ARE YOU LIVING WITH A COMEDIAN?

Anyone that owns and lives with a German Shepherd Dog knows that they are living with one of the most intelligent breeds of dogs on the planet. There’s not too much that you can ask him to do that he can’t. He is definitely one of the most versatile of the breeds. There are many things that you can teach the German Shepherd Dog. He makes an excellent show dog, obedience prospect, guide for the blind, rescue dog, therapy dog, herding dog and just all around “pretty much do whatever you train him to do” type of dog. Of all these descriptions about this wonderful breed, I’ve never heard anyone say that their German Shepherd is a comedian dog. Oh sure some of them can make you laugh because of some of the funny things that they do. This is an emotional breed and he always reminds you that he is because of his need and desire to be with you.

I own ten blogs although those other nine have garnered some cobwebs since I’ve started writing on this one. One of those blogs is about my dog “Bu”…….the baddest dog on the planet and the biggest pain in the “Arse!” Now I’ve decided to add comedian to her limited resume. I confess……I take responsibility for her…….I bred her! I’m going to re-tell a couple of stories about her to remind you which one I’m talking about and for those of you who never heard of her. I’ll save her newest “laugh out loud, tears streaming down my face” moment for last. If my mother was still alive, she’d say to me, “You’re not going to write about that are you?’’ “Oh yes I am mother because the older I get, the more I’ve learned to laugh at myself. Might as well join in with the crowd!”

“Bu” was born with the words “ALPHA” splashed across her scrawny little chest. She doesn’t know any other way to act. It’s imprinted on her “overly active, too smart for her own good” mind! She might be doing one thing like chewing on her bone, but is ever aware of what one of the other dogs is doing in the other room at all times. Her mouth is on her bone, but her ears and eyes are tuned into wherever it is that one of the other dogs are; especially her sister.  See the little darling in the above picture looking so angelic.  Then take a look at her doing what she does best.......attacking her sister Jess! 

When she gets out of hand, I’ve tried disciplining her and even done the “alpha roll” on her. That’s a joke….for although she can’t move and squirm away from me too easily, she’s just timing it for when I release her. She jumps up and looks at me like if to say, “is that all you got?’ To “Bu” everything is a game.

So I told some of you this story already. I’m repeating it here for those that haven’t read it. So hang in here with me guys until the last part of this story for her funniest moment yet. About two years ago, I looked out my back window and Bu and Jess (her sister) were out on the back porch. Bu was in the dog house and Jess was lying on the deck in the sun. It was a beautiful day, but Bu wasn’t content in letting it remain that way. Everything was too quiet and uneventful for this bad girl! She doesn’t see me watching her out the window. Out walks the little terror with a mouth full of wood shavings from the inside of the dog house. Jess is minding her business and not paying attention to her sister. Bu walks over to Jess with the wood shavings and dumps them on her head. I began to laugh hysterically as Jess looked up at the window with a piece of the shaving attached to her eyelash! Oh how I wish I had a camera!

Another time when I gave my three girls a marrow bone to chew on, Bu decides she’s had enough chewing for the day. She promptly gets up and walks with that defiant little wiggle in her backside and carries her chewed up bone over to where her mother is chewing her bone. Bu takes her foot and puts it on her mothers back as if she wants her to remain there and drops her bone on her captive held body!

Alright, alright already…….now for her funniest moment of all. Two days ago when all three of them were in the house together, I was standing in the kitchen with them. I had on a pair of very old “seen its better days” pants. I had just made up my mind that that day was the last day I was going to wear them as the tie that held them together was broken. Anyway, Bu doesn’t need too much reason for jumping up on me especially if she catches me looking at her. She thinks she has an invitation then. Well without any warning, “BOOM, she jumps up on me just one time and it was perfect timing. Up she jumps, down my pants fall around my ankles!” Yup, yours truly was standing in the middle of the kitchen in my “under-drawers!” Can I tell you, I laughed so hard the tears were rolling down my face? This only excited Bu even more as she started attacking and biting her sister Jess like she normally does when there’s too much excitement. And like usual, I yell at her to leave her sister alone. Well she’s in her most “devilish” mood and starts telling me off by barking at me. I grab my pants up around my waist and holding them in one hand, I chase Bu through the rooms yelling at her telling her she’s a very bad girl. She runs with me in hot pursuit into her bedroom where her crate is. She’s so darn fast, and I’m so darn slow. I go to give her a swift kick in the butt with my bedroom slipper. The slipper goes flying across the room and my pants fall down around my ankles once again! Never a peaceful moment in this house……but lots of laughter!

