Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Merry Christmas Everyone!

From us'ns to you'uns, have a very merry Christmas!

A Cody and Turbo Christmas Story:
I came home the other day and found the boys had decided to open a couple of gifts while mom was gone! I know how it went down; Cody drags a present outside to play with it, and when he opens it, well, it's a dog toy! Yahtzee! Turbo comes and takes it away because Turbo must have all the toys. Cody returns to the treasure trove tree and fetches out another present. This one was daddy's gift of sample hot sauces. Not-so-yahtzee, and not so much fun as the toy.
Moral of the story: Squeeze presents first to see if they squeak! Hot sauce is not fun to play with!

Thursday, December 17, 2009

December Puppy Grads



Here's 2 fabulous puppy grads, Cammi and Chewy the toy Poodle

December Graduations




Congratulations to Italia the Chihuahua, Skye the Siberian Husky and Lilly the Pom-chi for all their hard work! See you in Intermediate!

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Graduation Pix

And here they are...




November Grads

Here's the latest batch of graduates whose puppers remained in focus for my cel phone camera! Roxy the Boxer, Otis the Basset, Jay the Vizla, Pepper the Border Collie cross and Bernie the Yorkie all graduated Beginner class!
Pictures to come - apparently blogger isn't working right at present!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Fishin' Dogs



We have a babbling brook in the back yard that empties into our pond. The trout are going up the creek into the shallows, and Cody saw one the other day. Now he's spending HOURS at a time standing in the shallows waiting and watching the fish. He actually caught and crunched down one of our 2 koi - in the cold weather they get very sluggish. He hasn't caught a trout yet, they are a bit cannier. It doesn't daunt him one bit - he is going to catch one!

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

A RESCUERS ANSWERING MACHINE:

Hello: You have reached ___-____, Tender Hearts Rescue. Due to the
high volume of calls we have been receiving, please listen closely to
the following options and choose the one that best describes you or
your situation:

Press 1 if you have a 10-year-old dog and your 15-year-old son has
suddenly become allergic and you need to find the dog a new home
right away.

Press 2 if you are moving today and need to immediately place your
150 pound, 8-year-old dog.

Press 3 if you have three dogs, had a baby and want to get rid of
your dogs because you are the only person in the world to have a
baby and dogs at the same time.

Press 4 if you just got a brand new puppy and your old dog is having
problems adjusting so you want to get rid of the old one right away.

Press 5 if your little puppy has grown up and is no longer small and
cute and you want to trade it in for a new model.

Press 6 if you want an unpaid volunteer to come to your home TODAY
and pick up the dog you no longer want.

Press 7 if you have been feeding and caring for a "stray" for the
last three years, are moving and suddenly determine it's not your
dog.

Press 8 if your dog is sick and needs a vet but you need the money
for your vacation.

Press 9 if you are elderly and want to adopt a cute puppy who is not
active and is going to outlive you.

Press 10 if your relative has died and you don't want to care for
their elderly dog because it doesn't fit your lifestyle.

Press 14 if you are calling at 6 a.m. to make sure you wake me up
before I have to go to work so you can drop a dog off on your way
to work.

Press 15 to leave us an anonymous garbled message, letting us know
you have left a dog in our yard in the middle of January, which is
in fact, better than just leaving the dog with no message.

Press 16 if you are going to get angry because we are not going to
take your dog that you have had for fifteen years, because it is
not our responsibility.

Press 17 if you are going to threaten to take your ten year old dog
to be euthanized because I won't take it.

Press 18 if you're going to get angry because the volunteers had the
audacity to go on vacation and leave the dogs in care of a trusted
volunteer who is not authorized to take your personal pet.

Press 19 if you want one of our PERFECTLY trained, housebroken, kid
and cat friendly purebred dogs that we have an abundance of.

Press 20 if you want us to take your dog that has a slight
aggression problem, i.e. has only bitten a few people and killed your
neighbor's cats.

