Tuesday Topics 21 - Frito Feet

Two months since retiring Tuesday Topics, I am resurrecting it to appeal to the masses for advice on a big problem: Cabana's feet stink to high heaven!! They smell like Fritos but far more pungent and putrid.

I have researched the topic online, and while there are many that have the same problem and concur that their dogs' feet smell like corn chips, no one really says what to do about it!

Cabana had a bath only 2 weeks ago, and I occasionally wipe her feet down with a wet washcloth. But it doesn't seem to help with the smell. It might even be making the smell worse. There's nothing lodged in her foot pads, no signs of any problem.

It has gotten to the point that just having her in the car with me (Cabana in the backseat, me in the front) is enough to make me gag. I have to keep the windows open so we won't get asphyxiated by the stench. Help! Someone needs to invent doggy odor eaters.

Cabana also has another odor at times, a weird indescribable smell for which I have coined the scientific term "butt paste". The first time I smelled it was when Cabana was about 10 weeks old, she was sitting on my lap and left a smidge of clear thick fluid on my jeans. It was just a tiny blob, but it smelled so strong and unpleasant that I had to change my clothes immediately. Ever since then, she occasionally emits that "butt paste" smell, although I haven't seen any accompanying fluid since. Has anyone else experienced this with their dogs?

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Lazing and Breeding

Lately, Cabana has enjoyed laying around outside in the sun. Gone is the need to scurry madly about, checking out and trying to eat every stick, rock, or leaf. I never thought I'd see the day when Cabana would choose to laze around in our backyard. Although I'd still say Cabana has retained a lot of puppy-ish ways, she's done a lot of maturing as well. I finally feel comfortable letting Cabana hang out by herself outside for short periods (I still am a BIT worried that she'll get bored and dig up my flowers, which would NOT make me happy).

Last night at our puppy group, we had the privilege of having Marina, GDB's breeding director, come and speak to us. Her knowledge of the GDB breeding colony is so immense and fascinating, I could have asked her questions all night long.

I told Marina that my secret hope is for Cabana to become a breeder (so we can keep her AND help GDB at the same time). But in so many words, she told me there's no way in heck. Cabana was having trouble settling the whole evening (we had a visiting retired breeder male that was making lots of funny noises, which didn't help Cabana's ability to keep still), and Marina said Cabana seemed "too busy" in both body and mind to be selected to breed. Yes, that's pretty much Cabana to a "t"...drat!

Of course, that was just an informal evaluation from across the room--and I still have hopes that Cabana will get calmer and mature drastically after going into season. But the issue of collar cough/soft trachea still looms as well.

One very interesting thing that Marina told us is that black Labs, in general, tend to outdo their yellow counterparts. Wow, kind of goes against all political correctness about not judging by the color of someone's fur--but that's what she said! Maybe we should request a black puppy next time?

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Sacto and CFR Meeting

At Sacramento Fun Day today, I intended to take lots of photos of lots of cute doggies. But somehow, I didn't quite get around to it. It was really hot and dusty, and I think I was sort of preoccupied and out of it. Here are a few that I did manage to take, though.


Cabana and Poppy telling secrets. I hope Poppy is telling Cabana about the joys of "womanhood", now that Poppy went into season a few weeks ago. Poppy's raiser says that she has mellowed out a ton after going into season--I'm looking forward to seeing if that will be the case for Cabana.


This adorable little puppy is named Rosetta. I asked a lot of other people what their dogs' names were, but I'll be darned if I can remember any of them.


And here's a working German shepherd. His partner said he weighs 92 pounds. That's almost twice Cabana's size. Imagine getting on an airplane with this big fella!!

I got a mixed review on Cabana after meeting with Celeste, our CFR. Unfortunately, I got lost on my way to Sacramento and ended up being 30 minutes late (I drove by myself because my family had other commitments). I was worried because I had a bunch of shirts to sell in the back of my car. When I found the right location, I parked illegally for a few minutes so I could unload my car. A new raiser-to-be came to help me unload my car, and he offered to take Cabana. I wasn't sure how far away I'd need to park, and I knew Cabana probably needed to pee. So I let him take Cabana while I went to park my car. I did warn him that Cabana was a toughie--but heck, even a seasoned raiser would have had a hard time with Cabana at that point.

