Quiet action; reaction; reward.

On a recent outing with Sundance, thriving in the chill of our morning walk, I glanced over to Sundance and noticed he was smiling at me. He gave me the "OK" look, that all was going to be gold, no matter what the weather projected onto us. The sky was gray and cloudy, raindrops fell by the gallon, birds were flying desperately to find some shelter, and the neighborhood cat was sprinting home in the hopes of curling up next to his warm owner. Sundance and I did not mind. In fact, we were both reduced to pure satisfaction, knowing that our day had just begun, our lives were heading forward, and all was in balance.

It does not take Sundance long to share his emotions with people.  His mission in life is to serve and do good, evidenced in the sociable and well-mannered dog he was groomed to be. So much of what I see in him is the product of good nurturing by Alexia and me. Alexia and I both wanted a dog that would be calm, and still be engaged in all our activities. Sundance had no idea what he was in for.

The optimistic point I am recognizing from Sundance comes from the smallest things that make him react, triggering an emotion of pleasure and the gratifying response from me. It just so happened to be a droplet of water near his ear that stirred up a shake and the gratifying visual praise I shared back at him.

It is amazing how much we both have learned from each other, and I feel our connection strengthening.

I am also happy we started our training from the very first day we met.

LIVE HAPPY!

Active Solutions

Sundance's Weekly Blog: 

Sundance will explain when and not to go for a walk, how to apply leadership, active solutions for high energy dogs, and why obedience training is important in a dog's world.

Paw Boot Camp with Brave and Sundance in a sit-stay position

James: Hey Sundance, you ready to answer some questions?


Sundance: You bet! 

Sundance demonstrating a pulling dog

James: Let's start with the issue of pulling. Would you like it if I were to pull you down the street in all different directions? How would you diffuse the situation and create a more symbiotic relationship? 


Sundance: I personally would not appreciate being yanked anywhere. It's not fair and would really make me feel like a tool. I just saw some dog owners being pulled down the road by their dogs. They and their small dogs were all walking on their hind legs!


James: How would you remedy such an atrocity?

Pack walk with Opie and Sundance

Sundance: I like to think there are many solutions for one problem. When asserting yourself as a pack leader, you should initiate the walk in a calm manner. Then your pack of dogs, your followers, will reflect your energy. Wait a few seconds before starting off on your journey till everyone one is calm. Sometimes this may take five minutes or even ten. Remember, this is an exercise in self control. As a pack-leader, you may have to conduct this more than once, so that the message is sent clearly. 


James: So when the pack is calm, can I place a leash on their collars?


Sundance: Yes. This is the right moment to do that. Sometimes dogs will begin to get excited with just this small gesture. If this happens, unleash and start over again till the message is sent to your dog that calmness is the behavior you want.


James: You mentioned another approach or solution. Which way is that?


Sundance: Sometimes you will find that some dogs are very excited. It's not their faults. It's a lack of exercise and lack of consistent obedience training. Owners are often impatient and just want to rush through life and this transfers over onto their dogs. I suggest if frantically is how they prefer to approach  situations, they find a dog walker who can offer your dog what it truly needs daily. 

Lulu after a bike ride

The only other option is to vigilantly exercise and take their dog for a run, bike-ride or rollerblading. This allows the dog to burn off all his frustrations from being indoors all day or all week, taking Dog down to Owner's energy level. 


James: You mentioned obedience training. Many dogs are deficient of such instruction. Do you firmly believe this is the solution for all dog owners to follow?


Sundance: Woof! Excuse me, but I needed to assert my nature in the form of performing tasks. I feel bad for my brother and sister dogs who go through life with zero guidance. It's a lot to ask for from us. We do not want to be in charge of every situation, especially if it is not within our job description. I heard many humans complain to friends about how bosses asked them to make coffee, separate recycling,  and "go-for" this and that at work, when their job description was much more sophisticated. You see James, over time when the system fails and ownership does not practice what it is expected to, their will be cracks and implosion will take place. People will become smug, in a sense, and take it upon themselves to direct their own lives. Dogs who have a lack of management will follow suit. This is why it is important to train your dog and grant her a sense of purpose. 