Press 21 if you have already called once and been told we don't take
personal surrenders but thought you would get a different person this
time with a different answer.

Press 22 if you want us to use space that would go to a stray to
board your personal dog while you are on vacation, free of charge,
of course.

Press 23 if it is Christmas Eve or Easter morning and you want me to
deliver an eight week old puppy to your house by 6:30 am before
your kids wake up.

Press 24 if you have bought your children a duckling, chick or baby
bunny for Easter and it is now Christmas and no longer cute.

Press 25 if you want us to take your female dog who has already had
ten litters, but we can't spay her because she is pregnant again and
it is against your religion.

Press 26 if you're lying to make one of our younger volunteers feel
bad and take your personal pet off your hands.

Press 27 if your cat is biting and not using the litter box because
it is declawed, but you are not willing to accept the responsibility
that the cat's behavior is altered because of your nice furniture.

Press 28 if your two year old male dog is marking all over your house
but you just haven't gotten around to having him neutered.

Press 29 if you previously had an outdoor only dog and are calling
because she is suddenly pregnant.

Press 30 if you have done "everything" to housebreak your dog and
have had no success but you don't want to crate the dog because it
is cruel.

Press 31 if you didn't listen to the message asking for an evening
phone number and you left your work number when all volunteers are
also working and you are angry because no one called you back.

Press 32 if you need a puppy immediately and cannot wait because
today is your daughter's birthday and you forgot when she was born.

Press 33 if your dog's coat doesn't match your new furniture and you
need a different color or breed.

Press 34 if your new love doesn't like your dog and you are too
stupid to get rid of the new friend (who will dump you in the next
month anyway) instead of the dog.

Press 35 if you went through all these 'options' and didn't hear
enough. This press will connect you to the sounds of tears being
shed by one of our volunteers who is holding a discarded old dog
while the vet mercifully frees him from the grief of missing his
family.

Last of the October Grads



Although Boomer and Delilah weren't the only grads, they did sit still for their photo! Moe the GSD & Tatum the min pin also graduated but were a little wiggly for the photo!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Halloween Puppy Graduates

Congratulations to the latest and greatest puppy class on their graduation! This was a large class - 2 Dane puppies (Atlas and Halo), 3 Boxers (Dierks, Angelina, and Guinness), & a Cane Corso (Diego). To balance out all those large and giant breeds we also had a Pembroke Welsh Corgi (Wynne), & a chihuahua (Fancy Kalhua). What a FUN group and we'll see you all in upcoming Intermediate classes!



Apologies to those whose puppies were too wiggly for my slow cel camera!

Monday, October 26, 2009

lil' punkinhead

Ok - Got a new toy for the boys the other day, and sometimes they are so dang cute you can't help but love 'em. Here's Turbo, fetching the donut back to me!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

October Grads





Congratulations to Mattie the deaf Boxer, Oliver the mini-daschund, Cooper the lab, Jump Shot the Boxton, Willow the Cardigan Welsh Corgi, and Belle the Standard Poodle! Great job everyone, see you in Intermediate!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

What is "Natural Flavor"?

You know me, I'm like a dog with a bone. I got to wondering, "What is Natural Flavor"? I heard a nutritionist on tv saying in human food it was usually MSG. That got me asking our pet food reps if they knew. Nooooo, so I finally googled my question and I found a great Pet Food Ingredient Dictionary. Now, I share. The answer? I'm still not sure I like the answer, but I feel better knowing. You can read about Natural Flavor and all other pet food ingredients (listed in alphabetical order)
Dictionary of Pet Food Ingredients