It was a big mistake on my part. Cabana was, of course, extremely excited by all the other dogs there, being handled by a new person, and being let out of the car after a 2 hour ride. She made a pretty embarrassing spectacle of herself, jumping and going bonkers. The poor new raiser--I hope Cabana didn't scare him off.

It turned out that Celeste was watching Cabana's horrendous behavior! Later, when Cabana and I went to meet with her, Celeste said, "Was this the dog that was going crazy on the field earlier today?" Oh boy, talk about a bad impression. Then, Celeste took Cabana's leash and walked her over to some chickens in a pen. Cabana resisted getting close to the chickens, and Celeste said that Cabana was acting fearful. Cabana was also panting and acting very stressed (which I think was from a variety of other reasons, not so much because of the chickens themselves).

Then, Celeste removed Cabana's head collar and tried to walk her with just the flat collar. After giving a strong correction, Cabana started coughing. Celeste said that this "collar cough" can possibly result in career change.

Celeste said that she knows some of Cabana's siblings and said they are all very high energy. Let me tell you, Celeste KNOWS her dogs. She remembered Cabana from our meeting several months ago, and she even remembered Cabana's exact birthdate! I was impressed.

On the up side, Celeste said that Cabana had improved greatly since our last meeting and that I should continue to do what I've been doing. That was a bit encouraging, at least.

Tonight, I keep telling myself that I can only do what I can do. The rest is just not up to me. Cabana is the dog she is, and she is a wonderful dog. But she can't help it if she likes people and dogs a LOT, or if she's a little afraid of chickens, or coughs when her collar gets pulled. About an hour after our meeting with Celeste, I walked over to those same chickens with Cabana, and she wasn't afraid at all. She went right up to them and acted completely appropriately, no aggression or excitement, just watching--which shows that no matter how many chickens I take her to see in the next few months, I still won't know how she's going to respond when someone else puts her in front of a chicken. It's out of my control--and that's the HARDEST part of this whole puppy raising adventure! (Or maybe just one of the hardest parts, since I'm sure turning Cabana back in won't be a bowl of cherries either.)

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Just a Happy Dog

For no reason in particular, Cabana is just a happy dog. She's happy to go for walks, happy to go to the store, happy to chew her toys, happy to lay around, happy to meet people. The only thing that does NOT make her happy is not getting to meet dogs that pass by.

But in the past few days, I've noticed that if I allow her to greet and sniff another dog early in our walk, then she's much better about passing the others without having a conniption. She doesn't actually IGNORE the rest of the dogs, but she pulls less and doesn't lunge and flail. Her recovery is much quicker, going back to paying attention to me and walking properly by my side. This gives me some hope regarding her dog distraction, since at the kennels, she'll get her fill of other dogs. And hopefully, her future partner will have a pet dog that she can pal around with when she's off-duty. I think that might make a huge difference.

Tomorrow, we are going to Sacramento Fun Day, hosted by Elk Grove Puppies with a Vision group. Since I missed the San Rafael Fun Day, I'm looking forward to getting to go to this one. Our puppy group will be selling t-shirts, pinback buttons and kibble pouches. And I'm hoping to get a little time with Celeste, our CFR. I hope to post photos of the event later this weekend.

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Bathing Beauty

After our trip to the beach yesterday, it was time for a bath. Cabana LOVES her baths and might be happy to have one everyday. Too bad she has to go 6 weeks in between.

In the past when I've given her baths in our bathtub, I would pick Cabana up and put her in the water. Now at 50+ pounds, it's a bit hard on my back to lift Cabana, but I had every intention of doing that again this time.


(Erin, notice our humongo TN Vols cup! It's great for pouring water onto Cabana.)

This time, Cabana didn't give me a chance. After I ran the water for a while, just as I was going to pick her up, she gracefully hopped right in! She's not always willing to hop up or over things, so I hadn't even considered trying to get her to go in on her own.

I got in the tub with her so I could reach her more easily, slid the doors shut (thank goodness for shower doors, they make dog bathing so much easier), and after soaping and rinsing, I let the water drain out. She stood there calmly the whole time, then gave herself a good shake, after which I slid open the door. Again, I was just about to pick her up to take her out of the tub, but she hopped right out on her own! Such a smart and accommodating puppy!!