James: In general, pulling on leash can be be solved first with consistent obedience training. Why can't a dog just stay in the back yard and be content with that?

Sundance learning to retrieve

Sundance: The mind of every living thing is meant to be constantly active with the business of life, of staying alive. A badger is constantly working at staying alive: the next things to eat, drink, improve the hovel, to find a mate, to raise the kids. The wild boar is always seeking the same: rooting for food, wallowing to maintain proper body temperature, finding pig-love, raising piglets, staying away from predators, fighting off badguys, and sleeping. Dogs even more so are meant to stay constantly active with not just the business of keeping themselves alive and well, but keeping the pack, the family, you, alive and well. If you want an animal to just "dwell", get a cat, a snake, or a sea anemone. Dogs are active performers, task-oriented, job-doers. If you don't have a job for us (even a façade job like hunting for toys or carrying a backpack full of rice) we'll lose it, maybe slowly over time, maybe quickly. 


James: That's serious. Have I fulfilled your need for structure?


Sundance: Of course! You have me run three miles every day to find my kibble, and you have me search for the tennis ball when you lose it again and again, and you train me to do new jobs all the time. I feel so fulfilled!

Vitamin D in Oregon

"Do you think he has any idea where he is going today and who he will be with?"

"I don't think so. But I bet he is dreaming of it."

When I finally woke up, the sun was shining, birds were singing, Sweety was barking next door, and I could hear Mamma and James whispering in the background. Last week, we had rain on and off, but for the last few days temperatures have been in the high 50's and the skies were bluer than an infant's onesie.

After James drove Mamma to SWOCC on Monday, he and I headed to Emma's house to find her waiting impatiently with her master. Emma is a sweetheart, but has much to learn about being a dog and not behaving like she is the center of the universe. I am glad this is where I can be of assistance and aid in her rehab.

While at Bastendorf Beach, we immediately jumped into playful bows. She is still very young, and has a tendency to be very tense, unsure of objects beyond her control, and loaded with nervous anxiety. After about an hour or so, she began to ease up and her usually arched back looked less strained. She actual resembled me.
I had her running, playing tag, and fetching. All the things us dogs love to do. However, getting into the water still puts her on edge. When I was about the same age as Emma, we lived in Santa Cruz and would visit the beach daily. James, Mamma and I came upon a golden party at a beach one day. No, not a bunch of senior citizens. We happened to drop in on about ten golden retrievers playing and bathing in the sun. Never before had I seen such a remarkable pack of dogs; this was the catalyst that lured me into the water, the miracle that changed me. I know Emma is getting closer, but she will need more convincing.

Now I am like a seal peeping his head out near the shore, catching a glimpse of sand dwellers wanting to be like me. I am so happy playing in water, retrieving and body surfing back to James and Mamma.
I'm always happy to come home to my big brother, Skuzum, who is content to sleep on Ducky or lean on Froggy, his love-slave Froggy, for a post-coital lick.
Have a great week friends. LIVE HAPPY!

McFlurry Sunday

Hi good-looking readers!

It is Sunday morning in Coos Bay, Oregon, and most of the town folk are still settled in bed or on their way to church. I happen to know this fact because, had it not been for our first flurry of the year, I too would have still been lounging on my loft.

Instead, Momma and James behaved as any sensible human would and stacked on layers of clothes to take me outside and experience our frosty winter morning. This was a good call because I was eagerly ready to shower the front lawn with some of my own showers. The special thing is that it hailed this morning, even though the forecast was for flurries, and the skies were blue! So we walked in it.

Many people are not aware of this, but James is a big Denver Bronco fan. As much as he would have enjoyed seeing his team advance, he is aware that the TEBOW will live another day. Oregon has a mix of Raider's, 49er's, Green Bay, Seattle and Bronco fan's, but one can be certain that if you are not a Duck, then you must be a Beaver. I could care less because I would much rather be hunting ducks and beavers with my friends Emma and Kobe.

Here I am with Mamma. I was glad to go down these stairs because Mamma always let's me have fun. James just takes me out for long walks and runs. By the way, this past week we did eighteen miles in two days, pretty remarkable. It's a load of fun because we are out before the sun comes up, but by the time we head home the sunshine is happy.

LIVE HAPPY!