Tuesday Topics #44 - She's a Wanderer

Just about every morning, I take Cabana to a nearby park that allows dogs off-leash during certain hours. The park consists of 18 acres of fields which are also used for soccer, baseball, and softball. Over the past two years and a half years, Cabana and I have made wonderful friends, both human and canine, with the folks who show up at the same time every day, and together, we walk as a pack, back and forth along the back fence of the fields. Our walking keeps the dogs walking, so we all get exercise. Meanwhile, the humans chat with each other and throw Chuck-Its for the dogs that like to retrieve. Other dogs romp around with one another or just sniff the gopher holes, which are abundant. Our time at the park is something I look forward to every day, rain or shine.

The problem is that Cabana is not a ball dog or a gopher hole sniffing dog. She will retrieve the ball 3-5 times, but even if I reward her every time she brings the ball back to me, she loses interest. What she likes to do instead is WANDER. She has learned that she sometimes finds yummy morsels when she's off by herself--a bag of chips left behind from a kid's lunch, dropped peanuts from a baseball player, maybe even some rabbit droppings. Even when her favorite dog friends are there, like Maggie (the English Springer Spaniel) or Bodhi (the Blue Picardy Spaniel), she will romp around with them for a while, but sometimes, she will still wander off.

The park is about 90% fenced, so I'm not too concerned about Cabana getting lost. It's more that it's an inconvenience for me and a bad habit for her. I've tried to show in the photos what a big field this is and how far away from me Cabana can be. When she's just a few yards away, she's very good about coming when I call her. But if she wanders a bit too far, she blows me off completely. I call her name, TRYING not to use "come" unless I'm sure she's going obey (though I've blown it many times and used the word when I shouldn't have). When she does come, I reward her with a treat and praise. But she will immediately start to wander off again. Sometimes, I feel like I have to call her over to me every 15 seconds. I can't have a conversation with anyone or lose track of her for even a minute, or she will have taken off.

Part of it, I'm sure, is that Cabana has figured out that if she wanders off and I call her, she gets a treat, so she has made it into a manipulative game. But if that was truly the case, she would come every time when I call her--but she doesn't.

I have tried many different tactics to stop the wandering. If she wanders and doesn't respond when I call her, I go to her and leash her for a while, so she loses her freedom as a consequence. I've tried different kinds of treats for the recall. I've tried recalling with a whistle. A friend even lent me an e-collar for a week, which actually worked very well (I only needed the vibrate mode), but I still have mixed feelings about getting one myself. I guess I could leash her the whole time we're at the park, but that sort of defeats the purpose of being there. I have also tried waiting her out, not calling her at all, and waiting to see if she will ever come back to me on her own. This does not work at all--she eventually ends up heading over to the parking lot or leaving the fields altogether and poking around in neighboring yards. She's just not a stick-to-your-side kind of dog--she's very independent, and it would probably take hours for her to even miss me or wonder where I am.

As I write this post, I'm thinking of the definition of crazy--it's a person who does the same thing wrong over and over, but expects a different outcome each time. I think that's what I'm doing. I need to think differently about this wandering issue, but I can't seem to see the situation clearly while I'm in it. Any advice from an onlooker's perspective?

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Tuesday Topics #42 - A Cabana Clone?

A couple nights ago, I was so warm and toasty on the couch, snuggled in blankets, with our cat Angie sleeping on my lap and Cabana laying next to me. Not wanting to get up, I mindlessly flipped through the channels on the TV and came across a show on TLC called "I Cloned My Pet". It followed the stories of 3 people who had lost their beloved dogs and were in such mourning that they almost couldn't go on with their lives. For a $50,000 price tag, a company in South Korea could create exact duplicates of their dogs. I sat enraptured through the end of the program, waiting to see if they indeed got identical dogs to the ones they had lost.

The answer was yes! Of course, the delivered dogs were still puppies, so it's hard to know if their temperaments would be exact matches through adulthood. But even down to one white toe on one of the dogs, they physically matched their originals, and each person was extremely pleased with the results.

Out of curiosity, I decided to look up the Korean cloning company's website, Sooam.com. Those Koreans are a crafty bunch. ;) The information on their site absolutely boggled my mind. It's amazing what they are capable of doing, although in my opinion, supremely controversial. Above is a photo of yellow lab Lancelot, the first commercially cloned dog in the US, produced by Sooam. In the video on their site, it says this Florida couple paid $155,000 for the clone, making the current $50,000 seem like a bargain.

