The Dog Blog

Pet Dogs :Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Ottawa Dog Blog!

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:56:25 +0000

From everyone at the Ottawa Dog Blog, we’d love to wish you a merry christmas, happy holidays and a happy new year!

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From everyone at the Ottawa Dog Blog, we’d love to wish you a merry christmas, happy holidays and a happy new year!

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Pet Dogs :Holiday Pet Miracles to Warm the Heart

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:56:25 +0000

Brought to you by dogs for sale

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Brought to you by dogs for sale

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The Dogs :Bailey the English Pointer

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:56:25 +0000

Ottawa Dog of the Week for December 26th/11

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(Ottawa Dog of the Week for December 26th, 2011)

“Bailey is a three year old English Pointer that has brought so much joy to my life. She came into my life after a difficult passing of our previous family dog Tia. My son then moved out on his own and there I was alone. One day I was searching kijiji for puppies (just out of curiosity) and I saw a picture of these cute little puppies in Winchester. Well I called the guy and had to meet the puppies that day. When I went to go see them and I was having such a difficult time choosing. However there was this cute little puppy that was so quiet and leaning on the side of the pen. As you can guess it was Bailey. Later that day I was the proud owner of this adorable English Pointer. I traveled around with her everywhere and we played and she grow this amazing personality. Later though she became sick and it was touch and go for a very long time. She had two surgeries, a year being on meds and 10′s of thousands of dollars later, I was able to get her back to health. This past summer she started swimming and she can do soooo… many tricks now. I just wanted to share these pictures and let you know that she is an amazing family member and she really deserves to be the puppy of the month. ” Bailey’s Human, Cynthia.

This dog is NOT up for adoption. The Ottawa Dog of the Week posts feature a family dog in Ottawa. Each week an Ottawa dog gets to be a star.
The Ottawa Dog of the Week dogs are from loving homes and are not available for adoption.

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Best Dogs :Treating Thunder Anxiety – Part 2

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:56:25 +0000

I BRING GOOD NEWS – YOU CAN MITIGATE AND EVEN CURE YOUR DOG’S THUNDER ANXIETY – DON’T GIVE UP HOPE! Your kit-of-tools to success is complete, you don’t need to go out and purchase anything – you already have what you need…you just have to dust off and polish

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I BRING GOOD NEWS – YOU CAN MITIGATE AND EVEN CURE YOUR DOG’S THUNDER ANXIETY – DON’T GIVE UP HOPE!

Your kit-of-tools to success is complete, you don’t need to go out and purchase anything – you already have what you need…you just have to dust off and polish up your tools a little. Your tools are – your patience, persistence, determination – your will; and a safe, comfy, not too large space for your dog to stay. We will get into the details below.

And please be further reassured – the age of your dog does not matter, puppy, teenager, adult or senior dog – all is possible.

Of my ten dog pack – primarily rescues – two of the females were severely affected by thunder and gun shots – Abby my German Shepherd x Belgian Shepherd and Tasha my Australian Shepherd. Tasha also had separation anxiety.

If the air pressure change signalled the on-set of a T-storm Abby would start to quiver, then shake, pant and then tremble so acutely – her heart beat was as if she would have a heart attack. I adopted Abby at 18 months of age – she arrived with this anxiety. Tasha would also have these physiological symptoms. They would dash about looking for a safe haven – jumping into the bath tub, wrapping around the base of a toilet, moving from one place to another in search of safety – in total panic, meltdown, shut down. With patience and the right type of care they are both much better today.

The key to stop the meltdown and shut down is to provide leadership – eventually you will see improvement. If you have not already red these two articles you will need to in order to have a full understanding of your role as guardian through the storm! Leadership, Sensitivity, Dogs and Thunderstorms Part 1

FIRST PLEASE DO NOT ANTICIPATE – PLEASE STRATEGICALLY LEAD

If, at the first sign of rain, storm, thunder – you feel any negative thought/emotion anticipation, even release a sigh – it will reinforce your dog’s reaction to the incoming storm! To help break the pattern – the association ever little bit counts. Really the first place to start is to switch your own association – switch your entire psyche to focus on work. Being your dog’s guardian, leading – it is work. When we remain in personal mode we are emotive, and this makes us ineffective as we forget to disengage from emotion. Our expectations and communication becomes clouded rather than clear. We get too close, too involved in emotion and argument. When we switch our brain to working mode our expectations are different than when we are not working. When we think work – we employ logic, we direct, we are confident and calm.