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Intermediate Graduates





Congratulations to the latest and greatest Intermediate Graduates to grace the pages of Turbo & Cody Unleashed! As ever, the cel cam is never a fast enough shutter speed to catch some of our waggy and wiggly fur-friends but Samus the GSD, Ben the Chihuahua and Maverick the Husky all gave me the moment needed to capture them for posterity!
Way to go everyone, Intermediate is a lot of hard work! You're not too far away from that CGC!
Ben, amazing for his size and age! Good job, Patrick! Karen and Lucy the Lab, excellent teamwork when Lucy focuses, she really focuses. It's coming! George and Christine and their huskies Maverick and Alex, getting them out and socializing them like you do is so important! Alex will earn his CGC like big brother Maverick!
A special acknowledgement to Brian and Samus the GSD - definitely most improved, and Brian, Godspeed and a safe return in 6 months! TYFYSTOC (thank you for your service to our country)

Thursday, October 1, 2009

The Lone Grad



Yikes, I hate it when you go to dog training class and graduation night both your dogs decide to go on a romp, causing you to miss your graduation! Oh no! Oh Yes! It happened last night. Daisy and Jasper went on a fun run all by themselves but they came home safe and sound. Too bad they missed going to their own graduation!
Sooo, Good Boy Boss the German Shorthair Pointer got to graduate all by himself! Does he look proud or what?

Monday, September 28, 2009

September Puppy Grads

Congratulations for graduating Puppy class to Bella Mae the Boxer, Buster the Beagle X, Willy the Schnauzer and Jack the Min Pin! Apologies to Lily the Yellow Lab, who was a little too wiggly for my slow camera!




Thank you guys, for taking puppy class with me!

Monday, September 21, 2009

CGC Graduates



Congratulations to Brinkley the Boxer and Magi the Golden Retriever and their proud owners for all the hard work that went into getting their Canine Good Citizen awards! Way to go you guys!
Apologies to Brinkley, who was busy flapping his big boxer mug and blurred the picture but Matt looked so happy I couldn't resist!
Andrew, Magi's handler, has handled her ever since Puppy Class and she works so very well for him! Way to go Andrew, good job!

Working the 3 D's

Remember the 3 D's Distance Duration and Distraction. They all work together, and it helps when you try diagnose what's happening.
If you ask him to do a thing too long, and he consistently fails, lower your expectations. He needs to develop the "duration" angle.
If you ask him to do a thing too close to a Distraction, he won't be able to focus. Take him a Distance away from the Distraction, and ask him to do it again. The barometer for how far is the dog. He will focus on the Distraction but as you increase Distance, his head will swivel back around. That's where you stop and ask him for the behavior again.
On the leash - another barometer: as long as the leash is tight, they are not giving you their attention. This means you take them somewhere with fewer distractions, until you are the most exciting thing on the horizon. Once they give you that attention, the leash will be loose. Start your walk with the leash loose and held firmly against your body giving the dog about 4' of line. As soon as the leash goes tight, make the "eh" barky sound and stop. Bring him back and sit beside you, let the leash loose. Slack. Start out "lets go", and if he sticks by you, praise. If he jumps out to the front and pulls, make the "eh" barky sound and stop. Bring him back and sit beside you, let the leash loose. Slack. Start out again. Start with low expectations. If you get 3 steps with him right beside you, stop, ask him to sit, and say "ALL DONE" or "FREEDOG" and let him sniff and play for a moment or two. Work up to more steps slowly. Repeat for only about 15 minutes. If you can do this twice a day, you'll get there faster. If he makes the association of
dog to self: *start with slack leash, when leash goes tight, I have to go back and start again. Start with slack leash and make sure leash stays slack, we keep going. Keeping going gets me closer to things I want to check out, so if I don't pull, I get closer to what I want*
The reward is moving forward. Dogs repeat what's rewarding, so if pulling always works, they always pull. When pulling doesn't work, they resort to doing what does, which is not pulliing.

When we bicycle, it's all good, Cody's running right beside me. Walking up the hill, he tries to forge ahead. I roll the bike into him. He jumps back. He walks nicely without pulling. Forgets. Forges ahead. I roll the bike across his path. Over and over. Eventually he walks longer and longer distances without forging ahead. I praise and praise and correct and correct. Even the trainer has to live with it!

