo-chase him and keep him running. Finally we went out to the front. They were gone by the time we made it up the street. Then Gerald came by and dropped off Hershey.

We made it to Amy Pang's yard which Hershey deemed a good spot to poop. The second one didn't come out smoothly partly going on the leash and it looked like a blade of glass was sticking out. Hershey tried to rub his butt on the lawn to get it off with no success. Finally, I couldn't stand it and (carefully) pulled out the blade of grass.

OK, go another lap and go home.

Later Uncle Wilfred (with Uncle Henry and Aunty Laura) come to pick up mom and Aunty Snips to visit Uncle Bobby. Kimo didn't want to move from top landing. (Maybe it was the car and all the people and he figured it was safer to not move.) After tugging a couple times on his leash, he stiffened and growled. Aunty Snips mentioned if I had a treat (to lure him I assume). I got a piece of chicken jerky out and he munched on that. Then he was sufficiently "loosened" up for me to lead him down the steps.

That afternoon, I hear barking. It was the dogs barking at big Koa loose lumbering on the street. I got my leash, went to the street, and when he saw me, he came to me. I knelt down and he licked my face.

In the meantime, Kimo was going nuts behind the fence. I took Koa closer and Kimo was doing his best wolf imitation. He kept it up for a while and Koa seemed oblivious to it. But eventually he gave it up and moved away from us, though still by the fence.

So we headed off up the street. And the owner (Stefan?) and Christian came down the street to retrieve him. I let him off the leash and they shooed him home.

Then in the late afternoon/early evening, more barking. It was Malia walking Katarina with both Petey and Shirley. I took Kimo out, but he wanted to go the other way.

Then I noticed the haole women who I see often walking large dogs at a brisk pace, walking a new young dog (it looked to me) and they stopped as he was sniffing our palm tree. That's the first time I ever saw her at our street. I was at Iha's curb and we stopped. Keith was barking his head off, but Kimo seemed in control. But as they came back, he went over the threshold. I had to get up and hold the leash up so as not to get bitten. Then I managed to grab his collar and hold until he calmed down.

After that, we slowly followed. By that time Malia and crew was coming back. When Petey saw us, he went over his threshold and redirected on Shirley (poor Shirley). I stopped and Malia had Petey sit. After they were composed, they continued home.

OK, turn around and follow them at a distance.

Malia got home and tied the dogs to the car and was still in the garage. We passed them and Kimo went to sniff for YokoCat. Then we headed back home. They were still there, but remained calm as we paused a little while.

Good enough. Go home.

[Tue 8/3, posted 8/4]

Victoria challenges Cesar as alpha dog

This was an interesting article about the "competing" shows of Cesar and Victoria and the alpha-dog "myth". For one thing, it was at time.com.

Actually more interesting are the comments which are naturally divided but seem more in favor of Cesar (numerically anyway). [At pawnation too.] (Reference to this article was posted in dogwhispererfans, so the comments there are naturally enough pro-Cesar.)

Though I'm a Cesar fan (which doesn't mean anti-Victoria), I can see where some of the positive-only trainers are coming from as they encounter dogs that have been damaged by punitive training methods. Tamar mentions it in her book. And Turid on her website (have to look it up). I don't necessarily see that as anti-Cesar though since I don't see him as a punishment trainer and is against punishment methods himself. (He does use adversives, but so does Victoria (or did anyway). And after watching them for a few years, it seems to me that both of them have evolved their methods and are becoming less and less adversive over time.)

Another name has come in the discussion Stan Rawlinson (the original Dog Listener who is apparently at odds with Jan Fennell's techniques). [Just what I need, more confusion.]

[see also balanced trainers, women vs. men dog training]

*** [copied from Steve Dale post, but fits here better]

Funny. As I continue to watch Victoria Stilwell, I notice more and more of Cesar's concepts being used in her show [like body blocking and maintaing calm energy]. And Cesar using a lot of positive methods on his show. Oddly, I seem to notice a lot of these "positive" trainers speaking negatively about people, something Cesar rarely, if ever, does. [R+ for dogs, P+ for P+]

***

[7/14/10] Maybe not. Today I was looking at IMOTD's last episode called Victoria's Outdoor Secrets which was basically a highlights show. Featured near the beginning was actress Nicole Sullivan (the dogwalker on King of Queens). She mentioned she had been using a guy from the "alpha" camp and Victoria came down hard on "them". Funny, I had thought she had been on Dog Whisperer but I guess not (since I haven't been able to dig up that episode that I thought I had seen -- maybe it was another actress). Anyway, I'm happy that Nicole has her problem solved (I assume). Note: The IMOTD episode she was on was Hollywood Hounds.

***

[5/14/11] Here's some more opinions. And still more (surprisingly uncensored considering it's on the Discovery Channel/Animal Planet forum). And so on.

*** [3/1/17]

Victoria Stilwell proclaims why she isn't (and never has been) a 'purely positive' dog trainer

managing barking

[7/29/10] I can't believe I didn't have a separate entry for this. Well, I supposed barking advice is scattered throughout this blog.

Anyway, I've created this because terry pride @ dogbehaviourscience passed along this article about getting barking under control by Andrea Arden.

WHAT ARE THE REASONS DOGS BARK?

It is important to understand why dogs bark so you will be able to deal with the root of the problem rather than just the symptom. Three of the most common reasons include to act as an alarm to potential intruders (which many pet parents encourage), due to stress and/or boredom when left alone, and to get attention and elicit play. The last is a reason that is often inadvertently trained by owners who open the door, give a treat, speak to or pet their dog when he or she barks and tend to ignore the dog when he or she is quiet. Barking is a normal part of dog behavior, so the goal is not to create a barkless dog, rather to be able to manage barking so that it does not become excessive and disturbing to us or our neighbors. In most cases, we tend to confuse our dogs by encouraging (albeit inadvertantly) barking in some cases and then punishing our dogs for it at other times. So, to avoid confusing dogs with inconsistency make a behavior modification plan that the whole family agrees to adhere to.

ARE THERE ANY TECHNIQUES OWNERS CAN USE TO HELP PUT AN END TO THEIR DOG'S BARKING?

1. Try to identify the cause so that you can deal with the underlying cause. Barking is a perfectly normal behavior and dogs bark for many reasons. First, try to determine the potential underlying cause. Then:

2. Provide your dog with plenty of mental exercise in the form of environmental enrichment. Feed them exclusively from food stuffable toys such as the Linkable, Bob-A-Lot, Busy Buddy Twist n' Treat, Activity Ball, etc. A dog who burns up mental energy 'hunting' for their food rather than just eating it from a bowl is less likely to indulge in many inappropriate behaviors, including excessive barking. This is especially useful when you aren't home.

