Bud was a very bad boy!

The other day while my helper and I were swimming Bud at Morro bay.. his favorite swimming place.. he once again tried to bully a dog. My helper Vanessa was luckily able to hold his leash tight enough to prevent him from jumping the small dog. The reason for this is first he is spoiled, secondly he is really over sensitive, third it is a dog thing. He wants to intimidate innocent dogs. He gets frustrated when he loses a ball at the bay and wants to take his frustration out and pounce on a dog and teach them a lesson. He has never hurt a dog but needs some serious training. When we got home I got the old shock collar out ( the one he used to be trained with when he would pull me over at the beach). He immediately went to his crate and hid.
This morning before he could have his food he had to have the collar put on, which he sure didn't like, but too bad. He has been barking more because of people in the street. When he started barking I told him no barking, he barked twice more and I zapped him (it's not a hard shock but enough to get his attention).. he came right in the house. This is really bad behavior and he will have the collar on for as long as it takes, especially when we are at the bay.
Dog training is repetition, patience and never stopping.. That's why trainers get $65 an hour! I get to have a well mannered dog that doesn't yap all the time.

Trouble With Gracie

Last week, by mistake I bumped Gracie with my scooter, and for several days she did not want to go with me walking or running. I know she did not get hurt, she didn't want to trust me. I waited until Vanessa, one of Gracie's favorite gals, could help me make her trust me and let me take her on walks again because they are fun. Gracie let me walk her after Vanessa hooked her up to the scooter and we all went to the beach together. We tried putting her in the scooter basket because we thought maybe she didn't want to walk, but she jumped out. She needs the exercise, it is good for dogs anyways. She is cranky when she doesn't get her exercise just like me. We took her bark collar off too.. I couldn't stand seeing her in pain. It is her breed to bark. She had fun. Bud always has fun with a ball or a stick. He loves digging huge holes in the sand.
 I am working with Gracie to come to me when she hears the sound of a whistle. She was barking this morning, I blew the whistle and she came running in and went right to her crate without me telling her to. I told her she was a good girl and she wasn't in trouble.. I just want her to come when I blow the whistle. Another extraordinary thing happened on our walk yesterday.. on the way there we saw a calm old dog off the leash with a woman and Gracie was really interested in seeing the dog. When we passed the dog again on our way home, I asked the woman if it would be ok if Gracie tried to meet her dog. The dog off the leash did the circle sniff routine respectful dogs do (rather than going straight for the behind). When the dog went for a sniff of Gracie's behind, she just stood there! She is minding me and is much more calm around other dogs now. I still have to put her in her crate when new people come in the house, but she is making great progress.

Food Is For Training

The pups and me had a short training session the other day

If you see in the pictures where the dogs attention goes, you can see first hand how easy it is to get the dogs attention. When food is involved the dogs pay good attention and when the food is gone they chill out.. hoping for more. Food is a good way to help train your dog. Gracie is more easily trained with food.. Bud more so with toys. 

Gracie update

Gracie has been so good. she has not bit me in a while.. even though she has tried. We have upped her prozac to one whole pill a day. She will probably always have issues because she was abandoned on the streets of LA and was abused. You can't feel sorry for her though because they sense it and will take advantage of you.. gotta treat her like a big dog. She is still working on boundary training.. she won't stay out of the kitchen where the food is when new staff are working. She really tests them and will walk all over them. Terriers are stubborn little creatures by nature and feisty. This particular day she was so good that I took a picture of her in my pretty scarf. She is too darn cute.When get on the or when i have company she puts herself between me and the other person  When I have fallen she stay right next me so we are touching.When the bark collar is on her, if she barks then she runs into crate.I hate that collar but sometimes I use it. She know when that bad collar is on she should not bark. She is super smart.  She car rides, and her several walks a day. Also she love to be massaged She get so relaxed she leans on my body. 

She is waiting to be fed, you can't trust her around food

LOOK AT FACE!!

IM STUCK!

One night last week I looked over at Bud, where he is always sitting on his throne ( the love seat in my living room). He must have been tired. I have never seen him sit like this. Bud wanted to come see me but he was too tired and being lazy. I was only about 5 feet away, if that. He needed my senior alert.

Once he finally came over to see me.. he needed the pillows on his tired head.

Valentine Day

Today is a day for lovers, and who does not love their dogs. My lucky pups get bones and lots and lots of loving every day. My Valentines Bud and Gracie. Gracie's middle name is Angelina because I can finally handle her without her biting me. She is a very sweet dog after Prozac. She is cranky in the morning before her coffee like I am, just like mom. Bud is such a knuckle head, he doesn't  change. I wake up to these dogs in my bed every morning. They are my Valentine's.

Gracie still thinks she is starving on the streets of LA

The other day I saw her doing this. I thought it was so cute. I probably had one cranberry fall back there. She smelled food. She lied there like that for a long time. She knows how to find food. Yesterday, I was getting my breakfast. I got the dried prunes out and I eat three. I took three out of the bag, Two fell before I could do anything. She got them before they hit the ground. She swallowed them whole. Unbelievable. She is a survivor.

 Bud stood there like, What just happened. Bud was thinking where is mine, This is not fair, she is a brat. I told him "you get the egg yolk". All in a day with a pack. I love having my pack around me.