It takes patience and persistance. They learn that if you ask them over and over you get frustrated and give up. Taking 15 minutes a day with a planned strategy will help you reinforce what you want to work! You will still have to deal with life-situations so this isn't an easy button, but it's a method of time-release delivery that the dog eventually understands.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Turbo's Grad Pic


In all his glory, at 2 years old, Turbo finally got his graduation picture taken! Thanks to his fans for remindimg me about this terrible omission.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Click-a-Trick

Yes, we're doing it again so join us if you want to have fun and brush up on your basic skills too! In CAT class we'll learn how to teach your dog to do different kinds of tricks, and we'll challenge them with a little bit of agility and rally obedience to boot. If you took the last CAT class and just want to drop in and show off what you learned, please, join us Fridays at 4:30!

Also, for those of you who feel the need to brush up on the basics, you are welcome to come sit in on another class or two at no charge. Just let me know, we'll find a spot for you and your pupper to jump in.

Specific Problems? e-mail me to schedule a free 15 minute eval to figure out what's up with your loving woofer.

I hope you are all having a great Labor Day weekend, I know I am enjoying my vacation time!

August: More Puppy Grads

Big little puppies, to boot! Stella the Chessie, Kahuna the Aussie, and Kuma the Mallie all graduated last week so congratulations to them! Good luck staying ahead of these three, what a fun group! Kuma was so cute standing up to hug her mommy! Kahuna says "too smart for the hat thank-you-very-much"! Stella, look closely you will see the blur that is her tail wagging!



Wednesday, August 26, 2009

More August Grads

Congratulations to:

Mr. Klink, who says "ha ha Murphy, I'm smart now too!"


Miss Rona, we still can't believe her former owners were on the way to have this dog put to sleep because she was so vicious. Her new forever mom happened to run into them on their way, and she took Rona with her. She is the sweetest dog ever! What on earth goes through some people's minds?


Miss Brandy is very sweet, and very pleased to get her diploma!


Miss Lindy Lou - who, by the way, is a miniature australian shepherd survivor from a Puppy Mill arrest last summer. She has come a long way with her forever mom and dad!

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Zucchini Mutt Muffins

A healthy, home-made treat for your dogs!

Zucchini Mutt Muffins
note: this recipe needs to be adapted if your dog has allergies to any of the ingredients!

2 Cups whole wheat flour + 1 Tablespoon baking powder, stirred.
add 1 Cup whole rolled oats, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon powdered ginger.

2 Cups zucchini; grated or whirred in a food processor. Add 3 Tablespoons honey, 2 eggs, 1/3 Cup hot water, 1/4 Cup olive oil. Mix it up in a big bowl and spoon it into your greased or lined muffin tin

Bake @ 350 for 40=45 minutes. Cool, and serve with a dollop of peanut butter or spritz on KONG toy stuffing. Your dog will love them!

Remember, cooking for your dog is easy because he's happy to eat your mistakes!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Tank's Story

Thought I'd share this sweet story with you all but be warned, you'll need your box o'kleenex handy.
***********************

They told me the big black Lab's name was Reggie as I looked at him lying in
his pen. The shelter was clean, and the people really friendly.

I'd only been in the area for six months, but everywhere I went in the small
college town, people were welcoming and open. Everyone waves when you pass
them on the street.

But something was still missing as I attempted to settle in to my new life
here, and I thought a dog couldn't hurt. Give me someone to talk to.

And I had just seen Reggie's advertisement on the local news. The shelter
said they had received numerous calls right after, but they said the people
who had come down to see him just didn't look like "Lab people," whatever
that meant. They must've thought I did.

But at first, I thought the shelter had misjudged me in giving me Reggie and
his things, which consisted of a dog pad, bag of toys almost all of which
were brand new tennis balls, his dishes, and a sealed letter from his
previous owner.

See, Reggie and I didn't really hit it off when we got home. We struggled
for two weeks (which is how long the shelter told me to give him to adjust
to his new home). Maybe it was the fact that I was trying to adjust, too.
Maybe we were too much alike.