3. Teach your dog to respond reliably to a few requests such as hand targeting (show). This way you have a way to calmly redirect your dog to an appropriate behavior and stop the barking. If you focus on reward based training it will be a fun game for your dog and you and result in a mannerly dog who you can control even when the dog is simulated to bark.

4. Make sure your dog also has adequate outlets for their physical and social needs (i.e. plenty of walks and playtime with other dogs when appropriate).

5. Until your dog has had time to learn to better respond to you, create a calm resting place for her to stay for short periods when you can't watch her and are concerned she may bark at the door or window. A crate is a good option and you should feed meals in there so your dog associates it with something good.

6. Also, practice tethering on a leash in different spots in the home with a chew toy so your dog learns to self-pacify

***

[8/26/11] What Your Dog's Bark Is Telling You

5 tips for handling nuisance barking

Good Dog! (with Stanley Coren)

I was browsing through Hulu and came across this show that I never knew existed. It's hosted by the infamous Stanley Coren and aired beginning in 2000.

The first thing that struck me is that Dr. Coren is an elderly gentleman and comes across as a wise grandfatherly type and not as the evil scientist that LCK seems to make him out to be.

Anyway. The first episode features an American Eskimo dog that has a barking problem. (Sound familiar?) And I wonder how the positives would view his solution of ten years ago.

Other shows that "you might also like": Pets & Their Vets, Dog Days, Puppy Love

***

[6/7/11] Sadly (at least for archival purposes), the show is no longer on hulu. When I wrote this, I thought it might be available on AOL video, but no dice.

***

[10/18/11] Found (via google) some videos from the show

How to handle a barking dog at the door
How to stop a dog from humping legs
How to take the pack leadership for dogs
How to settle a rescured in his new home
How to apartment train a puppy
How to teach a rescued dog to urinate outside
How to stop TV addiction in dogs
Best ways to pick up dog poop
How to deal with dog dominance
How to teach your dog to listen to basic commands
How to train a territorial barking dog
How to make your dog come to you
Teaching a dog the social hierarchy
How to stop a dog from howling in the night
Walking the dog tips
How to get your dog to walk beside you

and lots more!

Evidently it's now officially on dailymotion (judging by the little OFFICIAL sign in the search. And a lot on 5min.com too.

[1/10/12] Hey, it's back on hulu!

[5/18/13] Now I see hulu posted some (most? all?) of the videos at dailymotion.  So maybe it'll still be there if it's taken off hulu.  They also posted some dog whisperer videos too.

There's also this neat site called Good Dog Zone where they categorize dog behaviors and show the relevant parts of the video.

[1/4/15] Good Dog! no longer on Hulu :(

Kimo running wild

After feeding Kimo in the back, I went back in. But noticed Kimo sitting down and waiting.

I thought he might be sitting for me to take him out to poop. So I took him out. No poop. After a while, I took him back via the Ewa gate. Opened the gate and took off his leash. Then he noticed a cat nearby and took off after the cat.

I saw him run up toward Katherine's house. I went up and looked around. No sign. Then I hear some huffing and puffing soon followed by a streak of white. It was Kimo still running around, apparently still looking for the cat. He didn't stop and kept on going.

Went back to the street and waited around. Then I hear more huffing and puffing another white streak. It was Kimo running around Sakuda's place. Went behind to look, didn't see him. Then more huffing and puffing. Kimo still running around. A couple more times and he slowed down by the front. But didn't come when called. Reached down to grab him, but couldn't grab his collar. I grasped at the middle of his back. He growled and continued running some more. More huffing and puffing as he continued running around.

Then he headed down the Fong's steps. That was good because Fong's backyard is sort of enclosed with the other steps blocked with a small gate, though Kimo could probably squeeze through it. I waited by the based of the steps. Kimo ran around in the back. Still wouldn't come to me. Jumped up at the stone wall, but it was too high for him. Finally slowed down and he started stretching. I think he was out of gas. Probably never ran so much in his life.

Then finally he came to me as I was still sitting on the bottom of the steps watching. Put on his leash and took him home. One the way back (DH side), he stopped and starts wretching a little. I think he was exhausted. Poor guy.

I was quite disappointed that wouldn't come to me. Though glad he didn't run to the other streets and finally got him back. The chicken jerky treat he normally eagerly runs to had zero effect in luring him. Still a lot to work on.

[Friday 7/23 PM, posted 7/24]

visiting Kam School

Hear barking. It's RMAS. Take out Kimo, pick up Hershey.

Kimo seems less reactive to RMAS (though acted up a bit once), but stay at a distance and lag well behind as they pee and sniff.

Let them pass as they come back and head to Puna. Lolena Hill. BigBoy sees us but doesn't bark. Then up Aulii and on to Puna. See Daryl coming down. Head to Buddha's house. See the carriage. Buddha comes to door and looks at us and barks after a little while. Betty comes out to look and see us and brings out Kaylen. But then when she goes to get Buddha he runs away. OK, no Buddha today.

We decide to go up the hill. Lulu comes out, doesn't bark at first, then barks as we come closer. That brings Joey out and he starts barking. Sorry no treats today.

Decided to walk up Kam School since the gate was open. It was a nice stroll since the road is much smoother.

Head back. See Dottie and Hoku. Go down to Aulii and turn around. Betty goes home. Wave goodbye to Kaylen.

Hoku's house. Despite the long walk, Hershey is still peppy and plays and runs with Hoku. After a while though, they both slow down. And both lie down. Meanwhile, Kimo sits next to me and watches.

OK time to go home.

On the way back, see Sonny with her head sticking out the door. Go to greet her. Kimo sniffs as we leave.

Greet Maka next door too.

Walk the stonewall with Hershey and Kimo behind me. Garrett (the mailman) sees us and waves.

[Fri 7/23, posted 7/24]

The Secret Life of the Dog

is a BBC documentary mentioned on dogwhispererfans (as they were discussing dogs and wolves).

It's been removed from youtube, but can still be currently viewed at tudou.

Here's another (via Watch Movies AZ)

[7/4/12] Later "Americanized" with a different narrator and shown as Dogs Decoded on Nova

Mochi in the garage

barking in the morning, hey that looks like Mochi in AmyP's garage. I see a dog that looks like Fifi, and a person that looks like Kimo with a baby carriage. OK, I guess it is Mochi. Amy had told Kimo that she was moving and had some kitchen bags and such to give away so he went to look and get them for his church.

