May 31, 2013

After lots of rain and temperate weather, the garden is sub-tropically lush. Clicking on photos enlarges them.

People often ask how my garden can do so well with my dogs running through it all the time. My response is always the the same, "The plants have to be tough to survive here. I try lots of different kinds of plants. The ones you see do well with dogs! If a particular kind of plant cannot survive the dogs, I do not keep trying to establish that kind of plant."

Many of the plants I have self-sow all over the yard. Having lush perennials that seed themselves and thrive also reduces the weeds. I do not weed much or often.

When I move up north, I will take seeds, cuttings and divisions and leave the parents here. I'm sure that I will be sad because I know the new owners will put in a tennis court, a swimming pool, or a lawn. "Change is the only constant."

Miss Timber - Memorial Day 2013

Miss Timber is definitely one of the most patriotic puppies ever! I just got an email from Sally and Daniel with this Memorial Day photo of her attached!

"Here is a recent photo of Miss Timber celebrating Memorial Day in the Poconos. She is doing great. We continue "our" obedience training--she is doing very well..excellent on the sit/stay and down/stay. She also seems to really like the agility that our trainer is introducing into the class--basically some very low jumps and a tunnel. She was a bit hesitant about the tunnel the first time but now goes through it like a champ---with much pride in her accomplishment!

"Thank you again for this wonderful puppy who has enriched our lives so much this past year."

.

 This photo was from last Fourth of July (2012) - I believe! She has certainly turned into a smart and beautiful dog, hasn't she?

Please everyone - practice your recalls until they are perfect every time. Always, always reward with lots of praise and use treats as often as possible. As I learned once again last weekend with Tryggur, Korpur, and Bear, that good recall could save your pet's life. A good sit/sat or down/stay is also very important.

Memorial Day Weekend 2013

We all went up to Sans Souci for Memorial Day Weekend. The weather was lovely and the dogs loved it up there.They adapted well to the 90 minute drive - surprising me.

                                        (Tryggur, Korpur, Kata, Bear, Kria, Pila, Totty)
The day after this shot was taken, not wanting to remain in the fenced yard, the three boys 'escaped' from a gate that was inadvertently left unlatched and roamed the woods apparently looking for deer. (They aren't talking!) Fortunately they all have a great recall and came back from over half a mile away.

The girls are much better behaved. Boys will be boys!

The above photo of the pack was taken just a few minutes after sunrise - which does NOT happen in the east up there. It's more north-east.

Some of my favorite plants are "volunteers" - which simply means they grew from seeds that planted themselves. The Siberian iris below is a three year old volunteer in my yard. It just started growing in the middle of a path - - and I let it go. At first I thought it was a seedling 'blue-eyed grass' but it grew into this!

                                     (Remember: Clicking on photos enlarges them.)

Of course the parentage is unknown. I have several purple or blue flowered Siberians. It must have come from them!

Memorial Day - 2013

                                    .   C   .
                                      Sans

                       My driveway. (Lake Huron in the distance.)

           The beach - whitecaps and about 40 degrees - fantastic!

                                     View from the decks. 
                                            (Clicking on photos enlarges them.)

Dancing on Tisha B'av

Just back from Rose Frame Shop - newly framed and tightened.

Closing

Leifur - May 2013

This week Lee and Nicki King got two 'back to back' Group Two, the herding breeds, placements. 

What that means is that both days they won Best of Breed (BOB) in his breed, Icelandic Sheepdogs, which then qualified them to compete against all the other BOB dogs in his group - the herding breeds like Bearded Collies, German Shepherds, Old English Sheepdogs, Shelties, Pyrenean Shepherds, Border Collies, etc. 

In those Herding Dog Group competitions, Lee came in second on both days under two different AKC judges - Joan Schurr Kafeli (above) and Shelley Hennesey (below) with handler Nicki King. 

He also finished the weekend with four BOB (Best of Breeds). I've taken to calling him Lee-BOB. (In both photos Lee is looking out at his mom Jennifer Sanders.)

Lee and Nicki obviously love each other; they work together well but they also enjoy playing together too. Jennifer is very proud, justifiably proud, of their successes. Here are some more relaxed shots - the kind I personally prefer.

                                              Clicking on photos enlarges them.

Yahoo Group

Several of us have a Yahoo group devoted to Icelandic Sheepdogs. We are mostly first time owners of the breed and love sharing our experiences, asking questions, bragging about the progress of our charges, sharing photos as our puppies grow, etc.

Membership is limited to "by invitation only" in order to keep out spam, politics, and inappropriate comments.