Would I ever clone Cabana? Heck no, I'm much too much of a cheapskate to shell out that kind of money. Plus, Guide Dogs didn't deem Cabana breeder-worthy or even guide dog-worthy, for that matter. Sure, Cabana is a fabulous dog, and I adore her, but I don't know whether the world really needs more Cabanas. She's one-in-a-million, and I think we should just keep it that way. But that does raise an interesting question about working dogs. There were a number of examples of cloned dogs on the Sooam website, many of which were excellent working dogs. I wonder if service dog organizations should change from breeding to cloning--it seems like it would raise their success rate, right?

Would you clone your pet? What if cloning only cost $1,000, rather than $50,000? Would that make a difference in your response? Do you think it would be amazing...or a bit creepy, to have a beloved pet come back to life as a clone?

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Tuesday Topics #41 - BD and AD

We're coming up on three years since Cabana came to live with us, so I must be waxing a bit nostalgic. Having Cabana has changed me, mostly in trivial ways, but also in some important ways. Here's a top ten list of differences Before Dog (BD) and After Dog (AD):

1. For the first month or two, I used to wash my hands after petting Cabana every time because I felt that dogs were germ-y. It was wintertime when we got her, and my skin already tends to be dry. I used a lot of lotion that year. AD, what isn't covered with dog germs, and why does it matter?

2. BD, I never noticed people walking their dogs through our neighborhood. I gave them not the slightest glance. AD, I notice everything about them--the breed, how they are walking in conjunction with their human, and of course, whether they are bustling over to us for a mutual sniff with Cabana. More likely than not, I also know their names and their owners' names.

3. BD, I used to vacuum the house about once a week, whether it needed it or not. Now, if I go a whole week before vacuuming, the dust and fur bunnies would be dust and fur elephants. AD, I vacuum/sweep at least 2-3 times a week, or die trying.

4. BD, daily exercise was a struggle. AD, it's absolutely built in to my life. A day doesn't go by without a walk through the neighborhood or at the park. I love getting outside, regardless of weather, and appreciating the change of seasons. I have never considered myself the outdoorsy type, so having a reason to not only get outside but relish it as much as I do now is a true gift.

5. BD, I had to mouth breathe when I'd ride in the car of a dog owner because the smell was so repugnant to me. AD, my own car probably smells just as strong, but I rarely even notice it. (Some may say I'm crazy, but I think that dog odor can be very similar to the smell of corn chips--and I know I'm not the only one.)

6. BD, my favorite color to wear was black. AD, I have to think twice before I put on a black shirt or black jeans. If I'm going out somewhere, I wait to dress until the last minute, then slip out of the house before I make Cabana contact.

7. AD, it is almost impossible for me to sleep in. Not because Cabana makes any noise or does anything at all to wake me up, but because I have an overdeveloped sense of responsibility. She eats breakfast at 6:30, and without any external alarm clock, that's when I automatically wake up to feed her. (My husband might say this is due to the fact that I fall asleep when watching TV at 8pm and am often in bed by 9pm. But narcolepsy aside, I can't sleep in, knowing Cabana is hungry.)

8. BD, I had become very shy and anti-social. (I still can be at times.) Being around people was work. I had a very small circle of friends and had no desire to enlarge that circle. AD, if you have a dog, not only will I talk to you, I'll probably even like you (unless you treat your dog badly, in which case I might yell at you, in my head if not audibly).

9. Since I work from home, I spend a large part of my day alone. If it weren't for Cabana, I don't think I could have been happy doing this for so many years. I would have gotten much too lonely and reclusive. But Cabana is the perfect amount of company.

10. Piggybacking on that, going to the dog park with Cabana has opened the door to so many wonderful friendships. I often joke that the dog park is my "church", where we all worship Dog together. No boring sermons, pleas for money or guilt trips--just fellowship, support and camaraderie, both from the humans and the canines.

11. (I was supposed to stop at 10, but I couldn't leave this one out.) BD, I would have thought you were a nutjob if you told me you spent time blogging about your dog. Get a life! AD, I consider myself fortunate to be in the company of such wonderful nutjobs. I have a life, and it happens to be very good, thanks in large part to a sweet yellow dog.

How has your dog changed you? I hope you'll share!

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Tuesday Topics #40 - Barking at Puppies

Lately, our park has had an influx of puppies. I love it, because what's cuter than watching puppies play?!

The photo above is 4-month old Chloe, half lab, half pit bull. That face makes my heart melt.

Here's 4-month old golden retriever, Lulu. She is an absolute sweetheart.

And this is 6-month old Akita-Lab mix, Kia. She's a very large puppy, extremely rambunctious, high energy, and has a lot to learn in her manners. Doesn't she remind you of a raccoon with that mask on her face?

While I love having new puppies at the park, I sometimes wonder if Cabana shares my views. She seems to gravitate toward certain pals she's had for a long time, namely her spaniel friends. I've always been very confident of Cabana's ability to read other dogs' social cues and to act appropriately. But lately I've been questioning her behavior because she barks A LOT at puppies.