Took Kimo up. Kimo and Mochi sniff. Mochi goes forward and Kimo backs off. I go to pet Fifi and Fifi backs off. I guess she's kind of cautious.

Walk back with Kimo and gang. Gerald comes with Hershey. So we all walk.

Coming back, Hershey poops.

I decided to take them for another lap. Then Kimo and Ann and baby go driving to Amy's garage to pick up the stuff

***

Later in the afternoon, I went out as Kimo was barking at something or other. I stayed with him and treated him as the guy working at Iha's house came back to the truck. Then as this Japanese? guy was walking. I noticed he started walking on our street recently. Maybe under doctor's orders to get exercise. Then Keith came out w/ Pat. Surprisingly Kimo didn't bark as Keith came running down the steps. And I treated/distracted him as Keith was walking by. Hey no barking this time :)

Though later he went wild at something on the street. I went out to look and saw someone turn around way up the street and walk back. Maybe it was Melissa with Rudy and Blue?

Took Kimo out. Nalu's dogs were barking this time. Even when we were kind of far away.

Then I was coming back, Malia was coming up with baby and Petey. I put Kimo on the other side as we started getting near. And as we passed, stopped to turn around to join them. But then Petey charged at Kimo and Kimo went wild.

After Kimo calmed down, I turned to follow them at a distance. But then I heard Koa barking. He was at the fence so I went over to pet him.

Next was big Koa next door off-leash and Jason had him sit as we passed.

Later, more barking. It was Koa loose. I took him home and Koa jumped on the sofa and lay face down comfortably.

Another dog day.

kikopup

kikopup seems to be a pleasant well-meaning young woman who's made a bunch of training videos on youtube demonstrating clicker-training.

Here's a few that caught my eye

who is kikopup?

leash walking tips

loose leash walking

Dogmantics episode 1

and a bunch more

***

[9/22/10] michelle.ucciferri @ pos4reactivedogs also likes David The Dog Trainer, another clicker trainer. Here's one of his videos training a puppy to walk. It seemed to me that he sure used a lot of treats. And did do some gentle leash pulling. (Kind of the opposite of Brad Pattison.)

***

[7/17/12] On the other hand, here's BuffaloDogTraining with a more traditional style.  Not that he's abusive or anything in my opinion.  So maybe, not on the other hand. [via dwf]

Dog Language

How to communicate with a dog in their own language (calming signals video) [kikopup via Pos-4-ReactiveDogs, 7/14/10]

how dogs communicate [via dogbehaviorscience]

How To Read Your Dog's Body Language [via Modern Dog Magazine]

How To Become An Animal Communicator

see also previous posts

Dog Body Language

Calming Signals

women vs. men dog training

I don't know if this is true, but I seem to notice that many or most of the dog experts are women. To name a few: Karen Pryor, Patricia McConnell, Jan Fennell, Sophia Yin, Tamar Geller. I just name those because I have or read their books.

And there's also the experts at dogbehaviorscience: Kayce Cover, Sandy Case (Sandy in OK), Terry Pride. Though they seem to be bickering against each other now since Kayce is not strictly a clicker proponent.

Anyway, they all seem to be against the [harsher] techniques used by Cesar. (Well, I don't know about Jan Fennell since she's not really new school and kind of came up with her own system). And if that's true, they'd definitely be against Brad Pattison.

[And just look at all the commenters at beyondcesarmillan and see how many are women]

Of course there are exceptions. Ian Dunbar and Nicolas Dodman are against Cesar too.

[But then again, most of the experts/commenters at dogwhispererfans are women: e.g. Lori Reynolds, Meg Francoeur, Mary Nellum not to mention the founder CJ Anderson. Hey, they're all women. NTTAWWT]

So I wonder if it's kind of a man vs. woman thing. That man is just naturally more aggressive thinking than women? Both Cesar and Brad know martial arts. Cesar was a judo champion in his youth and I believe Brad is a karate guy (not sure where I read or saw this).

And even Cesar himself is quoted, "Women are the worst offenders in his world. In one of the outtakes included in the four-DVD set of the first season of “Dog Whisperer,” Mr. Millan explains that a woman is “the only species that is wired different from the rest.” And a “woman always applies affection before discipline,” he says. “Man applies discipline then affection, so we’re more psychological than emotional. All animals follow dominant leaders; they don’t follow lovable leaders.”

Here's the first thing I found on the internet written by the spiritdog:

The differences between men and women dog trainers are vast. By in large, men dog trainers tend to be a little to rough in their training methods. And women dog trainers tend to rely a little to much on, clicker and / or treat training.

Which kind of corroborates what I was thinking (which doesn't make it right, but it seems like it).

***

I remember the dog training class I took Kimo to when he was young. The guy would have you put a choke chain on and "pop" the leash so the dog would sit down. When it didn't work, they would say you didn't pop it hard it enough (or probably more accurately crisp enough). That made many in the class squeamish, doing that to their poor innocent dog. [It seems like the dark ages now.]

However it did seem to work after getting the hang of it. Kimo would automatically sit when we stopped walking. That did wear off though when my house-sitting stint was over. Another scene that stands out in my mind was one of the trainers dragging/fighting/yanking a big aggressive dog around separate from the class. I don't seem to remember him getting any great results.

Anyway, that's the kind of old school training that still goes on here. I remember Doreen telling me (a few years back) that that's the kind of class Hershey went to also. And of course these trainers were all men.

***

I found these articles interesting for some perspective. The second one is by clicker proponent Gail Fisher.

A Short History of Dog Training

History of Dog Training

Keith up the staircase

take out Kimo, Hershey is back, take out Hershey
here comes RMAS / cross street, Kimo doesn't go wild
off to see Hoku
Lolena Hill, Aulii, Puna, see Daryl coming out & Betty, Kaylen, Buddha
Kimo smells Buddha, no problem, Daryl wants to pet Hershey, Hershey growls
Kimo goes to smell Daryl, tell Daryl not to pet him
Nicole comes out w/ Cleo / Hershey play bows then wants to play
walk with BKB, Hoku watches us, neighbor dogs bark, Lulu & Joey bark

that afternoon...
Keith and Kimo barking at each other
go to get Keith as Gerald picks up Hershey
try walking Keith, pulls ahead so I stop
go up to see Cheryl as Sears truck delivers appliances
practice going up and down steps / Kimo seems uninterested
uh, oh, Koa loose, go take him & Kimo for walk, take him home (Eddy was home)
see Mufi volunteers (two young girls in red shirts) passing out flyers

[Tue 7/13, posted 7/18]

Roxy

Here Kimo barking in the afternoon, see two boys talking with Mr. Chung and Mr. Yokomoto.