Dogs want direction not sympathy. If you see your dog start to react…ears go down, tail goes down, a shiver, a whine switch modes immediately! Don’t feel sorry for you dog; instead switch to work and action from a calm and determined perspective.

Timing as in many situations is everything. The sooner you strategically intervene the better.

Most dogs that are afraid of thunder (gun shots, fire works) go into flight mode, they run about looking desperately for somewhere safe to go. Freedom to run about only makes them more desperate.

If your dog is crate trained, calmly, confidently bring your dog to its crate, guide your dog in and close the crate door. Your dog may try to evade going into the crate – don’t feel bad – just be calm, no panic, have no second thoughts – guide your dog in. Your dog is simply struggling as they are in panic mode and are accustomed to fleeing, remember if you have an ingrained habit it is normal for you to seek fulfillment of that habit. If they have a favourite toy, you can put it in the crate too.

If your dog is not crate trained then have another small space in which you can confine your dog – the space should be large enough to fit a comfy dog bed – no bigger no smaller.

If the space, crate that you confine your dog in can be located in a quite corner within a space near where you will be, coming and going that is fine. I tend to use a crate in the kitchen or living room for this purpose. Don’t hide the dog away in some remote space – you want them to learn not to cower and hide. While you work to get them accustomed to normalizing storms they need to feel secure not sequestered.

Once your dog is in the space or crate, walk away. Don’t say anything, don’t look, don’t touch, don’t feel anything but calm. As you go through this entire process you need to think ‘thunderstorms are normal, and you, my dear dog need to get accustomed to such storms and that is it’. And then you should go about your business in a normal, relaxed fashion – forget how your dog feels and what your dog is doing. By normalizing this in your mind, by relaxing and not treating the storm as anything more you will help your dog to normalize.

Right now you may think you need to stay by your dog’s side, that you need to touch them, say affectionate things to them…but if you do these things you are telling your dog that the situation is not normal. You are reinforcing their anxiety. Just think about it. Instead if you settle them into a comfortable spot, get up and go about your business – you are saying this is normal, be normal. This is what your dog really needs. To feel from you that all is well, normal and safe.

You may be thinking – but my dogs comes to get me and expects me to be there holding her and talking to her. She only does this because it is the pattern you have set in motion – you have not shown her what else she can do – relax – you have not shown her where – in a safe, comfortable contained space. She has no other option. Give her an alternative, be patient and allow her to adjust. Give her proper direction – calm, confident logical – no playing into emotions hers or yours.

You may not see any changes the first time but be patient, just wait. This is a psychologically driven situation – patience and confidence is key. The first time you may see little change – don’t worry. Persist. Soon you will see your dog learn to calm and sleep in comfort. Eventually they will not require such confinement.

Remember your most effective tool is your own state-of-being – employ calm, confidence and logic. Lead by the right example. Don’t engage in fuss, emotion and worry – you will make your dog worried and stressed. This is all about changing your dog’s association with thunder storms and your bad habits of supporting and enabling psychological trauma with emotion.

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Pet Dogs :Book Review: Unlikely Friendships

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:56:25 +0000

My puppy Sonnet and I are thick as thieves. She follows me wherever she can, attacks me with kisses when I come home, and we both agree that the best naps are taken curled up together. Yet despite our close bond, I am still surprised by stories of other animals pairing up in the same way.
Unlikely Friendships by Jennifer S. Holland (Workman Publishing Company 2011) features 47 stories of such cross-species relationships. While not focusing entirely on dogs, our scruffy friends feature prominently in the book. Some of my favourite stories follow a dachshund raising a piglet as one of her own, a stray mutt getting his belly rubbed by a elephant and dog who spends his days swimming with dolphins.

The stories themselves were a bit brief for my taste – only giving an outline of the interaction or relationship, and sometimes focusing a bit to much on scientific information. Yet whatever this book lacks in narrative, it makes up for in sheer cuteness.