I first noticed the barking when Cabana would play with Kia, the Akita mix. Kia adores Cabana and seems to make a beeline for her when she arrives at the park. I thought maybe Cabana didn't appreciate Kia's roughshod attention and was telling her to bugger off.

But then Cabana did the same thing to sweet Lulu and then to tiny Chloe when they started coming to the park last week. I don't worry that Cabana will hurt any of the puppies--I know she won't. She never growls or acts aggressively toward them--she just barks. The interesting thing is that no matter how much Cabana barks, none of the puppies run away from her. In fact, they still won't leave her alone! They do tend to act submissively, though, either rolling onto their backs or licking her face or making little whimpery noises.

I have wondered if I should pull Cabana away and tell her to stop barking. But then, I think maybe Cabana is helping the puppies. Maybe she's teaching them to calm down or to read other dogs' social cues? So I haven't wanted to interfere in their doggy interactions. I did, however, check with the puppies' owners and make sure they are okay with Cabana's barking, telling them that if any of them are uncomfortable with Cabana's behavior, I would be happy to intercede.

So should I allow Cabana to "do her job" as a stable and mature adult dog? Or have I actually been allowing Cabana to be obnoxious and bossy, and should I stop her from forming this bad habit of barking at poor little puppies? I'd hate to be like a naive parent who thinks Junior is perfect and can do no harm, while he terrorizes all the neighborhood kids!

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Tuesday Topics #39 - Does This Puppy Make Me Look Fat?

No one would argue the fact that our foster pup Kira is on the skinny side. Being a stray, contracting parvo, and growing into her big paws have kept her lean, but we're doing our best to put some meat on those ribs.

Cabana can only dream of having as much food as Kira, who gets 2 cups of kibble in the morning and 2 more at night, plus lots of treats for training throughout the day. We didn't weigh Kira when we first brought her home 10 days ago, but yesterday, she weighed 45 lbs.

The parade of fosters going through our house means extra treats for Cabana, since she often gets to participate in training sessions. I've tried to be vigilant about Cabana's weight by cutting her meals back to 1 cup, twice a day. Maybe it's just that in COMPARISON to skinny bones Kira that Cabana seems heavy. Or does Cabana need to lose a pound or two? I weighed her at the pet store last weekend, and she weighs 56 pounds, which is what she normally weighs. But she SEEMS bigger to me than normal.

These photos were taken minutes apart. Cabana looks much heavier to me in the kitchen than out on the patio. Is it the optical illusion of her blending in with the wood floor?


According to this dog weight diagram I found online, Cabana is probably somewhere between ideal and heavy. I can BARELY feel Cabana's ribs and spine through her fur, but she does still have an abdominal tuck. She gets plenty of exercise, so I'm a bit mystified. I don't think Cabana needs to lose a LOT of weight, but maybe she needs to lose a pound or two?? I'm sort of going more by what she feels like than what she looks like because everything I've read online says you should be able to feel your dog's ribs.

It's so easy to let Labs get too heavy. I came across an article in Oprah Winfrey's magazine about Dr. Oz and his family. I'm not a big fan of either Oprah or Dr. Oz and have probably only watched their shows a couple times when browsing channels, but I do know that Dr. Oz is considered a health expert.

So I was aghast to see that Dr. Oz's black Lab, pictured at the bottom of this page, would probably be classified as "grossly obese"! In the article, which was about healthy vegetarian recipes, he's quoted saying, "Don't feed her (the dog)--she's a flabrador....She's flabby. She loves to eat everything. I told Lisa (his wife) we have to put her on a diet." No kidding! How could this doctor, famous for telling others how to lead healthy lifestyles, allow his own dog to be so uncomfortably unhealthy? I found it really sad--and I NEVER want to find myself at that point with Cabana. So even if it's just a pound or two, making sure Cabana is at an ideal weight is important to me.

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Tuesday Topics #38 - Treat Pouch & Giveaway

It has been almost 3 months since I posted a Tuesday Topic! Not that I haven't had questions. But Tuesdays would go by before I could get the question posted, and then I'd miss my opportunity for the week, since heaven forbid I ask a question on Wednesday or Saturday. Because then it wouldn't be a Tuesday Topic!
Once again combining my love for sewing and for dogs, here are some treat pouches or bait bags that I made. A couple years ago, my puppy group gave out Gentle Leader/Premier pouches, and I loved it. Eventually, the French hinge wore out and broke, but I loved the stay-open convenience of that hinge.

I knew the hinge feature was one I wanted to incorporate in my own design because it's so easy to pop open and slap closed. But I also wanted to try to improve on the overall design, including other features that I personally found useful.