Turned out they were looking for the small dog that lives behind Katherine's house. It's a miniature pinscher that I saw loose last week. The name is Roxy.

Hopefully I'll see her in the back again soon.

[Monday 7/12, posted 7/13]

I saw her back home yesterday (Tuesday) when I went out on the road to see Keith when Gerald came to pick up Hershey and was telling Pat about it.

banning pet sales?

As Philip Gerrie tells it, the idea of banning pet sales in San Francisco started simply enough, with a proposal to outlaw puppy and kitten mills.

West Hollywood, Calif. had done it, with little fanfare. Why not the city of St. Francis, patron saint of animals, which prides itself on its compassion toward all creatures great and small?

So Gerrie, a bee keeper and secretary of the San Francisco Commission of Animal Control & Welfare, a seven-member advisory board on animal issues to the city's lawmakers, decided to suggest adding the idea to the commission's agenda.

"Then we came across the idea of adding small animals as well," Gerrie recalled, "since all these animals are being euthanized" by animal shelters.

The proposed ban on puppy and kitten mills became a proposed ban on the sale of just about every animal that might end up in a shelter: gerbils, guinea pigs, birds, hamsters, turtles, snakes, rats. Sales of rabbits and chicks are already banned in the city.

The idea came back to bite the commission. It led to the panel's biggest, longest monthly meeting in recent memory, not to mention blogger fodder around the world.

Animal control and welfare commissioners say all they planned to do at their regularly scheduled meeting Thursday evening was discuss the idea, hear out those on all sides of the issue - pet store owners, rescue groups, pet owners and maybe, just maybe, take a vote on a ban.

After a vote, the proposal would have to find a sponsor, preferably two, on the Board of Supervisors, pass muster as legislation with the city attorney, and then pass the Board.

But once Gerrie's idea made the front page of The San Francisco Chronicle Thursday - "Sell a guinea pig, go to jail," the story began - it was famous.

Or infamous. The Chronicle story prompted 793 comments and counting, many playing on only-in-San Francisco stereotypes. "Bay area people truly are nuts!" read a common refrain. It prompted CNN's Jack Cafferty, who called the idea "not half bad," to ask readers their thoughts, prompting 15 printed out pages of debate from around the globe.

Koa loose, Kimo eats

Koa kept getting loose last night.

I took him back, made sure he had water. And fed him some.

The water dish was kind of filthy and I rinsed it. I hand fed him some food, but he didn't seem skinny feeling his side, so I think he's getting enough (or more than enough to eat).

About the third time, I took Kimo out with me and I think went back with Koa off leash. But after we took him home (and Kimo explored a bit in the back) and were heading home, Koa came popping out on the road again.

The next time, I think there must have been some fireworks or something because I was in the back waiting for Kimo to eat and Kimo was sitting down in the bushes frozen like he was scared. Then Koa shows up again at the back gate. I let him in and had him sit on my right. Then Kimo comes out of the bushes and sits on my left between the chairs.

After a while, he went out and ate his food. Maybe he was concerned that Koa might eat it instead. Then I took Koa home again and this time I blocked the bottom of the gate with a board I saw against the wall. I'm still not sure that's how he's getting out, but he didn't come back after that.

black specks

I noticed some black specks on Kimo's fur a few days ago. I combed some off his ears and other parts of his fur.

I don't know if it's just dirt or flea dust (or flea dirt). Since he's scratching I think it must be flea dirt, though I don't see any fleas. [But later I saw one crawling around the fur on his neck.]

I had bought and put on some Hartz UltraGuard last week (since we ran out of Advantix), but apparently it doesn't work on Kimo's fleas. UltraGuard gets some pretty poor reviews on Amazon.

So I told Donna and she got some Advantix from Dr. Lau (the other vet Dr. Kamiya doesn't carry Advantix only Frontline). I thought Advantix was via prescription only, but I see it available at Amazon via a third-party.

Put it on in the late yesterday afternoon. Doesn't seem to be scratching as much, so hopefully it's working.

Ricochet the surf-ice dog

Ricochet becomes a surf-ice dog

[via Rita @dogwhispererfans]

Kimo and the bee

In the morning, I read the paper in the back and fed Kimo a little

Then I wondered if Kimo pooped in the yard since I had mowed the lawn the previous day. Nope, don't see it. While I was out there, I took some grass clippings from the side and transported them to the slight depression near the clothelines.

In the meantime, Kimo saw me out there and came out and pooped. I guess he felt more comfortable coming out when he saw me out there standing on the grass. Then he ran back to the concrete slab.

A bit later, I see Kimo sniffing the ground. After a while at this, I saw he was sniffing a bee. Afraid he might get stung, I got the broom and tried to get him to move away from the bee. He didn't like this (taking away his prize). He attacked the broom. I stood firm blocking him and eventually he settled. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the bee after that.

[Fri 7/2, posted 7/3]

Martin Deeley

Yes, there does exist a number of professionals who get along fine with Cesar.

One of them is Martin Deeley who owns (or co-owns) the International School for Dog Trainers. On the site, there's an interesting photo with Martin along with Wendy Volhard, Brother Christopher, and Ian Dunbar. All smiling. Brother Christopher and Ian Dunbar side-by-side smiling. Who would have thunk it?

Googling Deeley and Dunbar also brings up the International Association of Canine Professionals which Deeley co-founded. Among the members, Bill Campbell, Ian Dunbar, Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson, Martin Deeley, Bash Dibra, Wendy and Jack Volhard, Carol Lea Benjamin, Monks of New Skete, and Cesar Millan. I see Joel Silverman in there too. Looks like mostly "old school".

*** [4/10/12]

I see [via dwf] that Martin Deeley has written a book. It's an ebook sold at onlyindie. Only indie is interesting because you get paid by the number of people who buy your book. The first 15 downloads are free. Then the price rises by a penny for every sale. Right now the price is 8 cents which means he's sold 22 copies (at most -- the price lowers if no sale is made in 24 hours). The only thing is you have to spend at least $3 to buy credits so you can buy a book.

Deeley also has a blog (see previous link). One thing I didn't know. Cheri Lucas is the wife of Jerry Lucas the former NBA star. Another neat article was his meeting with Pat Parelli (the horse whisperer that was on Cesar's show). And that they both are friends with Ian Dunbar and Cesar Millan. From his writings, Deeley seems like a good and nice man.

Kimo and the chicken bone

I was going to cook chicken w/ pasta and decided to strip the meat off the bone. Hey why not give Kimo a chicken bone to munch on. I had been reading that raw food is better for the dog than dog food. And chicken bones are OK (though it's not unanimous) to give to the dog if it's raw and NOT cooked (in which case they might splinter).