My favourite feature of this book is its beautiful presentation. Each story features beautiful photographs of the unusual pairs, and really, who can resist a photo of a pit bull sitting contentedly in the grass with fluffy chicks nestled on his back? Not me. I’m not usually a big fan of coffee-table books, but Christmas guests can be sure to find this book lying around my house when they visit.

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Dog :Sheldon the Shih Tzu

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:56:25 +0000

Ottawa Dog of the Week for January 2nd/12

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(Ottawa Dog of the Week for January 2nd, 2012)

“We adopted Sheldon from the Ottawa Humane Society and he’s a very happy puppy! His favourite things are: stuffed toys, Kongs filled with peanut butter, food, veal stick treats, hanging out at the dog park with the big dogs, quiet time on the couch with his people and he’s finally starting to enjoy walks (he used to put on the breaks, particularly while in the middle of an intersection!).

We’re very lucky to have found our little Sheldon and look forward to many years of joy with our fluffy boy!” Sheldon’s Humans, Cynthia and Joe.

Here is a video of Sheldon playing with his friend Maggie. So adorable!

This dog is NOT up for adoption. The Ottawa Dog of the Week posts feature a family dog in Ottawa. Each week an Ottawa dog gets to be a star.
The Ottawa Dog of the Week dogs are from loving homes and are not available for adoption.

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The Dogs :Is Your Dog Anxious or Over Excited In The Car?

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:56:25 +0000

PANTING, WHINING, BARKING, NOT SETTLING DOWN… if the experience of going for a drive in the car with your dog has become stressful for you and your dog it’s time to address the situation. Left as is, neither you nor your dog can relax, normalize and enjoy the time spent together.

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PANTING, WHINING, BARKING, NOT SETTLING DOWN… if the experience of going for a drive in the car with your dog has become stressful for you and your dog it’s time to address the situation. Left as is, neither you nor your dog can relax, normalize and enjoy the time spent together.

To cure the behaviour you must address and correct the root cause – this is a psychological issue – your dog’s and yours. Rescue remedies may help but they are unlikely to cure the behaviour.

FIRST LET’S TALK ABOUT HOW THIS BEHAVIOUR DEVELOPS

Here are a few examples of how we de-normalize the situation for our dogs and create the behaviour problem…

One – If you make a fuss when you are about to go out to the car, you ‘wind’ your dog-up and teach your dog that leaving and going out in the car is associated with excitement… i.e. ‘hey boy, you want to go for a ride in the car!’ by creating intense excitement you are destabilizing your dog’s state of being. You are overwhelming and flooding their senses. You are telling your dog to be excited, you are enabling an altered state. For an insecure dog this can trigger anxiety and anxiousness.

Two - If, in the past you or your dog has experienced a traumatic incident in the car and you still carry some of that stress from your traumatic experience your dog can sense your disquiet, nervousness, upset.

Three – You may have been upset or very excited when you first brought your dog home in the car

Four – Your dog has motion sickness. When your dog gets sick in the car you get worried, frustrated, angry or otherwise stressed. For guidance on curing motion sickness in your dog you can read this article.

Now let’s talk about curing this behaviour

STEP ONE – CHANGE YOUR OWN BEHAVIOUR

I usually spend the first 30 minutes to 60 minutes of a four hour session just dealing with the human’s issues – which trigger the dog’s issues. When we humans start to accumulate nervousness pertaining to our dogs in certain situations (i.e. Our dog going up to another dog) we teach them to associate that situation with tension, nervousness, fear, insecurity, excitement…this is why dogs become reactive. Our dogs read our body language as our thoughts translate directly and instantaneously to our bodies. The second you feel tension, your body shows it…compression of your lips, tension around your eyes, your shoulders – your dog knows how you feel before you are aware of how you feel! You must relax and normalize so your dog can too.

To understand more about how you can inadvertently communicate the wrong message to your dog and to understand more about how to communicate the right message you can read these articles…

Communication and the Sensitivity of dogs

Leadership

Because dogs live in the moment it is easier to change a dog’s ‘bad habits’ than it is a human’s. Humans carry grudges, dogs do not. Dogs form associations with places, things, animate and inanimate objects. Dogs are very forgiving and treat each day, each experience as a new beginning. It is only with difficulty that we are able to convince, permit and allow ourselves to do the same.