I decided I know exactly where Bu gets her ways from. It’s her mother Amber. When Amber was younger she too made me laugh out loud because she was so funny, although not anywhere as bad as Bu is. Amber loves to follow me into the bathroom all the time. And when she does, 90% of the time she needs to pick up a toy and bring it in to me and drop it on my lap. Well one day, she does this and I said something to her and she jumped up on me and got her feet caught into my pants and couldn’t her herself untangled while I’m sitting on the “john!” Oh my goodness, another “tear producing” laugh out loud moment.

Sometimes I wonder if it isn’t easier just living with a dumb dog. These Shepherds are just too gosh darn smart................and funny! So some of you people that have kennel dogs……you don’t know what you’re missing! They are without doubt a constant source of entertainment if your blood pressure can take it! I’d love to hear your stories about the comedians that share your house with you!


My rating: smart dogs: (4), smart and bad dog combination: (1)


From the book:   "THE NEW BETTER BEHAVIOR IN DOGS: A GUIDE TO SOLVING ALL YOUR DOG PROBLEMS"........"...an invaluable tool for solving behavior problems and training...This books belongs in the library of every dog lover." -- Gleanna Doyle, My Dog's Place

Owner’s Guide to Better Behavior in Dogs should be skimmed for sheer Pleasure before delving into for its wisdom -- (Enid Bergstrom, Dog World)

They used to kick ill-behaved dogs…Now intelligent people read Better Behavior in Dogs. Read it. (Roger Caras, ABC News) -- (Roger Caras, ABC News)

Whatever behaviors you find objectionable on the part of your pet, you will find the explanation in this book. -- (Jack Volhard, trainer, author)

CELEBRATING SPECIAL TIMES

Today is my Amber’s sixth birthday. That’s her in the pictures. Isn’t she lovely? The portrait picture was taken just last week. The other picture of her rolling around on the floor with her favorite toy was when she was about a year or so old. She still has that little stuffed lamb, only it’s not as new looking as it was then. In fact, it’s worn out, torn and over all quite “yucky” looking, but in Amber’s eyes that little stuffed lamb (well the guts have long ago been ripped out) is always beautiful. I named the little lamb “Squeaks” because that’s what it used to do…..squeak. The squeaky part has long been gone, but all I have to do is ask Amber, “Where’s Squeaks” and she goes and gets her bringing her to me hanging from her mouth like a limp noodle.

So today Amber will have Salisbury steak added to her dinner and she’ll get a large dog biscuit to chew on this morning. I’m afraid there’s no cake to announce her birthday because I’d end up eating it all myself and I don’t need any more cake to distract from my already more than “pleasingly plump” figure!

Many people celebrate their animal’s birthdays as well as other national holidays with them. Oh and how about Halloween? Some people love to dress their dogs up in special costumes and make them look goofy. Come on, admit it, you know that you do. I’ve seen some of the pictures.

We just love our dogs. We treat them like children. We pamper them. We spoil them. We indulge them. When it comes to showing our dogs how much we love them, there’s just nothing we wouldn’t do for them. We just love them to death. And when they do die, for some of us, showing our love for our dog doesn’t die with them. We may bury him beneath the old shady tree that he loved to lie under. We might even have special urns with his ashes sitting on our mantles over the fireplace. We all know that our love for our beloved animals hasn’t died because his physical presence is no longer with us.

The pet industry has watched us and listened to us and I guess that’s why the pet industry is a multi-billion dollar business. Designer this and designer that……is no longer just for us humans! The pet industry attaches all sorts of fancy names to attract the consumer to buy their products. You can buy your dog, designer beds, designer cloths, holistic food, holistic vitamins, natural shampoos and conditioners, and on and on.