OK, chance it. I showed him the bone (chicken thigh) which still had some meat on it. Kimo scampered down from the top level of the steps to the landing. And started munching on the bone. After some crunching, the bone was obliterated and gone soon enough. That seemed to go OK.

[Thursday 7/1, posted 7/3]

Fred

took Kimo & Hershey out
stopped on Lolena Hill picking up some glass
On to Makanani, Skyline, Puna
No sign of Hoku, but next door the neighbor was taking home his little white dog with big brown spots (I think)

The dog seemed to want to meet Hershey and Kimo and when the owner saw us coming he let the dogs come near. They sniffed and Hershey made his play moves.

I asked what the dog's name and the owner said his name is Fred. And that he plays with Hoku too, even though there's a huge size difference. I would estimate that Fred is like 5 to 10 pounds.

On up the street. Treat Joey frount and back.

And on to Ilimia, back down Aulii and go home.

[Mon 6/28, posted 6/29]

dog food ratings

[Looking at dog food ratings as passed on by Mary Nellum]

I've been feeding Kimo Pedigree (because my neighbor Kimo gave me a bag that somebody gave to them and Kimo seemed to eat it OK) and Beneful (it looked good on the label when I was in the mindset that non-meat would be good for Kimo since I though he was allergic) lately. He doesn't seem to greatly enjoy it, but he'll eat it eventually.

It turns out the dog community is also opinionated about dog food too.

How good is Pedigree?

Pros: [none]
Cons: Insufficient meat content, by-products, low quality grains, fat and meat products of unidentifiable origin, carcinogenic preservative, artificial colourant.

This food receives a 1 star rating simply because there is nothing lower.

The primary ingredients in the food are grains (it should be meat!). Corn is a problematic grain that is difficult for dogs to digest and thought to be the cause of a great many allergy and yeast infection problems. We prefer not to see this used in dog food.


How good is Beneful?

Beneful falls in to the category of unhealthiest pet foods on the market. I have listed the ingredients of the Adult Formual below and I want to highlight a couple of things for you.

Beneful Adult:

-Ground yellow corn (should NEVER be in pet foods, cheap filler that dogs cannot digest)
-chicken-by-product meal (should NEVER be in pet foods, these are the feet, feathers, beaks, organs of dead, diseased or other chickens unfit for human consumption)
-corn gluten meal(shoule NEVEr be in pet foods, this is simply the residue left after corn has been processed for other things)
-whole wheat flour (should not be used as wheat is one of the most common allergens for dogs and provides no nutrition)
-beef tallow (this is beef fat, which offers not nutritional value as most dogs do not digest beef and the fat is not the proper type to make their coats shiny)
-rice flour (should be the whole grain, not just the flour)
-beef (dogs do not digest this very well)
-soy flour(another common allergen for dogs)

This food does not have any meat in it except a tiny portion of beef which the dog can probably not even taste. This food is both disgusting and a great example of Purina prodcing cheap foods just to try and make a profit.


The reviewer likes Innova instead.

BUT

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010, Procter and Gamble (Manufacturers of Iams and Eukanuba) announced that they have reached an agreement to purchase Natura Pet Products, manufacturer of Innova, EVO, California Natural, Karma, and Healthwise. Because P&G cares about profit and not about pet health, and because P&G has a proven track record of high marketing values of low quality foods, I can no longer give Natura brands, including Innova EVO, a good rating. Previous rating was five stars, and previous review remains below.

***

What are the worst dog foods? (according to Yahoo Answers)

Any brand sold in a department store.. Even the name brand stuff is utter crappola.. It's all just corn, fillers, chicken heads and feet and any other miscellaneous junk they can get for cheap.. Then they just throw in a couple vitamins and call it 100% complete and balanced.. [answered by Unknown]

Worst dog foods:

-Beneful
-Pedigree
-Iams
-Eukanuba
-Royal Canin
-Science Diet
-Kibbles 'n Bits
-Dog Chow

***

What are the best dog foods?

Innova and Wellness make this top ten

Dog Food Analysis rates Innova and Wellness six stars.


Here's some ratings:

Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+
Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F
Blue Buffalo Chicken & Brown Rice/ Score 106 A+
Canidae / Score 112 A+
Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+
Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F
Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B
Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A
Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+
Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+
Eagle Pack Holistic / Score 119 A+
Eagle Pack Holistic Chicken / Score 114 A+
Eagle Pack Large and Giant Breed Puppy / Score 94 A
Eagle Pack Natural / Score 94 A
Eukanuba Large Breed Adult / Score 83 C
Eukanuba Natural Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B
Flint River Ranch / Score 92 B (non-specific fat source)
Foundations / Score 106 A+
Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 A
Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D
Iams Large Breed / Score 83 C
Innova Dog / Score 114 A+
Innova Evo / Score 114 A+
Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+
Kirkland Signature Puppy Chicken, Rice and Vegetable / Score 108 A+
Natural Balance Duck and Potato / Score 114 A+
Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B
Nutro Chicken, Rice, & Oatmeal / Score 85 C (non-specific fat source)
Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B
Nutro Natural choice Lamb and Rice / Score 85 C
Ol Roy / Score 9 F
Pedigree Complete Nutrition / Score 42 F
Pedigree Adult Complete / Score 14 F
Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F
Pro Plan All Breed / Score 68 F
Pro Plan Natural Turkey & Barley / Score 103 A+
Purina Benful / Score 17 F
Purina Dog / Score 62 F
Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F
Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+
Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+
Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice / Score 97 A
Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F
Science Diet chicken adult maintenance / Score 45 F
Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F
Solid Gold Bison / Score 123 A+
Timberwolf Organics Lamb and Venison / Score 136 A+
Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken / Score 110 A+
Wolfking Adult Dog (Bison) by Solid Gold / Score 97 A


I was a bit surprised to see Kirkland rated so high and disappointed to see Ol Roy so low (that's the kind of dog biscuits I give Kimo).

***

[11/1/10] Is pricey dog food worth it? [via zacks]

Koa and Kona on the loose

barking early. It was Koa loose.

Decide to leash him and take both Kimo and Koa out for walk. Walk a bit with Amy and mom.

Kimo hears Miki(?) barking. Goes wild. Koa sees Kimo wild and goes wild himself.

Continue on. Kona sees Koa. Comes running to the gate (which rarely happens). Surprisingly the gate swings open.

Doesn't come charging at Koa like last time. But stops short a distance away. Back off and drag Koa away and take him home.

