Smart Dog

Cause for Celebration

Today's a celebratory day here in our family. It's Tango's birthday!

We celebrate every birthday in this house, dogs included. We also celebrate anniversaries -- the date the dogs came to us. 

Eight years ago today, Tango was born. He was slated to be a hunting dog, but by nine weeks, the kennel knew he didn't have what it takes to be a successful hunter. So they called Service Dogs of Virginia (SDV) and suggested they come take a look at this very laid back boy. 

I happened to be at SDV that day with Lily, our little black Labrador who was then a service dog in-training. I remember seeing Tango for the first time: a roly-poly, squeezable little Labrador. He was indeed laid back. He went through the temperament test like a champ and just like that, he was a service dog in training. It was decided that he would come and live with us for his training and he fit into the fold like he'd been there forever. 

He was the fastest house trained pup we've had to date. He came to work with me and soon became a favorite of the Director of the federal agency. We were invited up to the holiday party, even. Well, if I'm being honest, it was Tango who was invited. I was merely the leash holder!

It was discovered that Tango had a bad shoulder. Tests were conducted that eventually led to Tango's dismissal from the program. I was elated! 

Tango wasn't elated at all. Being dismissed from the program meant he couldn't come to work with me any longer. No more grocery store runs, no more movie theaters, or dinners out. He was now a house dog, a pet. It was a tough transition for him. I quickly got him Delta certified so he could be a registered therapy dog. We now visit elementary schools where kids read to him - he's happy again!

Tango's my heart-dog. He's mine and I'm his. We're each other's favorites. He chose me and I chose him. He's singled out for all things special. All the dogs have gotten used to the hierarchy and they know that Tango always gets the best or biggest treat, he gets to clean my plate, he gets whatever he wants. 

He's my traveling companion. He's happy to do whatever it is I want to do. He doesn't care what it is, he just wants to be included. He's easy, he's sweet, he's a dream. And today he's eight. 

His muzzle's getting a little grey. He's slowing down just a little. But he's still a tennis-ball-chasing fool. He still jumps off the dock and swims all day at Lake Anna . We've got a lot of adventures in front of us yet. Here's to many more good years, Tango!

Off My Rocker? Or Good Dog Owner?

Tonight is the local minor league baseball's Bark in the Park. For one night only, your dog can enjoy Major League Baseball with you! We've made this an annual event for the last several years. Not because we're baseball fans (we're football fans), but because we think the dogs really enjoy getting out and seeing different sights. 

And sharing popcorn, peanuts, and yes, even a hot dog!

Here's the trouble: I traveled for work over the weekend and got in at 3:30a this morning. After a quick nap, the dogs got me up and I've been going full-tilt ever since. All I really want to do is eat an early dinner and go to bed!

But.

The dogs only get one chance a year to go to the baseball game. I'm sure they know we've got this planned, so it's not like I I'll disappoint them if I decide to stay home. But I would disappoint myself if I let them miss a fun opportunity like this. 

So. I'm schlepping my sleepy self out tonight so my dogs can enjoy a really cool, fun, exciting night. 

Does that make me weird? Crazy? Off my rocker?

Or does that make me a good, thoughtful dog owner?

What Puppies Need

Puppies. Irresistible. Absolutely wonderful. 

And oh so needy! Did you know that...

...puppies need to be pleasantly introduced to as many different:

• people
• locations
• noises
• surfaces
• other dogs
• vehicles
• situations
• the list goes on and on...

And the real shocker: this needs to be done between the age of 8 and 16 weeks! Which means if you get your pup at 8 weeks old, you have only 8 weeks to show your pup that the world is a friendly, welcoming place. Zoinks, that's a lot of pressure on you!

Ideally, your pup is experiencing new things and meeting new people every day. The same neighborhood and friends don't count -- they need to see different stuff every single day. And in a friendly, relaxed manner. 

Without this socialization, your pup runs the very real risk of becoming shy, fearful, growly, skittish, even downright unfriendly. 

I will be writing a lot more about puppies, what they need, and how you can provide it to them in the next few months here on the Smart Dog Blog. If you have specific questions about puppies and puppyhood, please leave them in the Comments secction!

 

 

K9 Nose Work: Catch the Craze!

