On Being the Alpha Dog in Your Home

“I’m alpha”…”No, I’m alpha!…”I’ll show you who’s alpha!”  Does this conversation take place in your home?  I don’t mean it happens verbally, but with your thought and the actions that follow.  If your dog does something you interpret as the expression of authority,  do you immediately turn them onto their back?   Does that work?  Not usually.

It may do something in that moment to say you are dominant over the dog.  However, if the only correction your dog receives is a random turn on their back after they’ve spent the entire day doing more subtle things that say they are in charge, it won’t have much impact.

So much of our correction of the dog happens based on our particular mood or emotion at the time. We may finally be fed up with a particular behavior, so we take action.  Consistency is more important than a random reaction to an unwanted behavior.

Being a pack leader, as it’s often referred to, is about the development of a respectful relationship.  It’s not sporadic moments of your being in authority.  It happens all day long.  In time, you won’t even have to think about it but rather it will be who you are – the alpha dog.

When Dogs Stay Out All Night

Two of my dogs can be very “dog-like!”  Try though I might to convince them that squirrel isn’t good for them and it’s so barbarian to eat it raw, they don’t listen.

Last night, these two decided to stay out all night.  Usually, they come to the door and ask to come in at a reasonable hour.  Not last night.  I’m sure the night life is amazing.  I’m not one to know.

At about 3:30 am, I hear them and out of the kindness of my heart, let them in.  It’s now 1:00 pm and they are zonked!  Sammy lifted his head briefly and his eyes rolled back in his head slightly as his head fell back down.

I’m not sneaking around or attempting to be quiet.  I told them this isn’t a pet hotel where they can stay out and party all night and expect me to accommodate their need to sleep all day.  Whatever they did Iast night definitely beats the dog park.

If your dogs are a little restless, let them stay out all night.  One doesn’t want to know what they do.  Just enjoy the next day when they can barely lift a paw.  Makes me wonder about tonight…

What Does Your Dog Drive?

Here’s a little fun…you know how we think we know people by the type of automobile they drive?  Well, I drive a Mini Cooper and a Mazda Miata.  The Miata is “old” and the Cooper newer.  I guess I like to balance life with old and new and it’s important to do it in a sporty way.

Moby, a little Maltese mix would drive a black Hummer.  The full size one.  Enough said.

Sammy, a small terrier mix, would drive a Corvette.  It would be red.  He likes to get where he’s going quickly and is more comfortable when he feels larger than he really is.

Mac, the labradoodle, would drive a bright yellow VW convertible.  Not in a hurry and loves feeling free and looking cool.

Zoe, the labradoodle mix, would drive a golf cart.  That’s so when she sees a lizard or rabbit she has quick access to chase and she could easily greet humans without being encumbered by doors and such.

Your dog?  What do they drive?

Consider This Before Adopting a Dog

It’s amazing to see all of the ads for puppies who are only 12 weeks old and already being re-homed! The opportunity of time they were given wasn’t much.

I recently read an article by Warren Buffett. He said something to the effect of – if you can’t or won’t invest 10 years in something, then don’t invest 10 minutes in it. He, of course, is referring to financial investments. I think it applies to other choices we make. Like adopting a dog.

Seldom when we have the pang of wanting a puppy do we think of how life will be for 10 years. It can be an emotional decision. It’s definitely not wise to go look and touch puppies or to ogle over one outside a grocery store prior to thinking of the 10 year approach. Or, to think you’ll just walk through the shelter and not have guilt win you over. Ten minutes at home with a new dog may be enough to make you reverse that impulse when it dawns on you that you don’t have time for a dog!

So, before you invest in a new pup, ask yourself if you can do this for 10 years. If not, then don’t do it for 10 minutes and risk you’ll make a decision you regret. If your time and budget are limited but you really need to be around dogs, the shelters welcome you. You can walk a dog or two, get your dog fix, and feel good about what you’ve done!

p.s. As I’m sometimes tempted to do, I have to expand this thought outside the realm of dogs and consider what it’d be like if that’s how we approached all relationships. . .

What About Dog Clothes?

There is a fascination and something odd and yet compelling about dogs wearing clothing. There is something adorable about tiny outfits.  Dogs wearing clothes can really bother me and other times it just makes me laugh. Let’s face it, it tells us about their human – not the dog. I don’t think it’s an esteem boost for a dog to wear a designer label or any label for that matter.  In this economy, I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a mass decline in their sales.  However, a few bucks for a little laughter and a photo-opp might be a needed treat!