For some reason, his stuff (except for the tennis balls - he wouldn't go
anywhere without two stuffed in his mouth) got tossed in with all of my
other unpacked boxes. I guess I didn't really think he'd need all his old
stuff, that I'd get him new things once he settled in. But it became pretty
clear pretty soon that he wasn't going to.

I tried the normal commands the shelter told me he knew, ones like "sit" and
"stay" and "come" and "heel," and he'd follow them - when he felt like it.
He never really seemed to listen when I called his name - sure, he'd look in
my direction after the fourth of fifth time I said it, but then he'd just go
back to doing whatever. When I'd ask again, you could almost see him sigh
and then grudgingly obey.

This just wasn't going to work. He chewed a couple shoes and some unpacked
boxes. I was a little too stern with him and he resented it, I could tell.

The friction got so bad that I couldn't wait for the two weeks to be up, and
when it was, I was in full-on search mode for my cell phone amid all of my
unpacked stuff.

I remembered leaving it on the stack of boxes for the guest room, but I also
mumbled, rather cynically, that the "damn dog probably hid it on me."

Finally I found it, but before I could punch up the shelter's number, I also
found his pad and other toys from the shelter. I tossed the pad in Reggie's
direction and he snuffed it and wagged, some of the most enthusiasm I'd seen
since bringing him home. But then I called, "Hey, Reggie, you like that??
Come here and I'll give you a treat." Instead, he sort of glanced in my
direction - maybe "glared" is more accurate - and then gave a discontented
sigh and flopped down. With his back to me.

Well, that's not going to do it either, I thought. And I punched the shelter
phone number.

But I hung up when I saw the sealed envelope. I had completely forgotten
about that, too.

"Okay,Reggie, " I said out loud, "let's see if your previous owner has any
advice.".... .....

To Whomever Gets My Dog:

Well, I can't say that I'm happy you're reading this, a letter I told the
shelter could only be opened by Reggie's new owner.

I'm not even happy writing it. If you're reading this, it means I just got
back from my last car ride with my Lab after dropping him off at the
shelter. He knew something was different. I have packed up his pad and toys
before and set them by the back door before a trip, but this time... it's
like he knew something was wrong. And something is wrong... which is why I
have to go to try to make it right.

So let me tell you about my Lab in the hopes that it will help you bond with
him and he with you.

First, he loves tennis balls...the more the merrier. Sometimes I think he's
part squirrel, the way he hordes them. He usually always has two in his
mouth, and he tries to get a third in there. Hasn't done it yet. Doesn't
matter where you throw them, he'll bound after it, so be careful - really
don't do it by any roads. I made that mistake once, and it almost cost him
dearly.

Next, commands. Maybe the shelter staff already told you, but I'll go over
them again: Reggie knows the obvious ones - "sit," "stay," "come," "heel. "
He knows hand signals: "back" to turn around and go back when you put your
hand straight up; and "over" if you put your hand out right or left.?
"Shake" for shaking water off, and "paw" for a high-five. He does "down"
when he feels like lying down - I bet you could work on that with him some
more. He knows "ball" and "food" and "bone" and "treat" like nobody's
business. I trained Reggie with small food treats. Nothing opens his ears
like little pieces of hot dog.

Feeding schedule: twice a day, once about seven in the morning, and again at
six in the evening.

Regular store-bought stuff; the shelter has the brand.

He's up on his shots. Call the clinic on 9th Street and update his info with
yours; they'll make sure to send you reminders for when he's due. Be
forewarned: Reggie hates the vet.

Good luck getting him in the car - I don't know how he knows when it's time
to go to the vet, but he knows.

Finally, give him some time.

I've never been married, so it's only been Reggie and me for his whole life.
He's gone everywhere with me, so please include him on your daily car rides
if you can. He sits well in the backseat, and he doesn't bark or complain.
He just loves to be around people, and me most especially.

Which means that this transition is going to be hard, with him going to live
with someone new.