Then go back and tell Chris-Ann that Kona was loose. She said Kona (Kona is a girl since she called her she) is socialized. I told her about the time Kona attacked Koa. She said Koa (the dog the neighbors let loose) had come after them before and they have a problem with him. But other than that, Kona's OK with dogs.

Meanwhile Gerald had dropped off Hershey who hadn't come for about a week. So I retrieved Hershey and decided to go visit Hoku.

After waiting at the gate a little while, Dottie let us in. They played/wrestled for a while. Then got a little tired. At one point, Hershey lay belly up in the driveway and Hoku lied down too trying to prod Hershey to get up and play some more.

Then we went up the street. Lulu was by the gate waiting quietly. I went over and tried to entice her with some chicken jerky but she was cautious. Then I put a piece on the gate and she went over to eat it. But as we started to leave, she barked.

Joey heard the barking and came running out. So we went over and I gave the dogs some treats on the steps.

[Wed, 6/23]

Kimo over the edge

barking, take him in front and treat on steps

no Hershey today, take Kimo out solo
run across Lolena. Where'd Kimo go? He went over the wall and landed on the ground below. He's down below. Jump down from wall and lead him back up steps. That was kind of dangerous. I remember Koa did that once and I think had him jump back up the wall since I had the other dogs with me. I don't think Kimo can jump this wall.

visit Maka, pees on Maka's gate
see Sonny with his head through the door, visit Sonny
no Betty in sight, Cleo is walking, see Dottie & Hoku, sorry no Hershey today

Joey barks at us, wait across street until he stops, then go over and treat
treat some more around back

Ilima, Aulii, chat with Charlotte on the way back

[Tue 6/22, posted 6/24]

Hawaii Pet Photos

hawaiipetphotos.com

[via Midweek]

Wendell likes the cat on a roomba

another day

Kimo barking early in the morning. Well at like 6:30. Thought he wanted to go poop, so bring him in the front. Goes pee, but not poop, then goes up the front steps.

Take him out again, goes pee, then starts walking up the side of the house. I thought he wanted to go to the back again, but then he jumped the stonewall and ran around to Keith's window. Where they both proceed to go nuts. Grab his leash. Hold his collar. Wait until he calms down.

Take to front and read paper as he lies on the landing. Suddenly he turns and jumps and me and bites my foot. Grab him again and wait until he comes to his senses. At least no blood this time.

Pat goes out taking Keith with her. I manage to keep him from having an outburst. At least Keith didn't charge down the steps this time.

Soon enough, Kimo starts to get agitated running around and barking. It was RMAS. I didn't see them until I went to the driveway and looked. I took Kimo out as they were still aways up the street (Reina picking up Miki's poop). We went over to retrieve Hershey who was delivered by that time. Hershey was understandably apprehensive as Kimo was still a little charged up.

Waited 'til they passed then followed them up the street. It was a little easier this time since Keith wasn't home. But Kimo was still reacting to passing by the window.

After a while we caught up and Kimo calmed down and they walked together pretty well, though I keep Kimo on a short leash and generally stay between him and the other dogs.

That afternoon, Donna came to visit. Pat was taking out Keith and Keith charged down the steps and naturally that got Kimo going. But he stopped soon enough as I headed him off at the railing and blocked him away.

As they were up the street, played some food fetch on the steps to try to release some energy.

Donna was leaving as Pat and Keith coming back and she out to the street to visit. Keith was excited to see her but wouldn't sit for her. I loosely held Kimo so he wouldn't go out of control as we watched. Maybe it'll help now that he saw Keith with Donna.

More neighbors walking. This time they brought Big Koa. Kimo goes wild again. Step on leash and hold his collar. Acts up again. Force him to lie down.

Kimo seems mostly OK when I bring over to Koa's house, but not when Koa comes walking by our house. He does sometimes growls a bit when he goes close to Koa's gate. Don't notice Koa reacting much to it. Should correct that (and I do).

Well, another day in the life of Kimo.

[Thu 6/17, posted 6/18]

Pennsylvania puppy mills shutting down

Daniel Peachey's breeding dogs used to stand on wire flooring all day, cooped up in cages that provided no regular access to the outdoors.

No more. Peachey recently spent more than $20,000 on upgrades at his Stone Mountain Kennel, outside of State College, to meet stringent new health and safety standards that state officials say have gone a long way toward ending Pennsylvania's reputation as the puppy mill capital of the East.

While breeders like Peachey have found themselves shelling out tens of thousands of dollars to comply with the strictest kennel law in the nation, scores of substandard commercial kennels have opted to close instead — freeing a minimum of 14,000 dogs from bleak surroundings where they typically received little attention or care.

Pennsylvania had long been known as a breeding ground for puppy mills when Gov. Ed Rendell signed off on an overhaul of the dog law in 2008. The legislation was a response to appalling conditions in many large commercial breeding kennels, where dogs spent most of their working lives inside cramped wire cages, stacked one atop the other, and got little grooming, veterinary care or exercise.

Key provisions that went into effect in October required large-scale breeders to double cage sizes, eliminate wire flooring, and provide unfettered access to the outdoors. The new law also banned cage stacking, instituted twice-a-year vet checks, and mandated new ventilation and cleanliness standards.

Many breeders have closed voluntarily rather than comply. The number of commercial kennels in Pennsylvania plummeted from 303 at the beginning of 2009 to 111 today — a reduction of almost two-thirds — although a few of them are expected to reopen after making renovations, while other kennels got rid of enough dogs so that they are no longer classified as commercial operations.

Hoku lies down, Hershey lies down, Kimo snarls

Hershey came today after not coming at the end of last week.

Took them to Puna and saw Dottie out with Hoku. They started playing on leash with Hoku pulling Dottie (Hoku doesn't know her own strength). So up the driveway they went.

I walked around with Kimo a bit and he sniffed Hoku's butt.

Then soon enough Hoku and Hershey were playing/wrestling.

Dottie came out with the treats and Hershey went for the treats. But Hoku still wanted to play. So Hershey tried to keep Hoku away so he could get the treats.

Finally I got them to wait (it took a little doing with Hoku since I don't think they make her wait for her food) and fed them some kibble.

More play. Then after a while, Hoku was tired and lay down [I don't know if all this is in strict chronological order].

At one point as we were sitting down, Hoku came near Kimo. But too close as Kimo snarled to keep her away. I put Kimo on the other side. Hoku didn't seem flustered and both seemed OK being on either side of me.

Time for more play. But Hershey seemed tired. And he lay down on his back. Hoku kept pawing and nudging him to play some more. But after a while, they both lay down.

A little more playing and it was time to go.

Go up to see Joey. Didn't bark as were coming, but started to bark a little as we went to the front steps. Gave him some treats and he was mostly quiet.