My pouches have enough room to hold a ball, in case Cabana ever wants to play. (She likes to retrieve when no other dogs are around to play with, kind of like, "Sure, Mom, I'll play with you IF there's no one better.")

The zipped outer pocket holds a cell phone or other items that you want to keep secure.

And on the back, there's another zipped compartment for keys and ID, with an open pocket for easy access to a poop bag. The design of the back panel also helps keep the pouch from flopping around too much when you're walking or running.

The webbing strap is adjustable and has a loop to insert a carabiner. I like to clip Cabana's leash onto the carabiner and go hands-free. (Mandy made me the pictured leather leash, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it--the color, the length, the texture. A number of volunteers at the shelter have commented on how nice it is.)

I am trying to decide whether to make and sell these treat pouches, before I invest in more supplies. But I need a little market research first, which is where this post and the GIVEAWAY comes in! I tried to incorporate features that I'd like in a treat pouch, but is there anything I've left out? Here are some questions I'd love to get feedback on.

• Which of the included features are most appealing to you?
• Are there other features that you think I should add?
• Is my color selection too boring? Should I be using bright colors and prints instead of solids? (I also have it in solid burgundy, but it's not pictured.)
• What would a reasonable price be for these pouches, remembering that they are a handmade item (no sweat shops or overseas production)?
• Are there already too many competing bait bags like this on the market?

I would appreciate constructive feedback with specific information (not just "those are nice" please). A random winner will be selected to receive a free treat pouch in the color of your choice. If possible, I will even try to incorporate your preferences into the design. I will announce a winner next Tuesday morning, May 10, 2011. Thank you in advance for your help, I really appreciate it!!

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Tuesday Topics #37 - Young or Old?

It has been a while since I've posted a Tuesday Topic, but I would love input, especially (but by no means exclusively) from readers who have experience with a therapy dog program

Last weekend, I completed the human training portion of the therapy dog program. Our next step is to pick a facility and go through a mentoring process, first visiting the facility with the mentor and her dog where I would be observing them. Then, the mentor will come with Cabana and me and observe us, provide feedback, and if needed, come with us another time, until we are comfortable going on our own.

So I'm trying to decide whether to volunteer at a facility for older folks (an Alzheimers assisted living facility near my house) or in an elementary school classroom in the next town.

I think Cabana would be fine with either age group, although it's hard for me to know for sure until we actually try it. As a reading dog, I think Cabana would enjoy being around the children, but it involves sitting still (and pretending to listen to books) for a long period of time, up to an hour. Of course, she can take breaks in between readers, but mostly, it's sitting or lying still. At the Alzheimers facility, we would either go during their "social hour" or visit residents in their rooms. So there would be more walking around and shorter visits with a greater number of people. I'll likely be having the same conversations over and over again, since the Alzheimers residents might not remember what they asked me two minutes ago, but I don't know if that's such a bad thing. Or maybe it will drive me crazy, I just don't know.

This therapy dog program recently lost a lot of its facilities, due to a split in the group. So there aren't very many places to choose from. The Alzheimers facility and this particular school are the only places within a 10-mile radius. I had originally wanted to volunteer at the library, but that is no longer an option.

Any thoughts on which way I should go, older people or young 'uns?

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Tuesday Topics #36 - Doggy Door?

This is my $4 version of a doggy door, using some bright turquoise blue poly mesh that I had in my fabric bin, with two cheapomatic tension rods to hold it in place. Is it ugly? Yes. Does it keep out flies? Not so much. I guess I won't be patenting my invention any time soon.

I've been thinking about investing in a REAL doggy door. The kind that installs next to a sliding patio door. They are quite expensive but would be a large improvement over the unsightly blue curtain. But I wonder if I should bother. After all, the blue curtain works okay in a pinch, and do I really want to give Cabana free reign to go in and out on a daily basis?

It would come in handy on days when I need to be gone for over 5-6 hours. However, Cabana is so used to doing her business in our presence that I'm not sure she realizes she has our permission to "go" when we're not there. (We've done some training sessions so she does know how to go in and out.) The few times when we've utilized the blue curtain, she hasn't even ventured outside, as far as I could tell.

On the plus side, Cabana doesn't dig, try to escape, or have other unsavory outdoor habits, so I'm not worried about her having free reign in the backyard. I do have some concerns about other animals coming into the house (mostly neighbor's cats), but we can lock the opening, especially at night, or on rainy days when I don't want Cabana tracking in mud.

So what do you think about doggy doors? Are they a gateway to freedom, both human and canine? Or an invitation to impending mayhem?