Here, Cabana dries off on top of and under towels, waiting patiently while I take my turn to get clean.

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Let's Get Beachy, Not Bitchy

I so appreciated all your comments and support on my previous "rant" post!! Sometimes, a little rant just feels darn good, especially when others with similar experiences can chime in--it's so cathartic! Unfortunately, puppy raisers are only human--and humans and canines both are entitled to good days and bad days.

Last week, I was super busy getting ready for a big event over the weekend. That was likely part of my reason for getting "maxed out" by people's random comments in public. But Cabana was acting WEIRD, too, perhaps due to my stress, or perhaps because she's close to going into season? After all, she's over 11 months now and hasn't been in season yet, so we keep waiting....

Anyway, we were a couple of bitches (Cabana is a female dog, after all) last week...ha ha!! (Pardon my language, I don't normally swear, but I couldn't resist the double entendre.) But now with my event being over, I decided no more bitchy--instead, we should get beachy!

So, after dropping my girls off at school this morning, Cabana and I headed for Bodega Bay (acclaimed because it is where Hitchcock's movie, The Birds, was filmed).


We did see a lot of birds, but none that tried to peck at us. It was cool and very foggy. In fact, I worried a little because if Cabana somehow got away from me, I wouldn't be able to see her in all that fog. But although she might have liked to get free from her leash, she had no such luck.


Cabana loved checking out the kelp. Kelp is so amazing and interesting and fast-growing. It's also stinky and fly-attracting and a bit disgusting. I'd never stick my nose in it like Cabana does--eewww.


We had the beach mostly to ourselves. The only time Cabana would stop dashing about and sit calmly was when she could discern someone approaching in the foggy distance. She knows good things happen when she sits, so she does it automatically, hoping that if she sits nicely enough, the people will be drawn to her. Her magical sit didn't work this time, though.


Here's a piece of kelp that looked a bit like a Nylabone.


Cabana played with it just like she would a bone.


Tired and dirty, Cabana headed home for a warm bath and long nap. It's a tough life, but someone's gotta do it.

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Enough for One Day...and it's only noon

WARNING: I'm about to rant. If you'd rather not hear it, kindly click here for something more cheerful.

This morning, I took Cabana for our usual morning walk. She was her usual spunky self. But after we passed a quick succession of about 5-6 off-leash dogs (off-leash dogs make her WAY more excited because she knows she can lure them easier than leashed dogs), Cabana got a bit upset at me for not allowing her to meet-and-greet them all. She pirouetted and pulled, tried to bite on her leash, and even let out a single bark of frustration. I made Cabana sit so she would desist, and she did.

At that moment, a woman walker rounded the corner. Evidently having witnessed the tail-end of Cabana's tantrum, she chided me, "YOU have to be the leader." She didn't wag her finger at me, but she didn't need to--it was implied in her tone. I felt like handing her Cabana's leash and saying, "Here, show me how it's done."

But I said nothing and walked on.

Later in the morning, Cabana and I went to a grocery store. Another woman came up to us, and without even glancing at me, she immediately bent down and started petting Cabana. Quite irritating!! I thought about telling her politely, "It's best if you ask before you pet someone's dog." But Cabana was sitting nicely while the woman was petting her, and I wasn't really in the mood to engage, so I figured I'd let the lady get her kicks and move on.

But instead of moving on, the woman looked at me and said in a disapproving tone, "Don't you think it's time for this dog to stop wearing that Gentle Leader?" All kinds of thoughts went through my head. First of all, I didn't know there was any sort of age limit on wearing a head collar, and secondly, it was evident that this woman didn't really have a clue what she was talking about. I just said, "Oh no, she definitely needs to be wearing it," and I walked on, starting to seeth inside. After all, WHO was the one deserving a reprimand here? Grrrrr.....

Her comment didn't make much sense to me, but I knew what she was really saying: "Why do you make your sweet little dog wear that horrible thing, you horrible person, you." Unfortunately, I've fielded many similar accusations made regarding Cabana's head collar, comments made both overtly and "in disguise".

Most days, little incidents like this just roll off my back. They don't irk me in the least. But today, I'm all out of nice--I've had all the public scrutiny and free advice I can handle. Sure, I know it goes with the territory, since all puppy raisers get more than their fair share of it. Yes, people are generally well-meaning--but can't they go mean well somewhere else?!