Make the future different than the past. You must let the past go – must not anticipate that the past will and must repeat itself – let it go from your mind. Envision a new future in which you forget about what has happened before and focus instead on what you would like to happen – a nice peaceful ride in the car with your dog.

When you change your thoughts from negative to positive you relax – this allows your dog to do the same. You are leading by the right example.

STEP TWO – SET THE FRAMEWORK AND GET READY TO GO OUT

You then have to set the framework for the car ride before you get into the car! How you go out of the house with your dog matters! You must have control of your own state of being and your dog at every step of the way. This sets the framework for good behaviour in the car.

A – When you want your dog to go to the front door to get ready to go, call your dog over in a calm, confident manner. Don’t wind your dog-up. Don’t say, ‘we’re going out’ or ‘do you want to go for a ride’ – you do not need to say anything at all – your dog already knows. Don’t engage your emotions, just be matter of fact – remember this should be a normal event.

B – Your dog needs to be, calm and quiet before you walk out the door, if you are attaching a leash to go out to the car your dog needs to be calm and quite before you attach the leash to your dog’s collar.

C – When you are ready to approach the door, stand-up straight – your posture should be upright, confident, not tense – be aware of your shoulders, arms and how you hold the leash in your hands. If you are gripping the leash with tension, if your arms and shoulders are stiff with apprehension and tension you are giving your dog a message – you are communicating that you are not in control of yourself and therefore you cannot be in a leadership position with your dog. You are enabling stress, anxiety, insecurity in your dog.

D – Your dog is behind you before you open the door;

E – Your dog is to stay behind you as you walk out the door (and down the steps);

F – Your dog is either behind or beside you to the garage or across the lawn (pathway) and out to the sidewalk and to the car.

If you or your dog is not calm – stop.

I see so many people keep moving forward when their dog is not calm, when they (the person) are not calm. Stop, get your dog calm and then continue moving. If your dog is reacting and you keep walking you are telling your dog it’s ok to behave as you are. Stop regain control and then move forward.

It matters 100% what state you and your dog is in before you get into the car!

Don’t engage in an argument with your dog and don’t whine! Don’t say to your dog ‘ oh, I wish you wouldn’t do that’…to do so is whining and complaining, not directing – provide leadership, coach and mentor your dog. If you expect trouble you will get trouble…your dog can feel if you are anticipating an argument, instead remember to think i direct, my dog listens and that is it! Be 100% committed – your dog knows when you are not. Your dog knows when he has an edge to manipulate and control. Be fair, but be determined.

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The Dogs :Lexi the Boston Terrier

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:56:25 +0000

Ottawa Dog of the Week for January 9th/12

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(Ottawa Dog of the Week for January 9th, 2011)

“Here is our Lexi, the newest addition to the family! We purchased her last winter and she is getting used to our crazy household. Don’t let Lexi’s innocent face fool you, she is full of vim and vigar but always a happy, active girl.. We loved her from the moment we saw her at Bayshore Pet Store. The markings for our 9 month old Boston Terrier are beautiful. Her best friend is Sophie, our 6 year old Pug, but Lexi tries to rule the Roost at times but Sophie still puts up a good fight.. Lexi loves to be around people and loves to run and play outdoors. She can never get enough long walks and is very good in the car, for our drives over to Bruce Pit. Also enclosed is a picture of Sophie, when she is happiest!. (ie, Lexi not bothering her)
Kelsey, Mallory and Kelsey Davidge” Lola’s Humans.

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The Dog :To Cure Your Dog’s Motion Sickness

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:56:24 +0000

The only way to cure motion sickness is to face the situation head-on, do not avoid – if you avoid taking your dog in the car because of motion sickness your dog will never normalize the experience. Patience, determination, repetition is the only way to cure this condition.

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The only way to cure motion sickness is to face the situation head-on, do not avoid – if you avoid taking your dog in the car because of motion sickness your dog will never normalize the experience. Patience, determination, repetition is the only way to cure this condition.