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Tuesday Topics #35 - Getting Soft

I used to take Cabana to different parks and walking paths all the time, rotating through our favorite places as well as looking for new favorites. But last spring, after Cabana got a foxtail in her nose, I stopped going to so many different places. During the summer, Cabana and I walked daily to the soccer fields at King Park because the lawns there are always green and well-manicured, with no threat of foxtails. We got to know the people and dogs at King Park really well because we saw them so regularly.

Finally, we've been able to go back to our old favorite walking path, now that the foxtails are gone and the weeds have been cut back somewhat. Cabana has a great time, sniffing all the smells, roaming leash-free, running pell mell. Well, for the most part. We've gone there a few times recently, but every time, I have noticed a big change in Cabana.

Cabana seems to consider the green grassy fields of King Park her home turf, so whether there are big dogs, unfamiliar dogs, yappy dogs, she usually gives them a greet-and-sniff. Sure, she doesn't choose to play with every single dog, but at least she isn't fearful.

However, when we are NOT at King Park, Cabana's confidence around other dogs diminishes greatly. In the photo above, some dogs pass by, and Cabana skirts WAY around them to avoid them entirely. These are dogs that we have met MANY times before. They aren't mean, but granted, they are on the older side, maybe slightly curmudgeon-ish.

If we pass a dog directly in our path and Cabana can't avoid it, she pulls back her ears and allows herself to be sniffed, but very grudgingly. She doesn't bark or act aggressively, but she just acts very uncomfortable, like, "Do I really have to do this?"

A few times when I have taken Cabana to other dog parks recently, Cabana doesn't even want to get out of the car. Or she gets out but then won't play with ANY other dog, even friendly little pups who do everything they can to initiate play with her. She even refuses other Labs, which used to be a surefire favorite. She doesn't act fearful the whole time; she does roam and sniff. But it seems like she's saying, "This isn't MY park. These aren't MY friends." (This is exactly what happened at doggie daycare a couple months ago--she wouldn't play with the other dogs and just acted tentative the whole time.)

I don't know if Cabana is getting more fearful, or if it's just what dogs do as they mature. After all, she can't act like a puppy forever, when she expected every dog to be her new best friend. But as a dog that got career changed for wanting to meet and play with every dog in a 5-mile radius, it does concern me that she has become so hesitant.

Cabana has always been a bit of a soft (sensitive) dog, but is she getting too soft? Should I keep trying to take her to lots of different places again so she'll be accustomed to them, or should I just take her where she feels comfortable? After all, the dog park is supposed to be fun for her, not a chore.

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Tuesday Topics #34 - Birthday Bone

Little Miss Cabana is 2-years old today! Almost a year ago, when Cabana was career changed, and we were trying to decide whether to keep her or have her placed by Guide Dogs with another family, I was SO unsure about what to do. I KNEW Cabana would be a great dog when she matured. But since most people say Labs don't outgrow their puppyhood until about 4 years of age, I thought, wow, can I deal with Cabana being "too much dog" for the next THREE years?

But at 2, Cabana has already matured into a GREAT dog. I really can't imagine having a better dog or loving her any more than we do. She still has some dog distraction, but we can now walk her in a flat collar 99% of the time (I still use a training collar at puppy meetings). Sure, she likes to eat some nasty things (i.e. dog vomit, cat poop, goose poop), but is there a dog out there that doesn't? At the dog park, Cabana is known by humans and dogs alike as one of the friendliest, happiest dogs around. She can charm the grumpiest old dogs and embody a chew toy for exuberant puppies. She is always calm and considerate in the house, but she has plenty of effervescence and spunky personality outdoors.

So how do we celebrate this special dog today? I thought about baking her a cake, giving extra kibble, going on a special outing. But then, I wondered if those things were too humanizing. I tried to think like a dog--what would Cabana the Dog most like? Probably the best birthday present I can think of for Cabana is a big meaty bone. Since all of my human family members are vegetarian, Cabana has NEVER had a big hunk of real meat--no meat table scraps, no pieces that fall off the barbecue, no chicken morsel from a chicken salad sandwich. And the only bones she's ever had are clean, sterilized bones (not even with any filling).

But what kind of bone do I buy her that will be totally safe? I looked for a long time at the smoked bones in the pet store, but I worried they might not be safe. Everything I've read says that cooked bones are dangerous. Isn't smoked the same as cooked? So do I just buy a big raw bone from the butcher at the supermarket? I have no idea how much to buy, what kind to buy, and how long it's okay to let Cabana chew on it. Or should I just give up on the meaty bone idea and give her some cooked hamburger meat?