If you might be interested in joining, drop me a line and I'll send you an invitation. Please share just a little bit about yourself and your dog(s) and your email.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IcelandSheepdogs/

jaimehansen1@comcast.net

Sola - the New Icelandic

This is fifteen week old Sola who lives in Maine and is wicked smart, as they say there. She is approaching her teenage "months" and her family is in a slight panic. They have asked me several questions which are answered below. (Most of these things have been addressed in much older blog entries but here goes - - - .)

I remember that feeling of frustration with the teenage months very well. The great thing about dogs is that their teenager time lasts only a couple of months instead of at least a decade for humankind. They behave fairly normally up until their adult hormones start being produced then, sometimes for some dogs, it literally seems as if they have forgotten every thing they ever learned and become disruptive, combative, obstinate, etc. just like humans. (Sometimes that stage in humans lasts until the mid-thirties! Ha!)

(As an aside here: most recent research says that dogs should not be neutered - yes, that's the correct word for both males and females - until they have produced their adult hormones. The production of adult hormones closes the end joints of bones and causes growth to stop. Neutering before hormones are produced may mean that growth can continue for a short while resulting in a larger than normal, in weight perhaps and even height, dog. Many vets like to neuter early to prevent unplanned pregnancies. If you're not sure, Google canine neutering and decide for yourself!)

However, if you've done your job with training and socializing with other humans and dogs, your puppy will, after teenager-hood, soon become reasonable again - or, at least as reasonable as any Icelandic can become. Sola has taken puppy classes and has been socialized after leaving her birth home.

Puppies are almost always born into a litter - there are usually several puppies for them to play with. Puppies, even very young puppies play with one another. They learn early on that if they play too hard with their litter mates, the litter mates will yelp and retreat to a corner away from the too-aggressive pup. They don't like it when a play mate leaves them and they soon learn how to play well, without hurting.

After they leave their birth home, especially if they find themselves alone in their new home, they forget "how" to play well and safely. They forget how to be gentle enough.

If your puppy or young dog comes across another puppy or dog, they may be too assertive. If they are, their new playmate will yelp and retreat to a safe spot. That is why it is important for new puppies to have contact with other healthy new puppies so they don't forget "how" to play. Playing with adult dogs and cats is OK too as long as the play is somewhat supervised. Most adult dogs are very tolerant of puppy play. Lots of cats like it too. Allow the adult the luxury of a safe place away from the puppy. They have to be able to safely retreat or the lesson could get rough.

If a puppy is too rough when playing with a child (or an adult) the person should yelp and say "Ow!", stop playing, and retreat. The new puppy will know that it has played too roughly. Really.

There are three children in Sola's home: - 6, 9, 11 and a 7 year old cat in a suburban home that has a fenced yard.

Sola apparently nips at the heels of the children. I believe that that's a relatively easy behavior to 'fix'. 

Of course herding dogs have had that behavior bred into them for generations, for hundreds of years. It's one of several ways they move their charges - whether they are sheep, geese, horses, cattle - - or children. 

When teaching classes I tell my students who have this problem with their dogs, usually they are other herding dogs like collies, shelties, border collies, Aussies, etc., to gently kick back with their foot when nipped at. The object is NOT to hurt they dog but rather to make it reluctant to nip. If you make actual contact with the dog, it should be gentle. Usually two or three soft kick-backs are enough to stop that behavior, especially for our very intelligent Icelandics. Think of the kick-backs as love taps. Nipping is never acceptable and must be stopped ASAP before it becomes more serious. Each member of the family may have to do this so that the dog learns that it cannot do that to humans.

A herding dog is more likely to herd smaller humans. Larger humans don't like that behavior and are usually pretty good at getting that across to the dog. You may need to help younger children on "how" to discourage nipping - kicking back gently so as not to hurt the puppy.

(As another aside, I teach children, especially smaller children "how" to discourage unwelcome advances by dogs, yours or a strangers. I tell them to pretend they are a tree: cross their arms across their chest and turn away from the dog. Do NOT look back at the dog. Ignore the dog. Don't even look over your shoulder. That invites interaction. Raising  hands and arms shoulder high or head high encourages the puppy or dog to jump up. That can be dangerous. That could knock a person over, especially a young person or an older person. That kind of arm movement mimics a dog's "play bow". When dogs meet other dogs and they want to play, they raise their butts and lower the forequarters in a kind of "bow".)