Some people love their dogs so much that they hire a professional animal photographer to take many pictures of their animals. Beautiful photographs are then displayed in different places in the house for all to enjoy looking at. Then some people will hire a very special artist to paint a picture of their dog. The portrait is then displayed in a prominent area of the home for people to enjoy for many years to come. This to me this is the ulimate in luxury. Many years ago, a young couple bought a puppy from me from a beautiful stud dog that I owned. They loved their puppy and the sire of that puppy so much that one day a knock came at my door. Imagine my surprise when this lovely couple handed me this huge package all wrapped up in pretty paper. After pulling the paper off, imagine my further surprise to see a water color portrait of my stud dog taken from a picture that I had given to them. I was so grateful and happy to have that painting and it still remains with me to this day!

Some people even include their dogs in their weddings. Yes, I’ve seen pictures of that as well. They actually dress up the dog for the official picture! If there’s room for a dog, the dog owner literally will have the dog attached at the hip! I’ve seen dogs in pictures riding on their owners motorcycles. My friend takes her dogs sailing with her and her husband. Some people won’t go on vacation unless they can take their dog. They’ll check out places that have dog friendly hotels before they make their reservations. Just look at some of the people in the German Shepherd Dog community. They plan their vacation around the National Specialty Dog Show that is held every fall at different locations in the United States. This is what they save their hard earned money for. To them, this is their vacation. Yes, some dogs truly know what it is to be loved by their smitten owners!

An animal lover includes their beloved pets in just about anything that they include their family members in. They are treated as part of the family. Many sleep on the owner’s beds, live in the house, ride in the car, are invited to join in parties at the house whether company likes it or not……yes sir; these animals are special in their owner’s eyes and hearts. Some dogs are treated so special that every day is like a birthday for these lucky guys! Lucky for the dog born into this household!

I know that some of you that are reading this have your own little rituals that you may do on his “special” day. Any time that one of my dogs or a friend’s dog finished their championship or made his ROM, we would gather at our houses and put on a big celebration with good food, lively conversation and dogs or puppies taking turns coming in the house to “strut their stuff!” Actually, if truth be told, the parties were more for the people than they were for the dogs. The dogs were an excuse for us all to get together once again.

Then there are those pet owners that don't need any holiday or a birthday celebration to share special times with their dogs. Their bond is not about recognizing any special date on the calendar. Rather every day spent with their animal is a celebration of the life that they share. It might be a hike up the mountain, or a stroll through the park. It might even be when you take your dog out in the back yard and throw a ball for him to fetch. Or maybe it's the quiet times that the two of you share as you read a book and your dog is curled up at your feet resting peacefully by your chair. Special times for you means times spent with your special friend that is reserved just for the two of you!

So for all you special dogs out there that were born today HAPPY BIRTHDAY and may you celebrate many more birthdays! My Amber is sitting by me as I type this article for my blog today. Oh she doesn’t care about the subject matter. She’s just sitting looking lovingly at me waiting for me to share another one of my pretzels with her. Oh she knows that she’s a spoiled dog, but well you know it is her birthday, after all!


From the book: "For the Love of a Dog": Animal behaviorist, dog trainer, syndicated radio talk show host and prolific author on all things canine, McConnell (The Other End of the Leash) presents a compelling combination of stories, science and practical advice to show how understanding emotions in both people and dogs can improve owners' relationships with their pets. This is more than a simple dog-training book: much of what McConnell discusses concerns how dog owners can learn "the language" of dog by recognizing important signals and reading them correctly. She provides numerous helpful examples of how owners can observe dog behavior, especially differences in posture and facial expressions, in order to help dogs be better behaved and help dog owners to be better handlers; her discussion of the meaning of a dog's "tongue flicks" is alone worth the price of the book. Her overall goal is to help owners provide their pets with "a sense of calm, peaceful benevolence," and she skewers current dog-training fads that emphasize "dominance" over a dog. "Don't fool yourself: if you yell at your dog for something he did twenty seconds ago, you're not training him; you're merely expressing your own anger."


My rating: celebrating special times with your dogs: (4)

THE CRATE - DEN OR A JAIL SENTENCE?

I got a call the other day from a person that owns a Pit Bull male puppy that’s about four months old. I have seen the puppy and he is gorgeous and BIG! The head on him alone makes him look older than he is. But he’s a friendly, fun loving puppy. I absolutely fell in love with him. Anyway, they wanted to know about crate training the puppy because every time they eat something, there he is begging for a handout. I told them, “Well he’s a puppy and that’s what puppy’s do.” I told them that they will have to train him to sit or lie down quietly while they are eating. I told them if he really is a nuisance than they can crate train him until he knows what they expect from him.

