Oyster Cracker Magic

While Chris was down in Florida for a work meeting this Tuesday, I avoided a boring evening at home by myself by packing up the girls and heading to my parent's house in Atkinson, NH. I didn't get my love from dogs late in life...I grew up in a household filled with dogs, and nothing has changed.

My parent's current senior dog is a big...BIG...11 year old Collie named Timmy. Timmy's flamboyant, happy, and stinks. But we love him regardless. Next is Levi, the only non-Collie of the household. He's a 7 year old pug and meets the breed's standards to a tee...loves food, loves people, snores and snorts. Mollie is a 5 year old Collie, "daddy's little girl." She loves my dad so much it's scary. Lastly there's Jack, Reese's brother. Like most male Collies, he's big and lovable, a real sweetheart. So sweet, I sometimes wonder why I opted for the difficult, bratty little female instead of her laid back big brother!

Elsa & Reese just love to hang out with their "cousins" and were ready to play as soon as we arrived! We hung out by the pool, went for a walk, and chilled out on the porch...a perfect evening in my book! Following dinner, my dad broke out the oyster crackers...my parents treat of choice for their spoiled dogs. Before long, all six of our dogs were doing all that they could to impress my dad enough for him to give them a cracker. Sitting, laying down, jumping up (Reese!!)...anything for a cracker!

Suddenly my mom and I realized that this would make just an adorable picture. My mom grabbed her camera and we were faced with the difficulty of getting EVERY dog to sit still! We tried everything...each of us taking a shot at it. We tried having them all sit...nope. All lay down...still not working. We'd tell them to "stay" but not everyone was being obedient.

Suddenly I had an idea. Instead of telling them to "stay," why not "leave-it?" I took a cracker, told everyone to lay down, placed the cracker in front of them and said "leave-it!" Sure enough, we got the attention of all 6 dogs...no one was going anywhere while there was a cracker in front of them!

And so finally, we got our picture!

A Swim at Kennebunk!

Collies are definitely not known for their swimming abilities (Ok, well maybe with the exception of Lassie.) But Reesie proved all wrong this weekend! She joined me for a dip in the ocean up at Kennebunk, Maine this weekend! AND Elsa celebrated her 5th birthday! We all had a blast...so much fun that maybe we'll head back to Maine next weekend too!

THIS is why I LOVE my job!

Every day I experience as a dog walker is filled with laughs, surprises, and on occasion, frustration. However, it's not very often that I get so delighted I get a chill...on a hot summer day!

I've mentioned Gracie before, she's a "retriever-mix," I couldn't even guess what she's made up of. She was adopted by her "parents" as a pup and has quickly GROWN up! She's tall, athletic, and absolutely FULL of energy. I spend most of my visits with her "playing soccer," which is basically a fetch game with a soccer ball...the entire half hour. I stay in her fenced in yard most of the times because her "sister," Petunia, a little pug, can't really handle keeping up with her BIG sister. Of course, we go on the occasional walk, but we can't go too far, Petunia's little legs just can't handle it!

So opportunity knocked when Gracie and Petunia's "mom" told me that because she's a teacher, she'll be around during the summer. But she still wanted to give her pups the opportunity to get exercise and play with me over her vacation. So I mentioned taking Gracie for a run once a week...no Petunia...just her and I! Her mom agreed, and we've already enjoyed two wonderful runs.

Gracie has never been polite on the leash, so for our first run, it took a while for her to figure out what I expected. After walking a half a mile, treats in hand, Gracie got it, and we started to jog. The run began with quite the climb...up Sutton Hill Road...and boy can that girl RUN! I am an avid runner myself, but I've never scurried up a hill as fast as she did. We continued to test each other, she'd try to stop and sniff, I'd want to keep running. Or she'd run up ahead, and I was lagging behind. It wasn't until we were about a mile into it, turning toward the park at the Old Center, when Gracie "got it." And when she got it, we made a great pair! She finally settled at a loose lead by my left side, we went the same pace, we weren't distracted. We were just a girl and a dog out for a run. That's when the chill hit me...boy do I LOVE my job : )

Elsa ROCKS at RALLY!