Lulu was quiet waiting across the street. Went over. The Lulu got anxious and barked as Kimo came close. Hershey kept his distance.

Then down to Makanani. The pitball on the corner was tied up and barked at us. Hershey stopped to pee so more more barking. The brown boxer? was out and didn't bark so much.

Then I see Sonny behind the door looking out. Took them to over. Sonny's tail was wagging. Jennifer saw us and opened the curtain. There was a hole in the screen door so Sonny could stick her head right through. She said Sonny and the cat did it.

Next door, Maka was at the gate. Kimo didn't feel like greeting, but I brought him over and he did a sniff at a distance.

And so went another morning with the dogs.

[Monday 6/14, posted 6/15]

target training

Targeting - What is it?

A "target" is anything that the dog must focus on and perform some action towards. I usually introduce the idea of a target when I reward a dog for touching my palm, but it has really started earlier than that. Attention is a form of targeting, where the dog is focusing her gaze on your face (or hands). "Come" is a form of targeting in which the dog must find the area right in front of you. In agility, dogs must step within a certain safety area called a contact zone on many obstacles, to prove that they are dismounting correctly and not just flying off the top of a high dog-walk or A-frame.

Read the article for more.

[via Ken McCort @ dogbehaviorscience, (well he mentioned it)]

Kimo raw

Noticed the area around Kimo's mouth was looking raw (kind of reddish) a few days ago. I noticed it only when he was lying down and I had a better angle.

I hadn't been giving him his ivomec regularly as I had hoped his mange was under control, but maybe the condition is starting to come back. So I'm starting to give him his med again. I think it's starting to improve now.

[6/11/10] It spread a little to above his eyes. But I think it looks a little better now, now that he's back on his med.]

Seeing Eye Human

The following story is true as I witnessed the account firsthand. It taught me the meaning of “best friend” when it comes to animals.

It was a blustery autumn day and I had just arrived at my in-laws’ house after a hard day at work. My wife was enjoying her People magazine and my mother-in-law busily prepared our dinner. The aromas from the kitchen were heavenly and since I had to skip lunch, my body had a mind of its own. “Mr. Stomach” growled with such vehemence that it startled my poor cat Rocky, who was sitting on my lap at the time. “Mr. Salivary Gland” also joined the fray as Rocky darted off, eyes wide from the ferocious rumbling, drool peeked from the corner of my mouth. It was very embarrassing, to say the least.

Anxiously awaiting the delicious fare, I scanned the living room for some type of distraction to take my mind off of food. It was then that I noticed that my father-in-law was nowhere to be seen. Mom said he was out walking Lani, the family’s 19-year-old Pomeranian Silky Terrier mix. Fearing any further awkward bodily expressions, I headed out to see if I could catch up with Dad.

Once outside, I spotted my father-in-law walking Lani some 50 feet ahead of me on the sidewalk. Jogging to reach their location, I started to notice a golf club in his hand. Was he practicing his golf swing while walking the dog? I was quite impressed.

I pulled along side the duo and after a few minutes decided to ask Dad about the golf club.

“Hey, Dad, what’s with the golf club? Practicing your swing?” I chided.

“Actually,” he responded, “I use it to guide Lani as she walks. Since she is blind, she tends to walk into brush, poles and fire hydrants. She knows to turn away if I gently tap her.”

“Dad, I’ve heard of Seeing Eye Dogs, but you’re sort-of like a Seeing Eye Human,” I joked.

Laughing at my comment, he grinned and said, “I never thought of it that way, but I guess I am.”

Later that evening I began to take notice of all the things that my in-laws would do to keep Lani comfortable and happy. You see, besides being blind, Lani was deaf, arthritic and partially incontinent. The home nursing care for her was truly a labor of love. Lani provided years of joy and companionship for my wife and my in-laws, and in the end it was their turn to care for her.

-- by Dr. John Kaya

welcome back Amy and Reina

Kimo starting barking and running frantically back and forth in the morning. I'm pretty sure Keith started barking first.

Sure enough, Amy and Reina were back walking Miki and Shammy.

Took Kimo out as they went up the hill. Sat down on Iha's curb facing me but could still see up the hill as RMAS made their way back down. Seemed to stay fairly calm.

Then as usual, Keith began his frantic barking.

Started to chat with Amy a little about their trip to Europe. Took my eye off Kimo and then saw Kimo going wild, Shani-like. Held him by the collar so as not to get bit, but those teeth were awfully close. After I guess about a minute or so (it seems pretty wild when you have a wild dog by the throat), Kimo calmed down and I took him up the street trailing RMAS.

Despite his peeing and sniffing, we managed to catch up toward the end. And Kimo remained reasonably calm as he caught up to Shammy.

Try, try again.

Now that I think about it, I think he was reacting more to Keith than the Miki or Shammy. Or the dynamic of all three.

[Wed 6/9, posted 6/10]

catching fleas

Here is an old effective way to control fleas.

I ran across this when I was looking for a non chemical way to control fleas. I went to the agriculture department and check their files before 1946 to get this one.

I suggested it to Judy B. who had tried lots of other methods and spent a lot of money but found this to be the most effective ;o)))

Try the safe soapy water and light bulb flea controller. Hang light bulb 1 foot above a low container (about a foot wide and 2-3 inches deep and with at least 1 inch of soapy water in it. A great use for those old wire crates!!

It is moved around about 5 feet a day or have several and the fleas jump to the light (heat) and fall in the soapy water (very old method of getting rid of flees)

Best places indoors is within 5 feet of where your pet sleeps and you sleep, rather they drown in the bowl than you or your pet getting bit.

Remember that fleas are not found in your driveway gravel or in the open. The larvae do not survive high temperatures. They are found in shaded areas, like under porches, decks, car ports, at the edges of woods, and especially in places where your pets lay down outdoors.

[via dogwhispererfans]

Training Collars

The Canny Collar is a simple dog training collar designed to stop pulling on the leash and make walking your dog a pleasure. Comfortable, kind, safe and effective, its revolutionary 'behind-the-head' design makes it easy to fit and simple to use, transforming even the worst pullers into happy, well-behaved pets. No wonder the UK Pet Product Retail Association voted it 'Best New Product' shortly after it was launched.

If you're looking for an easy solution to your dog pulling problems, look no further than the Canny Collar. You'll be in good company. Since the Canny Collar was launched, more than a quarter of a million dog owners worldwide have discovered the simple pleasure of walking their dogs on a loose leash. Join them today and make training your dog easy!

[via Marykins]

It gets mixed reviews here. (In other words, it worked great for some dogs and not so well for others.)