And that's why I need to share one more bit of info with you....

His name's not Reggie.

I don't know what made me do it, but when I dropped him off at the shelter,
I told them his name was Reggie. He's a smart dog, he'll get used to it and
will respond to it, of that I have no doubt. But I just couldn't bear to
give them his real name. For me to do that, it seemed so final, that handing
him over to the shelter was as good as me admitting that I'd never see him
again. And if I end up coming back, getting him, and tearing up this letter,
it means everything's fine. But if someone else is reading it, well... well
it means that his new owner should know his real name. It'll help you bond
with him. Who knows, maybe you'll even notice a change in his demeanor if
he's been giving you problems.

His real name is Tank.

Because that is what I drive.

Again, if you're reading this and you're from the area, maybe my name has
been on the news. I told the shelter that they couldn't make "Reggie"
available for adoption until they received word from my company commander
See, my parents are gone, I have no siblings, no one I could've left Tank
with.. and it was my only real request of the Army upon my deployment to
Iraq, that they make one phone call to the shelter... in the "event"... to
tell them that Tank could be put up for adoption. Luckily, my colonel is a
dog guy, too, and he knew where my platoon was headed. He said he'd do it
personally. And if you're reading this, then he made good on his word.

Well, this letter is getting too downright depressing, even though, frankly,
I'm just writing it for my dog. I couldn't imagine if I was writing it for a
wife and kids and family. But still, Tank has been my family for the last
six years, almost as long as the Army has been my family.

And now I hope and pray that you make him part of your family and that he
will adjust and come to love you the same way he loved me.

That unconditional love from a dog is what I took with me to Iraq as an
inspiration to do something selfless, to protect innocent people from those
who would do terrible things... and to keep those terrible people from
coming over here. If I had to give up Tank in order to do it, I am glad to
have done so. He was my example of service and of love. I hope I honored him
by my service to my country and comrades.

All right, that's enough.

I deploy this evening and have to drop this letter off at the shelter.

I don't think I'll say another good- bye to Tank, though. I cried too much
the first time.

Maybe I'll peek in on him and see if he finally got that third tennis ball
in his mouth.

Good luck with Tank.

Give him a good home, and give him an extra kiss goodnight - every night -
from me."

Thank you,

Paul Mallory

________

I folded the letter and slipped it back in the envelope. Sure I had heard of
Paul Mallory, everyone in town knew him, even new people like me. Local kid,
killed in Iraq a few months ago and posthumously earning the Silver Star
when he gave his life to save three buddies. Flags had been at half-mast all
summer.

I leaned forward in my chair and rested my elbows on my knees, staring at
the dog.

"Hey, Tank," I said quietly.

The dog's head whipped up, his ears cocked and his eyes bright.

"C' mere boy."

He was instantly on his feet, his nails clicking on the hardwood floor. He
sat in front of me, his head tilted, searching for the name he hadn't heard
in months.

"Tank," I whispered. His tail swished.

I kept whispering his name, over and over, and each time, his ears lowered,
his eyes softened, and his posture relaxed as a wave of contentment just
seemed to flood him.

I stroked his ears, rubbed his shoulders, buried my face into his scruff and
hugged him.

"It's me now, Tank, just you and me. Your old pal gave you to me."

Tank reached up and licked my cheek.

"So whatdaya say we play some ball?" His ears perked again.

"Yeah?? Ball?? You like that???Ball? "

Tank tore from my hands and disappeared in the next room.

And when he came back......he had three tennis balls in his mouth.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Recent Graduates




As you know, with only my little phone camera, pictures that are too out of focus don't make it on the blog. Leela the beagle was almost too fuzzy but grinning too widely to pass up. Dean cut such a striking figure in his graduation hat, and Frank the Standard Poodle, well, too handsome without the hat, you must agree!

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

More Con GRAD ulations!




Cheers for Stoli the lab, Buddy the Corgi and Gizmo the Shihtzu! They'ze graduated!