I think owning a crate when you own a dog is probably one of your best investments you can make. I start to crate train my puppies at eight weeks old. I’ve never had a problem with this method at this young age. The German Shepherd Dog is very smart and they learn very easily with lots of persistence on the owner’s part.

Some pet people will question the use of crates. Many times a breeder will hear them say that they think putting a dog and especially a puppy in a crate is cruel. They don’t think that a puppy should be locked away in a crate like they are in some sort of jail!

There are many reasons to use a crate for a dog. The number one reason probably would be for the safety of your animals. Then the number two reason could be for the safety of your household items and valuables. Puppies and some dogs are notorious chewers. Anything they can find to put in their mouths, they will. You don’t want them chewing on dangerous electrical cords. You don’t want them chewing on your furniture or getting into your collectible items. You don’t want them getting and eating the garbage.

Many people don’t realize that a dog is a pack animal. If he were in the wild he would look for a den to get out of the elements with the changing of the weather. He would look for a warm, safe haven to rest in. The crate if introduced properly would represent to the dog a safe haven to rest in. The key word here is PROPERLY. A crate should be used and viewed to the dog as something positive, no negative.

A crate should not be used as a means to punish the dog. If it is, the dog will grow to hate it and you will have your hands full putting him in it and leaving him in it without a fight or a lot of ruckus. You want the dog to view the crate as a safe place for him to go to when he wants to rest and relax. You want the dog to treat his crate as his den. Like anything else when training a dog, this should be a positive experience for him.

I always train my dogs to go into the crate and they’ll get a treat when they cooperate. So at bed time, I get the box of dog biscuits, give it a shake and my dogs run in front of me to get to their “den.” They go in it and they are rewarded with the dog biscuit. I tell them they are good dogs. They swallow their treat and then it’s “Lights out time!” They have been trained like this since they were little eight week old puppies. Sure the puppy will complain the first few nights, but better than him destroying your house and going “potty” anywhere they chose. The crate is an excellent house training tool!

If however, on the other hand, if you use the crate as a punishment for when the dog is doing something bad, he will hate the crate. By yelling and screaming at the dog telling him he’s a bad dog and putting him in the crate, he’s just associated the crate with something bad. He’s associated it with a place that he goes to when he’s being punished. Association is very important to a dog when you are training him. You want the dog to associate the crate with something good, not bad.

Also when you are training your dog to get used to the crate, don’t expect him to love it if you leave him in it all day long. The dog needs and wants to be exercised. The crate should represent a place for him when he goes to bed or if you can’t trust him alone in the house, then this is a place he can “wait” until you return. Just don’t make it an all day event because then it will feel like a jail to the dog.

When a dog has a negative feeling about the crate, he can try to do everything in his power to escape from it. Most crates are secure enough that he won’t be able to do this. However, there are those few that are escape artists and somehow have figured out how to get out of his crate. Don’t ask me how they do it, but some of them can. I’ve personally never dealt with a dog that could do this, but I’ve heard about it.

When you first train the puppy to stay in the crate over night, it’s wise to take him outside to go to the bathroom before you put him to bed. The later, the better. Also plan on getting up earlier in the morning than you normally would as the puppy won’t be able to hold his need to “potty” for excess lengths of time. Gradually, you can increase the time he stays in bed in the morning as he gets a little older. Most puppies and dogs will not go “potty” in the place that they sleep, so if he does have an accident, he probably was in the crate too long.

Sometimes an indication that a dog has been in a crate for the majority of his life is how he reacts when he’s out of the crate. If you buy a dog from someone and the dog spins around and around a lot of the time, it MAY be an indication that the dog was crated for too long of a time. I have experienced this with two dogs that I bought with different bloodlines. Both of these animals were left in crates for long periods of time.

Many times you will notice that your dog that is in the house with you may disappear occasionally. If you go to take a look, you might be surprised to find that she went to take a snooze in her crate. I always leave the crate doors open for my dogs if they feel they want a place to go away from the rest of the family.