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Tuesday Topics #32 - Runny Nose in Car

Cabana gets the most comfortable spot in our car. We keep her bolster bed in the back of our Toyota Rav4, where she can lay down or look out the back window. Is it any wonder that Cabana loves going for rides? We humans huddle up in the front, along with the groceries, book bags, and other paraphernalia, while Cabana luxuriates in the rear with the whole seat to herself! (This bolster bed was a $3 find at SCRAP.)

But I've noticed for some time now that when we get home and I go to get Cabana out of the back, she often has a runny nose. Just a droplet or two of thin clear fluid. I don't think her nose is runny at other times, and it doesn't continue to run after we've come into the house.

Could it be because of changes in temperature (hot outside, air conditioning in car)? Or could it be stress-related? She doesn't seem at all stressed in the car, so it would really surprise me if it was stress. I might think it was related to exertion, like after running around at a dog park--but I haven't paid enough attention to know if that's always the correlation. For instance, we might just have come back from picking the kids up at school where she didn't even get out of the car.

She doesn't have any other symptoms of being sick, and it seems to happen sporadically over the course of the past year or more. Does this happen with your dogs? Any ideas about the cause?

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Tuesday Topics #31 - Phasing Out Treats

I was so pleased to hear that Guide Dogs for the Blind recently selected Natural Balance as their food of choice. When watching the TV show "Eight is Enough" in the 70s (for those of us who are old enough to remember it), who would have ever thought that we'd be feeding Dick Van Patten's dog food to our pets?

I think both Katrin and Ally had suggested Natural Balance food rolls as a highly motivating treat for recall. After much skepticism and distaste at the thought of cutting up this sausage-like meat, I have found that NOTHING makes Cabana come running like this stuff. I can call her away from just about anything (except cat poop, which is the bane of our walking existence) when she knows I have Natural Balance food roll pieces in my treat bag.

Cutting up the food roll is not as disgusting as my vegetarian self had feared it would be. It has a slightly mealy texture, almost bread-like, and a fairly strong odor, which is probably a good thing since Cabana immediately knows when I've got a treat in my hand. A medium sized roll is enough for one month of treats, and each of the hunks in the photo above amounts to a day's worth of treats.

I chop the roll up completely, divide into equal portions, and freeze them in snack-size ziplock baggies. Each morning before heading out the door for our walk, I grab a baggy from the freezer. I really like this method because it helps me keep much better track of how many treats I'm giving Cabana. As I mentioned in my previous post, I try to be vigilant about how much Cabana eats. By having a measured amount of treats in the baggy, I know exactly how much to cut back on her regular meals.

Which brings me to my Tuesday Topic. I've heard that the difference between a good trainer and a great trainer is knowing when and how to phase out treat rewards. But I've seen the GDB trainer in my neighborhood still giving his 4-year old dog treats, so maybe some people never phase them out? I don't give her many treats in the house, but when we're walking, I mainly give them to her for recall and to help with dog distraction. But do I want to rely on having treats handy forever?

Have others been able to successfully phase out treats? Does treat-less good behavior come more naturally with age? Do you replace it with just verbal praise (seems sort of short shrift in comparison with Natural Balance morsels)? Or do you just save treats for the biggest and best behaviors?

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Tuesday Topics #30 - Pet Dogs in Stores

Last week, Cabana and I were killing time while my daughter was taking an art class. We passed a Bath & Body Works, and I remembered that we were out of hand soap. So I poked my head in and asked the employee if I was allowed to bring Cabana inside. She said, "We don't have any food products in our store, so of course, you can bring your dog in."

I was pleased that Cabana was allowed inside, but I was also a bit surprised by her answer. She acted as though it was fine for pet dogs to come into any non-food store. I wondered if that was really true, so I came home and Googled it.

I didn't find a definitive answer, but I did come across some pretty heated conversations about the subject, like this one. Be sure to scroll down to read all the supercharged comments. The basic issues surrounding the topic seem to boil down to owner responsibility (is your dog safe to be around, under control, not being a nuisance or health hazard), as well as the rights and comfort of other shoppers (allergies, fear issues).

Cabana, having had a lot of practice being in stores as a puppy-in-training, was wonderful in Bath & Body Works. I kept her very close to me, and she didn't touch anything in the store--except some baby toes! A mother was shopping with an adorable 9-month old baby girl in a stroller, and she asked if she and her baby could meet Cabana. Cabana is great with babies, so I felt 100% confident in Cabana's ability to manage herself. She very gently nudged the baby's naked toes with her nose, making the baby laugh. The mother said that her older children are afraid of dogs and she hoped she could help this baby learn not to be, by exposing her at an early age. I was gratified that we could help by giving this baby a positive association.

Of course, not all dogs have the benefit of being a service dog dropout like Cabana, or have had as much opportunity to practice their baby socializing skills. I think it's great to have the option of bringing Cabana shopping with me, but I also am fully aware that even though she's well-behaved, not everyone will be happy to see her inside a store.