I've talked in the past about showing Elsa in an AKC sport called Rally-Obedience. There are 3 levels of Rally: Novice, Advanced, and Excellent. Elsa recently earned her third title in Rally Excellent, we can't go any higher than that! I absolutely love the sport and Reese will soon try her luck in the Rally show ring as well. And instead of trying to describe it, below I've posted a video of Elsa and I at a show this winter, you can see how much fun it is! The greatest thing about competing in Rally with Elsa is that the two of us must work together, she must watch and listen to me, and I must tell her exactly what to do. In this video we're competing in Rally Advanced, Elsa did a wonderful job and placed 1st in her class! However, you may notice that I was quite nervous! Rally-O is something that anyone can get involved in and your pup will LOVE working and competing with you! You can also read additional information about Rally-Obedience on the AKC website: Rally

Rain Rain GO AWAY!

At this point, anyone living in New England has just had enough of this rain! Lucky you, being nice and dry in your cubicle...(ok I take that back, I'll walk in the rain before returning to a cube.)

But not only have we enjoyed weeks on end of constant rain, but our icing on the cake has been some recent thunderstorms. And I know there are some pups who just aren't too happy about these recent storms...Elsa being one of them! She insisted on cuddling with me in bed the other morning as a severe storm rumbled above us. But she wasn't always that way, in her early years she didn't bat an eye as a storm passed us by.

As I walked Sox yesterday afternoon we heard some distant rumbling which caused a temporary pause, but he quickly got back to sniffing. Then as I walked Bailey J. and Bailey O. together we heard some louder thunder. Bailey J. paused at the sound, looked at the sky, and then continued her walk. However Bailey O. got startled and ran to the end of the leash, crying a bit, but soon realized that the storm was not heading our way and got back to enjoying our walk. But not all dogs can tolerate a storm. Upon trying to discover why Wallace, a sweet, hound-mix rescue dog, was being fearful on some of his walks with Lauren and particularly on a rainy day, I learned that he has an over-sensitivity to thunderstorms, which could likely affect his behavior on some days.

But what is it that makes dogs fearful of thunderstorms? The easy answer to that question is that they don't like the loud sound of thunder. But why, then, would Elsa become increasingly fearful of thunderstorms? There is another theory out there which may better explain our dogs' fear of storms, called the static-electricity theory.

The static-electricity theory is that dogs become statically charged during a thunderstorm and receive electric shocks, unless they ground themselves.

Hm interesting...so what's the evidence? Well, first off, a lot of breeds that are more susceptible of a thunderstorm-phobia are herding and retrieving breeds. Many of these breeds carry larger, heavier coats (that favor buildup of an electric charge) such as a Collie. As well, during storms, many dogs can be found hiding in a bathtub, shower stall, or pressed behind the toilet...all excellently grounded due to plumbing. And it's been found that many dog owners who seek help in relieving their dog's phobia will say that they've received electric shocks from their dogs during a storm.

The theory also explains why dogs like Elsa will progressively gain a fear of t-storms. Dogs learn based on experiences and trial-and-error. Elsa was never extremely fearful of loud sounds, so thunder never effected her. The likelihood that during a chance storm, there was a crack of thunder that was so severe and scary that it has made her fearful of all storms is slim. What's more likely is that during a particularly severe storm, she gained such a large charge buildup that she received an electric shock that startled her and possibly hurt her (think of when you touch something and receive a shock, ouch!)

So why, then, do dogs react to the actual sound thunder in a fearful manner? It may be a secondary fear that came about as an association to the charge buildup. Some dogs that have a serious phobia may also become fearful of dark skies, wind, and rain...all because they associate them with the static charges.

Of course, this is all just a theory, but it's supported by more and more evidence. I recently read an article written by Dr. Nicholas Dodman, a behavior veterinarian who heads the Animal Behavior Clinic at Tufts University School of Veterinarian Medicine and author of multiple books on dog behavior. Though he's found it difficult to completely omit the fear in some dogs, there are a number of preventative measures that have been found to increase the dogs' comfort during t-storms. He suggests that prior to or at the onset of a t-storm, rubbing your dog with an anti-static laundry pad, misting your dog with water, or putting them onto a nonconducting surface such as a tile or linoleum floor. And most interestingly, he suggests putting your dog into a car (shielding your dog from static buildup!)

So if your dog is fearful of the thunderstorms that we've been experiencing recently, you may want to try some of those options to see if they work. Looking out the window, it looks like right now is a perfect time to try it out....WHEN will this rain go away!?