If you must leave a puppy in a crate for a short period of time while you do an errand, it’s a good idea to leave a radio on so she doesn’t feel alone. If you leave toys for her to chew on while you’re gone, make sure there is nothing that she can choke on. Sometimes you will get a dog like one of mine that is a “chow hound” and this means everything that she can get her mouth on she has to eat. I’ve learned this lesson when I’ve put big beach towels in for her to lie on. She would shred them time and time again. So she no longer lies on anything but the crate floor. This is for her safety so she doesn’t swallow big hunks of the towel and end up choking. Every dog is an individual and should be treated as such.

Getting a dog used to a crate in the house is a great idea because when you take her for a ride, you can put her in a crate in the car and she’ll feel safe and secure without giving you any problems.

Make sure that the crate is large enough for the dog to stand up and turn around in comfortably. His needs as a puppy will be different as he grows. I like using the plastic shipping crates for my dogs and puppies. I don’t change the size of crate that the puppy sleeps in. Right from the beginning he sleeps in a large crate and this is the crate that he will grow in and sleep in as an adult.

So as you can see, the crate can be a place for peace and solitude for a dog or a place they view as solitary confinement. Make it a pleasant experience for the both of you. A happy dog is a quiet and peaceful dog. This makes for a very happy and content owner.


From the book: "Don't Dump the Dog: Good advice—"Dear Abby" style—for bad dog owners. Do you want to dump your dog because he tries to escape your yard? Barks too much? You-know-whats in the house? Doesn’t play well with others? Chewed up your favorite pair of shoes? You wouldn’t be the first person asking to “return” your pet. And dog rescuer Randy Grim has heard every reason under the sun. But before you load Fido into the back of your car, read this book. In it, Randy addresses the concerns of dog guardians everywhere by responding to letters that he’s actually received. With humor, and from his vast experiences with abandoned dogs, he reveals exactly what you can do to remain calm and fix every bad behavior problem. (Even if it means dumping your husband instead of the dog.)


My rating: crates: (4), used as punishment: (1)!

DOES YOUR DOGS POOR MANNERS REFLECT ON YOU?

There are many reasons why we should teach our canine companions good manners. Now I’m talking about the most basic commands of obedience training like “come, sit, down, stay, etc.” You don’t have to teach your dog to roll over or jump through hoops if you don’t feel like it. But in order for you to live with him and in order for him to interact with people that come to your home, these most basic of commands are a “MUST!”

Like many of you that bought your first German Shepherd, I took my girl to obedience school. She was a lively happy puppy, but like all puppies she loved to jump all over me and anyone else that I invited in to my home. I may have thought it was cute, but I can assure you that my company did not. Just because we choose a dog in our lives doesn’t mean that other people when they visit us wants them to slobber all over them. It’s like having an unruly child that a parent doesn’t have control over. Many people don’t want to come to your house anymore or invite you to theirs until you get some kind of control over your child. The same thing holds true for a dog. The “love me, love my dog” motto just doesn’t fit for most people.

I only own three dogs…….all lovely “ladies!!!” Well in reality they are lovely to look at, but only one of them is obedience trained. She’s my house dog. I put a lot of time in to her and taught her the basic commands of obedience training and like most German Shepherds she learned very quickly. One thing I notice about this breed. If you teach them something, they always remember it. You may not give them a certain command for months, and then all of a sudden you do, and they remember it. I trained her to know hand signals as well.

Now her two daughters are another story all together. I probably could write a book about them, and especially one of them. They are wild, hyper “nut cases!” (And I do say that with a lot of love)! However, they are without doubt the most uncontrollable of any dogs that I’ve ever owned. Now it’s not their fault that they misbehave so much. They don’t have any obedience training as their mother has had except for the command to sit. And that’s because they want a treat. They sit…..they get the treat. Ask them to sit when I don’t have a treat to give them, well it’s like they’re saying….”No treat…..no sit!” Anyway, it’s my fault. I’ve got to put more time into training them, but “Oh my aching back hurts just thinking about it!!!”

Besides having a peaceful environment to coexist with our animals, there are other reasons to put the time into doing basic obedience work with your dogs. The most important one is for safety. I believe that the most important obedience command that you can teach your dog is the command to “come!” This can literally mean the difference between life and death. If you teach him one thing, teach him to come to you when you call him. This may prevent him from running out in the street and getting hit by a car. This may prevent him from running after the neighbor’s cat. It may prevent him from going after another dog. As I said, this could be a life safer for your dog, yourself and any other animals or people that may be involved.