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We Cruised with Cricket!

Yesterday, Cabana and I got the special treat of meeting up with Becky and Cricket! Becky and I knew each other through our mutual blogs, but we had never met in person before. Since Becky was in the Bay area for other reasons, I was so pleased to take the opportunity to meet face to face.


We met at the Guide Dogs campus in San Rafael and let Cabana and Cricket get to know each other in one of the free run areas. Here's Cricket telling Cabana the secrets of being a fantastic working dog.


We stopped at a cafe in San Francisco on the way to the airport since Becky was heading back home that evening. It was great to chat and get to know each other, although we both felt fairly well-acquainted already because of our blogs. What an interesting phenomenon of our era that we can make friends with people across vast distances and find commonality in our interests, families, and love of dogs!

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11 Things at 11 Months!

With another month under our belts, I wish I could say that I've become a seasoned puppy raiser. Although I have considered myself a fast learner in some arenas, in the puppy raising department, not only would I still call myself a newbie, in some instances, I might even call myself a dunderhead.

Here are 11 things that I have learned in the past 9 months, some of which are just silly observations, and others for which I could knock myself in the head like in a V8 commercial.

1. Making an oncoming person pass you on your right: Usually, people pass each other on the left. But for the dog distracted, even a mere 15 inch difference in proximity can make a huge difference in Cabana's behavior.

2. Back paw toenails grow way slower than front paw toenails. I finally realized this after cutting Cabana's quick a couple times, always on the back paws.

3. Having the pup play with a toy that "requires supervision": This doesn't mean that I can just sit back and watch while Cabana rips a toy to shreds (I honestly thought this was what supervision meant in the beginning--doh!). It means either I play with the toy with her (as in tug-of-war) or I remove the toy from her when she starts ripping pieces off.

4. Not all toys are created equal: Some toys, even approved toys on the GDB list, don't hold up to Cabana's aggressive chewing. We've had a few $10 toys (namely, Wubbas which I believe are no longer on the approved list and Nylabone dinos) get demolished within an hour. I might as well have given Cabana the ten dollar bill and watched her shred it to pieces.

5. Cabana finds nothing more interesting to sniff than her own collar when removed from her neck.



6. Humans eat some pretty weird things (Rocky Mountain oysters, shiitake mushrooms, caviar), so why should we be so surprised that dogs like to eat cat poop (aka kitty bon bons)?

7. It's only fair to give a pup time to catch up on their "pee-mail" at local shrubbery hot spots.

8. Crazy Glue is not the strongest, stickiest substance ever created. It's dog hair, especially those stuck in the back seat of your vehicle. Vacuums don't have the power to suck them up--it's almost like you have to remove each one individually.

9. Water tastes best when drunk mid-air, whether coming out of a faucet or a hose.

10. Nothing makes you feel worse than hearing that yelp when you accidentally step on your pup's paws or tail.

11. The majority of puppy raisers seem to be female (with occasional exceptions like Mitch). Or is it that male puppy raisers just don't blog? What's with that?!?

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Holed Up Pup

I have an event in 10 days that I am frantically preparing for, which makes life rather dull for Cabana. I've been holing up in the garage, sewing the day away. Cabana still gets her morning walk, and we take an occasional outing to the grocery store. But other than that, we are homebodies for the duration.

The cushiest of the four dog beds was recently confiscated by a 2-legged being in our home (it WAS super nice, so I can't blame the individual for claiming it)--so "poor" Cabana only has 3 beds now. Sometimes, it's tough being a dog.

I moved one of the remaining dog beds into the empty space under my sewing machine table. And Cabana loves it there--she must feel safe and snuggly in that cubby-like space. It's so pleasant to feel her soft breath on my toes while I push my sewing machine pedal.

As many commenters had predicted, Cabana has changed in the past month. She has become much calmer, more content. Sometimes, I even forget that she's there! Quite a change from feeling like I always needed to be "on duty" with her around. I'm so grateful that she's happy to just be there with me, while not needing something from me all the time.

But Cabana has a FUN surprise coming her way! I'm so excited about some special friends we're going to be meeting up with on Saturday. I'll be sure to take photos to share!

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