So how about you? Do you bring your pet dogs into stores?

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Tuesday Topics #29 - Getting Over a Bad Experience

Yesterday, after posting about how nice all the dogs at the soccer field are, we had a negative encounter with a vizsla. We see this female vizsla often and haven't had any issues, although Cabana has never really played with her directly. But yesterday, right when we walked up to the fields, the vizsla and another dog, Ginger, were walking by with their owners. Ginger, who normally doesn't like to play, came over to Cabana and initiated play. This surprised me because Ginger is not usually very playful. In fact, Ginger usually lets Cabana know that she does NOT want to play. But this time, Ginger was wiggling her body, wagging her tail, and moving in an unmistakably playful way.

Suddenly, the vizsla started to chase Cabana in what I thought was play. But within a few seconds, Cabana let out a long stream of yelps and stopped running. She sat down in the grass with a forlorn expression on her face. I hadn't even known that the yelping was from Cabana until I saw her sit down. I calmly went over to her to investigate, but I couldn't see anything--no broken skin, no blood, no marks of any kind.

The only thing I can figure is that maybe the vizsla felt jealous or protective of Ginger and didn't want Cabana to play with "her friend".

For the rest of the time there, Cabana was very subdued. I watched her carefully, but I couldn't detect any limping or favoring, yet she didn't play with any of the other dogs--quite weird for Cabana. Meanwhile, the owner of the vizsla was still there on the fields, but she never once apologized or asked if Cabana was okay. Whatever!

Today, we went back to the fields, and this time, the vizsla was not there--yay! Again, I kept a close eye on Cabana. She started out a bit skittish. Even on the way to the fields, Cabana reacted to a loud car, which normally doesn't affect her in the slightest. Then, it took her a while to get into the swing of things with the other dogs.

But thankfully, Cabana's sweet puppy friend, Maggie, a 10-month old springer spaniel, coaxed Cabana into playing. Cabana and Maggie LOVE to romp and roughhouse, and I was relieved to see Cabana back to her normal self. She seemed 100% back to being Cabana.

UNTIL...we got back home. Cabana had gotten wet and muddy in the grass, so I tried to dry her off with some old towels. But whenever I tried toweling off her left hind quarters, she BARKED at me! Three times I tried, and all three times, she barked. Cabana almost NEVER barks, so it is extremely unusual behavior for her.

As a test to see if Cabana was hurt, I played tug-of-war with her, but she played very normally. While playing, I tried touching her all over, giving friendly pats on her back and legs to see if I could get another reaction out of her. But she didn't do anything out of the ordinary.

I can't figure out if she's hurt or if she's just being protective of where she might have been nipped by the vizsla. Should I keep trying to poke around and see if I can get a reaction? Should I keep taking her to the fields, like I normally would, to make her "get back on the horse"? Or should we take a break from playing with other dogs?

Maybe she was barking for something totally unrelated? I was drying her off in the backyard, near her baby pool. Now that I think of it, she HAS barked a few times out of excitement while playing in the baby pool. So I might be linking two incidents that have absolutely nothing to do with each other.

I'm trying my best to not transfer any feelings of fear, anxiety, remorse, or over-sympathy. But it's really hard because I just don't know what to do, and I DO feel affected by it. Is it Cabana trying to get over the bad experience, or is it just ME trying to get over it?! Help!

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Tuesday Topics #28 - Is Two Really Better Than One?

This is my favorite photo from the "Best Buddies" photo contest at MarthaStewart.com. Click on the link to see a slideshow of all the friendly pairings.

The photo leads me to the subject of this week's Tuesday Topic--getting a second dog. We are just LIGHTLY considering it, mind you! My family ended up really enjoying our week with Bucky, although he wasn't exactly the best match for Cabana as a playmate. But it was nice having more dog to go around. Even though Cabana was career changed for being "too much dog", she's not always ENOUGH dog for four humans! More importantly, the right dog would be a great companion for Cabana.

We could raise another puppy for Guide Dogs--but not all members of my family are into puppies (I know, how could you not be into puppies??). We also considered fostering dogs for rescue organizations. I really like this option because the need is so great--and it isn't a lifetime commitment. Personally, I enjoy the temporary nature of both raising for Guide Dogs and fostering. But my family isn't on that page with me--they don't relish the transitions and the unknowns, whereas I'm attracted to those challenges.

So we've been looking into getting a rescue dog. Surfing Petfinder.com is addicting (hi, my name is Mimi, and I'm a Petfinder addict). But do we really want a second dog? Isn't one more than enough?! Asking a friend to watch one dog isn't too difficult, but how many people would be willing to watch two? What about the expense, the vet bills, the massive amounts of dog hair, and piles the poop? I like having a clean house--isn't that going to be nearly impossible with a second dog?