Then I think after the command to “come,” the next most important thing you can teach your dog is the command “No, or don’t touch.” Again this can be a life safer. If your dog is going after something that may be dangerous for him teaching him “no or don’t touch” could save his life.

Teaching your dog to “sit” is another important command. This can prevent him from jumping up on you or other people. This command can be followed by the command to teach him to lie down but using the word, “down.” These commands like all commands teach him that before you reward him with a treat that he has to earn it.

I also like to teach my dogs the command to “stay.” This teaches him that he can’t always go every place that you go. You can teach him this command for short periods of time at first and then lengthen the time you command him to stay in one place.

Teaching your dogs the basics of obedience doesn’t mean you want to put him in obedience trials (although that is certainly something that can be fun for you and your dog). What it means is that you want to be able to live peacefully with your dog. A well behaved dog is a joy to live with. Unruly, uncontrolled dogs are not. Just ask me what that’s like with two of my girls!

We are living with one of the most intelligent breeds of dogs and this means that they have the capacity to learn just about anything that we teach them. That’s the important word….teach! If we don’t teach them, then how the heck do we expect them to behave? They don’t!

Uncontrolled dogs are no fun to be around. You lose your temper. You scream and shout. They still run around like a wild animal because they’re doing what an untrained dog does. They’re having a party doing just about anything that they please. Up on the counters, up on the stove, in to the garbage, knocking over things……in other words total chaos! You grab another Excedrin for headache #888! Out the door they go with a few choice curse words…..until the next time and it’s a repeat performance of before. Oh my bad……my bad!!!

The ideal time to train a dog is when he is a puppy. If you teach him early in life, he’ll grow up to be a good adult dog. Does this mean that you can’t teach an old dog a new trick? No it doesn’t. You can teach a dog to learn something new at any age. However, remember that dogs are creatures of habit and once he gets into a bad habit, it’s that much harder to train him away from that which he already knows and does. But it can be done with much persistence on your part.

Oh I poke fun at myself, but I know I have to get serious and implement some of the things that I wrote about here if I ever want to make good “canine citizens” of my two uncontrollable fur kids. Oh their mother was so much easier!

I’ve heard some show dog people say they don’t want to break their dog’s spirit by obedience training him. They feel that they will ruin their dog’s attitude by obedience training him. That’s a lot of nonsense in this writer’s opinion. Either your dog is born with “attitude” or showmanship (energy and exuberance) or he’s not. This is not something that you can make him be. Either he has it or he doesn’t. Training him won’t destroy his spirit unless you are punishing him when you’re training him. Keep it fun and he’ll enjoy the rewards that you give to him. Many champion dogs are also obedience titled champions as well. This is a dog that can do it all!

There are different ways that your dog can learn basic obedience commands. You can teach him yourself. You can take him to obedience classes. Many local dog clubs offer these classes to their members. Also sometimes these classes are offered through an adult education class. If you don’t have the time to teach your dog his commands, you can always hire a professional that will do it for you. I also know that some places like the store “Petsmart” offers basic obedience classes for your dog. So no matter which way you want to do it, there really is no excuse to own and live with an untrained dog. You owe it to yourself, your dog and anyone else that comes in contact with you and your animal. Train your dog and everyone will be happy!


From the book: "Positive Perspectives: Love Your Dog, Train Your Dog".....by Pat B. Miller Positive Perspectives covers a lot of helpful ground. You'll learn how dogs think and learn, puppy training including house training, basic training, preventing problems, and more. No yelling needed--just manage your dog's behavior to prevent him from doing the wrong things. When your dog is doing the right thing, reward him for it. It can be a challenge to figure out how to make the behaviors you want more rewarding than the behaviors you don't want. Positive Perspectives will help you learn how while you and your dog both have fun doing it. Positive Perspectives will show you: How management works in the world of dogs. One thing that prevents 75% of all problem behavior before it happens. Which leashes and collars create behavior problems and which ones don't. Why clicker training is so popular and effective. A toy no doggie household should be without.


My rating: teaching basic obedience commands: (4), living with unruly dogs: (1)