One of my own adult dogs got caught on some furniture and was panicking. I tried to help and was bitten, puncture-wound bitten. That would NEVER have happened with that dog but it was severely stressed. My fault. Children (and adults) should recognize that sometimes dogs will overreact when they are scared. I think we all recognize the difference between an aggressive dog and a really frightened family pet, dog or cat, that panics and scratches or bites.

One of the reasons that so many people like the herding breeds is that they are very smart and learn very quickly. Icelandics are, in my opinion, much smarter than other herding breeds and also they are much more people oriented. Some herding dogs are stand-offish, don't respond lovingly to humans. Our dogs, when they are properly socialized from puppy-hood, have the opposite problem, if it is a 'problem'. They love people. Usually all people.

When you think about a puppy, think about a two year old toddler. Both need to be watched like a hawk and 'entertained'. Both are extremely curious about their surroundings and learn quickly. Most parents baby-proof their homes while junior is growing up. Puppy-proofing is a smart thing to do also. If you cannot watch your puppy all the time, then it must be confined or else it will get into trouble. That's a given with toddlers and puppies. 

Some people use an X-pen (exercise pen) which is sort of like a child's play pen. Others confine the puppy to the kitchen using gating or barricades. As long as you are there with your Icelandic, it will not complain. You and your family have become the new "pack" for your puppy. Its birth pack was your puppy's litter-mates. Dogs, like humans, are pack animals. Until it feels secure, when you are not around your dog, it will be anxious. 

When your puppy is a mature dog, it can be left for longer and longer periods without you worrying about damage. Toddler-humans, teenage-humans need some structure. So do toddler-puppies and teenage-dogs. It does get better and you will know when that happens - not in years (or decades) - months. One day it will just be better. It's amazing to actually realize that when it happens.

Most dogs are given up to shelters are the age of about ten months. Duh! The teenage times. If the owners would just be patient for another two or three (maybe) months, the dogs would have made the transition.

  While I am typing this I have five dogs curled up around my feet. If I get up and go somewhere, they all come with me - - and then settle down there too. I'm a senior-human and quite sedentary now. My dogs do not care. They just want to be with me. If I ran, they would run. I don't, they don't. Their "job" is just to be with me and they love that job. So do I!!!

 Up until recently I did lots of dog sports and my dogs did them with me, of course. That part of my life may be over for now and they are just as happy.

When Sola goes for a leash-walk, she pulls. That's also a simple fix because she is so smart! 

Start in the backyard with Sola on a leash As soon as she starts to pull in one direction, turn around and walk in the opposite direction. Gently jerk the leash, and say, "Sola, Here!" or "Sola, Come!" as you head off 180 degrees opposite to where she wanted to go. If she runs ahead of you in the new direction, repeat. Turn to the opposite direction, gently jerk the leash and set off in the direction YOU want to go. You are teaching her that in this pack (her new family) you (and the other humans) are dominant over her. It is not a hard lesson to learn. Remember? Dogs are pack animals, They will respect and follow the leader(s) of the pack - her humans. She will very quickly learn that you decide which way to go, not her. (I say to do that in the backyard first because when your neighbors see you doing that they will think you're crazy - - - unless they are dog people too.) After you and several other members have tried this over a period of a few days, try going for a walk in the neighborhood. Remember: YOU get to decide the direction. For no reason at all, change directions as you're walking. Learning the lesson would go faster if you used treats. (See below.)

Take her to a church, temple, synagogue  parking lot when there are no services and practice walking there. Or use a shopping center parking lot when it's closed to practice this random walking.

Crate training is important. The crate should be their den, their cave, their safe place. If your puppy/dog does not seem happy enough when in the crate, feed ALL her meals in the crate. Dogs learn to love their crates if they are given good things when they are in them. Duh! If a dog is punished in its crate, it will not like its crate. Duh! Duh!

Put her in her crate with a bone and close the door WHILE YOU ARE NEAR HER. Remember, at her age she is uncomfortable being alone. She lost all her birth family and her first human family in one fell swoop. She is going to be anxious if you are not nearby - - to begin with. She may be afraid that you will leave her too. As soon as she learns she can trust you to come back, she will relax more in her crate. It will take time.
 
Use a command, perhaps, "Get in your crate!", or "Get in your box!" and then always give her a treat immediately after. Have the treat in your hand when you give the command so it can be given immediately. If you wait a few seconds to reward with a treat, your dog will not know "why" it got the treat. It will like it BUT not understand "why". Rewards for good behavior have to be fast. Have the treat ready to reward when you say "Sit!", "Stand!", "Down!", "Come!", etc. They will not learn unless the reward is fast.