I know many, if not most, of you have multiple dogs. Why, are you nuts? Any regrets? Or is it like, if you have one, you may as well have two? Strong doses of reality welcomed--lay it on me!

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Tuesday Topics #27 - Who Meets Your Dog's Needs?

Here is Cabana playing with 8-year old Schute. Schute's owner brings him to the dog park almost every day--but for some reason, Schute rarely plays with other dogs. When he sees Cabana, though, Schute becomes a different dog--romping and running and enjoying himself like a young pup! It gives Schute's owner so much pleasure to see his dog playing like that--and it makes me feel so proud of Cabana, that she somehow knows how to charm an old dog like Schute. Aww, Schute!

Recently, I signed up for Family Dog I at the local Humane Society. So far, we've had one orientation class without dogs and one training class with dogs. It's all very basic stuff, but I'm excited about it. I feel like my dog training knowledge is very piecemeal, so it's great to get it all step-by-step from ground zero.

At the first class, though, the instructor said something that has me pondering. She asked how many of us (12 students) bring our dogs to dog parks. About half of us raised our hands. Uh oh. I knew instinctively that the instructor was probably going to tell us that dog parks are a bad idea...and I was right. But the reason WHY she said they are bad really surprised me.

She said that taking your dog to dog parks creates a situation where his/her physical needs, mental needs, play needs, and to a degree, emotional needs, are all being met by other dogs, rather than by us. Allowing their needs to be met by someone/something other than us deteriorates our relationship with our dog. They won't need us as much, won't love us as much, won't want to be with us as much.

Although I can see her point, I just don't think it's possible for me to meet all those needs EXCLUSIVELY or even PRIMARILY for Cabana. She is a dog's dog, and if given a choice, she'd much prefer playing with another dog than with me. I believe she loves me and enjoys being with me--but she's never going to find me as fun as another Labrador puppy. I could try playing her favorite game of "bitey face" with her, but I don't think it would have the desired effect.

If I had a dog that was more like Bucky, the dog we puppysat last week, I could buy the instructor's viewpoint much more easily. But to take away Cabana's playtime with other dogs would, in my opinion, deprive her of one of her greatest joys in life. She is simply hardwired to love other dogs. Heaven only knows I tried to train that out of her for a year, to no avail.

Also, even if it were possible for me to be the "be-all end-all" for Cabana, is that something I'd even want? That's a lot of pressure to put on any relationship. I'm grateful that Cabana is happy being with other humans and playing with just about any dog, knowing that she brings joy to them, as much as they bring joy to her.

I'd love to know what you all think about this subject.

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Tuesday Topics #26 - Breakfast Before or After?

No, Cabana doesn't actually get breakfast in bed. However, she usually eats breakfast at about 6:00-6:30am, whether during the week or on weekends (because I have somehow completely lost the ability to sleep in; I can't sleep past 6:30, no matter what day it is).

Then, about an hour later, I take Cabana for a morning walk, usually ending with a romp at a dog park. I often hear other dog owners at the dog park saying things like, "Okay, it's time for Rover to go home and eat breakfast." By this time, it might be 9:00! I always think, wow, that's a late breakfast.

But I know that out in the wild, the natural progression would be that dogs work in order to eat, whether that be herding sheep or hunting for their food or whatnot.

So should I be waiting to feed Cabana breakfast until after our morning walk? Is it better for dogs to do it in this order? Or is it more important to allot enough time after eating before you exercise them? Or since we've already been doing things in this order for her entire life, is it too disruptive to her system to try to change it now? Which do you do first with your dogs?

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Tuesday Topics #25 - Poor Paw Problems

I'm so grateful to have my own personal puppy forum here. Thank you to all of you who respond to my silly AND serious questions on Tuesday Topics!

Last night, I noticed some bumps on Cabana's hind paws. I had just trimmed her nails on Sunday, and I don't THINK the bumps were there then. So it's something that happened sometime yesterday.

Cabana doesn't seem affected by these bumps, as she walks and runs normally, doesn't favor them, doesn't lick them. But they don't look good. I'm hoping someone can tell me what they are and whether I need to take her to the vet.


Above are two photos of Cabana's left hind paw. The bump is right next to her nailbed. It is quite swollen, dark, and hard--but it's not an open sore, and it's not bloody.


Cabana's right hind paw has a small dark spot on a hard lump, smaller than a pea. Any ideas on what could be the cause? And on a side note, do you think her nails are still too long? I'm always worried about cutting the quick, but maybe I don't take off enough?

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