***

Another option is the Easy Walk Harness. It gets four stars at Amazon.com.

It's made by the Gentle Leader folks. I'm guessing as an alternative to their flagship Gentle Leader product which could potentially cause neck damage if the dog starts to run and gets jerked back.

Here's a critique of the Gentle Leader. A positive review. 4.6 at buzzillions. 4.75 at viewpoints. 4.5 at petsmart. 4.5 at amazon.com. LCK hates it.

***

Then there's the Ilusion collar used by Cesar's fans. Kind of expensive. Here's one owner's experience in using it. It gets mixed reviews here, 4-1/2 stars at Amazon.com.

natural flea repellent

Well, natural stuff is worth a try to avoid side effects by chemicalflea treatments which in my opinion (from what I have seen) is MUCH WORST than the fleas themselves.

HERE are some suggestions....

CITRUS REPELLENT: Cut a lemon into quarters and place in a pint jug. Cover the lemon with boiling water and let it steep overnight.

Next day you have a flea repellent that you can use in a spray bottle. Spray over your dog remembering especially behind the ears and around the head generally (careful of eyes), around the base of the tail (once again keep away from delicate bits) and under your dog's armpits".

[from Lori Reynolds, DogWhispererFans]

***

Apparently Lori got the above from here which also mentions other natural flea repellents.

More here, including garlic and how much to use.

*** [5/1/12]

more suggestions in the comments section

[5/26/12 - more links on garlic]


And maybe a change in diet?

Commercial dog food is bad and maybe your dog is telling you she doesn't like it. If you can, try giving her freshly made homemade food. After a while you won't need any flea control coz when dogs eat homemade diet they have no odor inside or outside so no fleas find them interesting enough to come around. I have 5 dogs and all of them eat homemade and are all vegan. I give them brown rice with bunch of beans and veggies and they love it! No surprise NONE of them have fleas ever or any health or skin condition.

Maybe make Kimo some chili :)

[8/29/17] you can use Apple Cider vinegar too

Cesar divorcing

Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan and his wife Ilusion are divorcing.

Millan announced the split Friday on his website.

"We are sad to announce that after 16 years of marriage we have decided to file for divorce," he wrote.

"The decision was made after much consideration and time. We remain caring friends, and are fully committed to the co-parenting of our two boys."

Kimo turns away

Took Kimo out in the morning. Went to poop. Then went up the front steps and lay down. He didn't seem interested in going for our morning walk.

So I took out Hershey solo instead. Walked him through our backyard. Had to encourage him to go through the gate. Seems he doesn't like to go certain places. Like into Koa's garage for example.

Then up the hill. See Kimo coming out with Fifi and Mochi and the baby in a carriage. Mochi started pulling on the leash to greet Hershey.

Then we walked down the street. Normally Kimo doesn't walk his dogs down there, but he does when I'm out with the dogs. Kimo looked at us from the steps. Keith started barking. Then Kimo barked at Keith barking. He barked a little at us going back. So I went over to see if he wanted to walk with us. He didn't. OK, stay home.

Later that morning, I was reading the paper on the steps. Kimo was lying down facing me on the far end of the landing. Suddenly he got up and charged at me. I raised the paper to block and he quickly veered off toward his food dish like he was going to eat.

I dunno. Maybe he's stopping quicker after his charge. Maybe. Or maybe it was because he was kind of far away this time.

[Thu 6/3/10, posted 6/4]

Makiki dog park

O'ahu could have another off-leash dog park if a community group is successful in securing a location at Makiki District Park.

Advocates for a Makiki dog park have been working on the project for about a year, trying to identify a suitable location, deciding on a design and raising money to build and maintain the site, said state Rep. Della Au Belatti, D-25th (Tantalus, Makiki, McCully).

"Between the fact that there's not anything in the district and the closest park is Diamond Head, there's certainly a need for pet owners," said Au Belatti, who has helped the group navigate through the process.

Last week the dog park advocates received much-needed support from the local neighborhood board, which advises the city about community issues.

The Makiki/Punchbowl /Lower Tantalus Neighborhood Board recommended that the city allow the off-leash park to be placed in a back corner of the district park, said John Steelquist, board chairman.

service monkeys

WILLISTON, Vt. — From the time she first heard of the possibility, Judy Zappia has thought a lot about how much a trained monkey could help with the day-to-day tasks multiple sclerosis has made increasingly difficult.

If she dropped a jar of oregano and it rolled under the counter, the monkey would be able to fetch it. If the remote was across the room, the monkey would deliver the device. And if Zappia needed a hug, she hoped the monkey would be able to provide that, too.

Zappia, 58, who relies on a motorized wheelchair to get around, will soon find out exactly what it is like to have a companion monkey.

After initially being denied approval, she has the OK from Vermont Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Wayne Laroche to acquire a monkey from Helping Hands, a non-profit organization in Boston that breeds and trains small capuchin monkeys to work as service animals for patients with limited mobility.

"I'm looking forward to it, but I'm also a little nervous," says Zappia, who hopes to get her capuchin monkey this month.

"balanced" trainers

Besides John Wade (The Dog Shouter) and Cesar, here's another (so-called) "balanced" (meaning they use both positive and negative reinforcement) trainer, Ed Frawley. Fortunate K9 seems to be another one. Here's their viewpoint on corrections stating that positive trainers actually use them too.

All these seem to be "real-world" kind of people. (Not to say the others totally aren't.)

Actually I note few professionals using purely negative methods these days (individual owners are a different story). The Monks use a lot of praise. Cesar likes to give massages (rewarding state of mind). Pattison? Well, he runs/plays with the dogs.

And Victoria likes to use sound adversives (vs. physical adversives). Plus what looks like sort of a Koehler method in teaching loose leash walking (which seems to pretty standard).

Temple Grandin

I was scanning through the TV listings and noticed a listing for Temple Grandin. Looking closer, it's a movie from HBO about Temple Grandin who wrote the book Animals in Translation.

Here's the one-line description from Zap2It: "The scientist becomes an advocate for autistics and the humane treatment of livestock."

Sounds like it might be interesting. But since I don't have HBO, I would have to wait for it to come out video.

According to Amazon, the DVD will be released on August 17, 2010. It gets five stars on 25 reviews, 24 five-star review, 1 three-star (and even that one was mostly positive). [Warning, that Amazon page somehow ate up my memory causing a lot of writing to disk.]

Evidently HBO puts out some pretty good movies. Another excellent one is Something The Lord Made (although dog lovers might get squeamish as they used dogs in their research).

***

Seeing in pictures -- The Costco Connection, June 2013