I don’t dress my dogs (normally).  When a client learned I had small dogs, she gave me some outfits.  I put them away.  Yesterday, I told the dogs that Paula is coming over and they walked out looking like this.  I told them they were way over-dressed, but they didn’t care. (I also told them not to feel badly because, “we are laughing at you not with you!”)

When the Cat Gets Into the Dog Room

I thought the cat was making fun of Moby’s shirt – then, I caught him looking in the mirror and saying. . .

Does Your Dog Want a New Home?

What if your dog gained access to the computer and saw their story and face on Craigslist in the pet section under the caption “looking for a new home.”  What if they saw you were re-homing because you were busy or you thought they needed more room?  I wonder what they would say.

This may seem a tad dramatic because many of us have fostered dogs or got them out of shelters and re-homed them or were in situations where we felt a new home was in the best interest of a dog.  However, it is worth considering if you are re-homing a dog because you think it could do better.  Remember where it came from. . .

If a dog has been in a shelter confined to a 5X5 space, being confined to a cozy home with random access to the outside is living in the lap of luxury.  If you are considering re-homing because you are busy and don’t think you are spending enough time with your dog, consider where they came from.  Chances are, if they are a rescue dog, they had minimal attention and definitely not anything compared to what it’s like in the security of a home.

I used to work 12 hour days, 7 days a week.  I would feel tremendous guilt until I returned home to my amazing dog who was so happy to see me and never scolded me for working long hours.  She had been saved!  The life she knew in a shelter for nearly a year before my finding her was good, but now she was loved and cared for in ways she had never known.

I don’t write this to contribute to guilt, as we all do what we feel is best. I just want to point out that guilt is a human experience.  So, if you are able to provide a loving home for a dog even if it’s not “perfect,” it could be much better than where they were or where they’ll be.  If only you could ask them!

Does a Dog’s Opinion Count?

This is difficult for me to share; however, a picture is worth a thousand words. This image explains how one of my dogs feels about my blog. . .

How Many Dogs (Children) Are Too Many?

There is an event in the news/media lately and I would like to share my own analogy. . .

I love dogs.  I have always loved dogs.  I didn’t get one until the timing was right and I was ready and I knew I could be responsible for her.

Many years had passed and I was ready for more dogs.  In fact, I wanted to help as many dogs as I could.  I am at my limit financially, time-wise, and ability to care for them and still have a life myself.

Second thought, since I love dogs so much I’m going to adopt an entire litter of puppies – eight would be perfect.   I don’t know how I will feed them or care for them, but I want them.  I deserve to have as many as I want.   I know there are people out there who will love my puppies as much as I do and will help me care for them because I want them.

Does this “story” sound familiar (and no, I’m not saying dogs are children).  However, if you feel moved by my situation, please send money.  I accept all major credit cards and checks are acceptable too!

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I hope you enjoyed my little story.  I wrote it because – well, because I wanted to.  Don’t we always get what we want?  =)

Dog Toys

Do dogs really need toys?  What is it that makes them so appealing?  Do toys replace or fulfill the dog’s need to hunt and chase?  Do they really think the stuffed bunny is a real rabbit?  I guess the answer to that one is obvious.

What’s also obvious is that dog toys are now a huge business.  There are dog toys for each holiday!  We all know how dogs love the holidays and the new toys that are sure to be their possession.  My dogs like Easter because they like to chase rabbits.  They don’t dare chase Santa!

Let’s face it. . .the toys we choose are usually for us.  Personally, I seldom let the dogs have stuffed toys because the disemboweling makes a fine, white, fluffy mess I am left to clean up.  Unlike a real rabbit, they don’t eat these “guts” – or at least we hope they don’t!

The truth – dogs are happy being with us and while they love chewing and playing, it can be a cardboard box or plastic water bottle.  It’s similar to how a small child has to learn that what is in the box is more important (and supposedly more fun) than the box!  Dogs are much the same.  Don’t feel like your dog won’t be happy if you don’t buy expensive stuffed animals.

If all of their toys are left lying around, they are sure to get bored which will lead you to buy even more toys.  Leave out a few at a time and rotate the others.  What was once old will be new again!

Some dogs do get a bit possessive over a stuffed treasure as though they hunted and killed it themselves.  I do believe they fully know the difference between a “real” rabbit and the sherpa bunny.  In case they don’t, I won’t be the one to spoil it for them!