My dog, Jordie (a German Shepherd x Alaskan Malamute) is an excellent example of how you can cure motion sickness in your dog. Like people, some dogs just acquire motion sickness. Jordie is a rescue from Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada. Iqaluit is a northern climate where these dogs are used as sled dogs. Spay and neuter is not commonly practiced – there are many unwanted litters of puppies. When no one wants the puppies they are shot to death. Jordie and his litter mates were to be shot – the rescue group that I fostered for found someone willing to fly the puppies out the day before they were to be shot. The next day Jordie joined my pack. The entire litter were sick on the flight out of Iqaluit – they were only 10 weeks old, stressed, underfed. As a result Jordie developed a severe case of motion sickness.

On the way home after I picked Jordie up he threw-up in the car. It was August, 30o Celsius, this poor little guy had spent his entire 10 weeks of life up north in deep cold, he had been neglected, flown on a plane and now put in a car!

The next time I took Jordie for a ride in the car he threw-up again. The third time I put Jordie in the car he started to pant, drool and foam at the mouth and then proceeded to throw-up. I realized that I would have to cure Jordie of motion sickness and an aversion to traveling.

When Jordie sensed I was getting ready to take him for a ride in the car he hid. I would go looking for him – I would find him in his hiding spot drooling, foaming, ears down. I knew that if I gave in and did not make him go through the repeated experience of riding in the car he would never be cured. So I persisted in taking Jordie with me in the car.

As Jordie associated travel with stress I needed to show him that travel was OK…with patience and persistence Jordie became comfortable with vehicles and the symptom of his travel stress – motion sickness disappeared. I took a full year to normalize the experience for him. With time he stopped throwing-up and only drooled and foamed, eventually that stopped too.

Because dogs live in the moment it is easier to change a dog’s association of a situation than it is a human’s. Humans carry grudges, dogs do not. Dogs form associations with places, things, animate and inanimate objects. Dogs are very forgiving and treat each day, each experience as a new beginning if you give them the support that they require. Make the future different than the past. You must let the past go – must not anticipate that the past will and must repeat itself – let it go from your mind. Envision a new future in which you forget about what has happened before and focus instead on what you would like to happen – a nice peaceful ride in the car with your dog.

When you change your thoughts from negative to positive you relax – this allows your dog to do the same. You are leading by the right example. Your will must be stronger than your dogs, your must have greater patience and determination.

If your dog does not want to go out to the car then you will need to take control of the situation. Leadership is an active state. If you have called your dog and your dog will not come, goes to hide (your dog realizes it is being asked to go out for a ride in the car) you need to go get your dog. Reading this article will help you understand how to get your dog back into motion!

Don’t give-in to your dog’s resistance to go in the car. When Jordie hid, I went and got him. If you have to bring your dog over to the door and out to the car with a leash do it! But make sure your attitude and state of being is that of a true leader or you will further traumatize your dog. Read this article to understand how to work with your dog to reduce car ride anxiety.

Once you have read the two articles indicated above you will have a thorough protocol on how to move forward. The following provides the balance of information you require to work this cure.

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Dog :Big Dog Meets Small Dog - A Wonderful Friendship

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:56:22 +0000

Big Dogs and small dogs can they get along? Small dogs are known for having a mind set of a big dog! And because more often these baby dogs show no fear on larger dogs, they tend to be provocative, such stubbornness leads to trouble. Because of our human nature, we act

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Big Dogs and small dogs can they get along? Small dogs are known for having a mind set of a big dog! And because more often these baby dogs show no fear on larger dogs, they tend to be provocative, such stubbornness leads to trouble. Because of our human nature, we act as protectors of our little dogs, often times we pick them up and hold them in our arms above the other dogs, so they never learn proper greetings. This deprives the dog to learn proper social skills with other animals and people. Of course, we do need to protect them. Whenever dogs are off lead, we should supervise them closely. For safety, small dogs can be kept on a loose lead and be picked up only when necessary. However, if you have well behaved trained dogs that submit and can socialize with any dogs regardless of size and breed, then introducing your small dog will not be a problem but beneficial.Here’s a video of my two dogs, Loki a 3 yr old large mixed dog and Korbel a 2 months old Shih Tzu that shows how well they get along.Related articles

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