K9 Nose Work ^TM is crazy fun. For you. For your dog. Wondering what K9 Nose Work is? I thought so. Take a look at this video to see some K9 Nose Work dogs in action! Smart Dog University has a new K9 Nose Work class scheduled to start August 3 (6:30p in Frederick, MD), if you think your dog would be interested. (Hint: You'll love it!)

   

Dogs Galore!

It was a great Saturday for Bark in the Park at Utica District Park in Frederick. The weather was terrific, the dogs were great, and I had a fun time meeting lots of new people. 

I was, of course, working the booth, which makes it almost impossible to have a dog with me. But my husband stopped by for the festivities and he brought good ol' Nemo with him, so I wasn't really dogless. 

Nemo had a fun time in the large dog off-leash area, found lots of friends, and played his heart out.

 I spotted four Great Danes and lured them over to my booth. I couldn't resist getting the chance to talk to four Danes!

I got this picture of the Danes when they'd gone next door to Mary Kate McKenna's Sweet Paws booth. She's the one who took all those cool pictures of my dogs. If you take a look at the picture with the Danes, you might notice two very familiar blue eyes in the picture, dead center. That'd be Big T!

I'll be back out in my booth for another Frederick dog event on May 21: Walk N Wag! Come out and visit -- bring your dog!

 

 

Behold the Canine Nose

Your Smart Dog, Smart Dog U's newsletter was published today! Not a subscriber? You are missin' out, man! Jump on over and subscribe here so you don't miss the next issue (published the first Wednesday of each month). 

Here's one of the articles contained in May's newsletter, it's all about your dog's nose and how you can take advantage of it. Click to download the PDF version.  Download 5_K9NW

A Day in the Life of a Dog Trainer's Dog

What's it like to be a dog trainer's dog? Well, you've gotta work for one thing. Tango, that handsome dude on the left, earns his keep from time to time, going to work with me. 

You've got to know something right up front: Tango is my favorite dog. Ever. For all time. He's  my guy. Dog people have a term for this, it's called heart dog. Tango is most definitely my heart dog. 

So know that part of the reason he comes to work with me is because I love having him with me - he'd be my shadow 24/7 if I could somehow finagle it. 

He also happens to be pretty good at keeping puppies in line. And yesterday he pulled double-duty, working a private, in-home training session and also attending group class training with me. In the private session, his job was to set very clear boundaries for a rambunctious (and sweet) puppy -- and enforce those boundaries. Tango's an excellent boundary setter, especially for puppies. He doesn't tolerate their antics, he doesn't think they're cute, and he's not afraid to let them know (1) where the line is and (2) when they've crossed it.  

The one thing I don't have to worry about, though, is him hurting a puppy. Well, sometimes the pup's feelings get hurt when Tango tells them off, but they're never physically traumatized. In fact, he doesn't even have to put a paw or a tooth on them to get their attention. He's got pretty good display signals. Puppies sometimes either don't notice another dog's signals or they walk right through them as if they didn't see them. 

Tango teaches puppies just how important it is to notice those signals. First, he's pretty calm. He lets the pup approach him and stands quietly, head off to the side or sniffing the ground. Second, his displays are very clear. Yesterday when the pup jumped on Tango's head to greet him -- not within polite doggie-manners -- Tango very clearly and very quickly told the pup that wasn't how dogs greeted. He gave a nice loud growl, then snapped at the pup. He never made contact with the pup, but he definitely got her attention! It happened in the blink of an eye, and then he went right back to sniffing the ground again, doing his best to ignore the pup. She eyed him warily -- good girl! -- and joined in the sniffing. Really good girl!

We took the two for a short neighborhood walk and the remainder of her interactions with Tango were very appropriate. We used verbal praise to help the young dog understand when her actions were appropriate and relied on Tango to tell her when her actions were not. 

In group class, Tango makes for a good demonstration dog. He learned the material already and we've worked around distractions, so he's a good example of what level of success dog owners can attain. Sometimes, clients with their adolescent dogs just don't believe their dog will ever be capable of walking politely on a leash, ignoring another dog, coming when called...so it's nice that those students can see Tango doing those very things. 

Does Tango know everything? Is he the perfect dog? No, of course not. He's got his warts, like all dogs (and people). But he earns his keep.