Finally: Treats! A few decades ago people did not use treats to train dogs. They made them do stuff. Some people still train that way. That would be like you working for no pay. 

Treats are the reward dogs get for doing stuff. Use lots of them. They should be small - one bite size. A treat for our dogs should be about the size of a pea. I like to vary the treats I use. I think they might get bored with always the same treats. Not all dogs like the same kinds of treats. Watch the reaction of your dog to see what it really likes. 

I cook low fat hot dogs and cut them into half slices, freeze them and store them in my freezer (so they don't spoil). I keep a bait bag in there too. I like the Velcro kind not the draw-string kind. You can also get a workman's belt from Home Depot for about $1.00 to keep treats in. (They are easy to wash.) When you go for a walk with your puppy, wear the bait bag and have lots of treats in it. 

I also use low fat string cheese, cut and frozen. Cheerios are great and healthy too. I sometimes use Captain Crunch peanut butter. Shh! Don't tell, The dogs love them and they are treats so they should love them. You wouldn't use that as part of their diet, but for a reward or a treat, why not. 

When you do the "walk in the opposite direction" game, give her a treat when she comes back to you and say, "Good Girl", "Good Come!" and give her a treat. Let her know that she's doing what you want her to do. Talk to her. You are trying to teach her about her new life with you. Treat her like a human toddler. Talk to her lots. Teach her words. A smart dog, and she's a very smart dog, can learn hundreds of words. They learn faster when they are young but, in spite of the saying, you can teach an old dog new tricks! I know you can because my Kata didn't do agility until she was nine. She's over eleven now and loves agility.

Anytime you ask your dog to do something, you should have your reward ready. Treats are best when they are younger but as they get older, praise is almost as good. So always praise your dog for doing what you want it to do. How else is it going to know which behaviors are good and which are not.

Pukka's Promise - Ted Kerasote

Annette and Fred who own (or are owned by) Loa recently sent me a copy of Pukka's Promise written by Ted Kerasote. Fred and Annette are "of a certain age" as am I. I love dogs, especially my Icelandic Sheepdogs. They also love dogs, especially the larger more active ones, and for many years they have been involved in dog sports. They recently adopted Loa because she is a medium sized dog and, therefore, they thought, would be easier to handle. Perhaps. 

Loa is a typical Icelandic Sheepdog, extremely smart, loving and a delightful handful. Icelandics, I believe, are spectacular dogs for people who are involved in dog sports because they love to work, love to please, are extremely smart, and therefore, learn very fast. They also love being with people and, when properly socialized with humans and other canines, are very showy dogs, pleasing to look at and to watch work in the performance ring.

Because I have been overly involved in many things, I put Pukka's Promise aside until I had finished reading the two books I had been reading. I'm now sorry I didn't start reading Kerasote's recent book, published in 2013, sooner. I may have thought it would turn out to be sort of a Marly kind of book. I know Annette and Fred and, therefore, should have known better. I'm sorry Annette - Fred!

People who really care about the future health and fitness, as well as the beauty, of their dogs, regardless of the breed, would find this a 'must read' book. The first four chapters describe how Mr. Kerasote and his beloved Merle, a mixed breed dog who probably has some Lab and hound ancestors, met, fell in love and experienced life together.

In Chapter five, he gets into it. I have not finished Pukka's Promise yet. However, I have seldom read a book that fits the ideas that I have been trying to articulate regarding dog breeding, genetics, health, conformation, performance, inbreeding, cancer, eye and other inherited health issues, etc. as well as Pukka's Promise does.

I have been interested for a long time in what has happened to the health of some popular breeds: Pugs, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, Pekingese, etc. and the role the various licensing kennel clubs like the American Kennel Club, the Swedish Kennel Club, the British Kennel Club, the United Kennel Club, etc. have been able to play in their development. 

I do not believe that any kennel club is responsible for what happens to dogs in their registries. I believe that is the responsibility of the breeders.

However, I do believe that kennel clubs in general could be more helpful to breeders. At least one kennel club that I know of seems to have come a long way towards being just that, more helpful to breeders.

Anyone who cares about the health, the long term genetic health, of their breed, especially anybody who is involved in writing and updating a breed standard - for any breed - ought to listen to what Ted Kerasote is saying.

This book is, I feel, a 'must read' for anyone who is involved in dogs sports, dog breeding, conformation.  

There is excellent advice on care, training, feeding, vaccinations, etc. in this book. I will be changing some of my standard vaccination practices.