Sledding Thoughts and Liar, Liar Revealed

Thanks to all your comments about our sled dog practice.  Both Chance and Blaze were out of the rest of the night.  BOL  They both popped into shape for walk time today.  While I on the other hand feel like I've bench pressed 142 pounds (Chance and Blaze's combined weight)  about 150 times!!  But it was worth it!!  I am still reeling from beginning to sled as a unit.  As I was relaying the scenario to my husband last night, I realized after I got the dogs harnesses on, they lined up at the gate and waited for me to hook them up without dancing and twisting each other up before we got started.  THAT  was some huge progress.  I am so amazed at the whole experience and that we were actually working together.  Usually it is them against me.  They think they have having a free for all, while I'm trying to control these wild creatures.  BOL  I am blown still blown away that giving Chance the command after calling to him, that he was showing signs of responding and that something clicked in me to start doing that.  What an amazing relationship we can have with animals and the gift they bring.  I am still glowing from the entire ride.

The best part is that we got more snow today, so we may have another chance after all!!  Of course I don't know how my body will take to that, BOL, but it may be a little bit easier if I can dig a little further into getting Chance to respond.  It will help that we just went yesterday and a with a good day or two rest, I think we can handle it again.  My husband will be around, so I'll be sure to get some video!  Then you'll all have a really good laugh!!     

And now, on to the Awards seen here.  Thanks to everyone who voted and now the truth will be revealed...

My style............................My husband's

1.  No country music fans here.  I am into heavy metal/hard rock/alternative and my husband likes blues and 70's rock. 

2.  My husband handles tools like they an extension of his hands.  He is an excellent skilled carpenter and can build, fix, remodel or repair anything.

3. Green thumb? I love plants. Simply put our house is like an inside jungle.

My husband's current woodwork skills and a piece of our little jungle.

 
5.  Organized?  BOL!  Being organized in this house means only if it is fixed down!  If it can be moved, it never sits in the same spot twice!

The Real Truth is #4!!

Woke up one day to a giant web made by baby spiders that took up half my kitchen table.

I do love spiders.  Then have a special meaning for me.  In some Native American cultures they are a sign of change.  So our home has become a no-kill zone for spiders and I will catch them and set them free outside.  I do it with all insect really, but spiders are just one of my favorites.  My husband shakes his head every time.

Rudy-the dog with a blog, Mr. Pip, Melissa, and Lavi guessed correctly.  You have each won a hug for your dog from me.  BOL!!

Thank you for the fun!  I had a great time with this Award.

One last time!

Long time readers may have noticed we haven't been reporting on any dog sledding adventures.  There's a good reason, we haven't had enough snow.  We are used to having at least a foot or two, yet this year has been quite lacking.
  
Last night we finally had just enough snow on the road and I've been itching go out one last time.  Ice and rain is in the forecast, it was now or never. 

I decided to keep the run to the end of our road and back, which is about a half of a mile.  This helps me mentally as the chances of traffic, dogs or people is next to nil. This also keeps the dogs in a contained area that I can handle, as I was nervous.  Running two dogs is my limit as there are no brakes on our homemade sled which means using my body weight to help slow them down. 

Chance and Blaze took off out the gate and I have no idea how I even manage to get on the sled.  They were both cruising, adrenal pumping, when I look up to see three whitetail deer standing in the middle of the road.  I swear they were having a stare down with the dogs!  The deer finally scooted off as the dogs were hurling towards them while I took my first body slam of the ride making sure they didn't follow the deer down the path.  I was laughing so hard, I don't know how I even held on to the sled.  I don't actually know if Chance and Blaze were planning on following the deer, but I wasn't taking any chances!

When we reached the stop sign, I gave the turn around signal.  They complied fairly smoothly with a little coaxing and we headed back down the road.  About half way through I realized two things:  The work I have done with Chance walking and using sled commands, stop, Gee (right), Haw (left) and turn around were starting to sink in while he was sledding.  Second, when I called Chance's name before the command, I found he was listening and responding.  Since we are all beginners at this, that may not seem like a lot but it was like hitting a milestone for me.  The light bulb went off when I spoke to the dog whom I needed to execute.  What a difference!  And when you're working at the speed of two sled dogs, both quite powerful by themselves, it is difficult to think that quickly sometimes in a moment of panic.  Sort of like when you learning to drive and hit the accelerator instead of the brake.  So this was huge on my part. 

We went up and down the road three times.  I was completely impressed with Chance and Blaze and myself.  Even more so because it has been over two months since the last time we went out and I learn something new every time.

There was a sense of teamwork this time by putting my trust and commands in Chance.  A bonding with Chance, that was by voice alone.  Something was catching on for both of us, I could feel it start to click about half way through the run.  Which meant I wasn't handling the entire weight of the ride on my shoulders, literally.  I was able to rely on Chance to take some of the responsibility and he did beautifully for his first time doing that. 

And let's not forget Blaze.  Blaze was following Chance.  Something clicked for her when he started to take control and she also caught on.  My little crazy Blaze was giving up control to Chance and she did fantastic!  We were all starting to work together and it was one of my best rides with them yet.

**If you haven't already, please check out yesterday's blog award, we need your guesses.  Which one is the truth??**

 

A Correction, An Anwer and Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire!!

First I have a correction:  I listed the EAR CLEANSING FORMULA on Doggie Medicine Cabinet that I got from Hound Girl wrong.  I already changed it on the post but, it should be 3 parts rubbing alcohol and 1 part vinegar.  Here is the actual post from Hound Girl about Dog Ears.  

******* ******* ****** ****** ******* ******* ****** *****

Second:  Monday Memories-Where's Chance?

For everyone who guessed the puppy laying down on the left...

You were right!!

I was so impressed with how many people guessed correctly, when I had to cheat to figure it out myself.  BOL!!

And here was Fiona during the white puppy get together.  Sleeping with all her stuffie friends!!

Much better than hanging out with her brothers!!

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And third:  Thanks to Kristine at Rescued Insanity for this awesome and crazy award.

Now I must pass it on to five recipients:

Tales and Tails

Arwen's Pack

Levi Mac

My Brown Newfies

Pawprints, ears and a tennis ball

Next:  To tell five facts about yourself.  Four of them are fabrications and one the whole truth.
See if you can guess which one is real.

1.  My husband and I are huge country music fans.  We prefer the older stuff, like Hank Williams Sr. and Johnny Cash.

2.  My husband is lousy with tools.  I have to show him how to use a hammer and he is scared of power tools. 

3.  I have a terrible green thumb, once a plant has entered my house it might as start digging it's grave.

4.  I love spiders.  I won't let my husband kill any in the house. I catch them and put them outside.

5.  My husband is highly organized.  He drives me crazy needing everything to be just so.

So there you have it.  Can you guess which one is the truth?

And thanks again to Kristine for this great and fun Award.

 
 

Monday Memories-Where's Chance?

We had four white puppies born into the litter, 3 boys and 1 girl.  We tied different colored ribbons around the boy's neck to tell them apart until they were old enough for collars.  I was around them so much, I was eventually able to tell them apart by their features and behaviors.

These are the boys.  Can you guess which one is Chance?

If you are having a hard time, don't feel bad, I had to look at previous shots so I could see their collars to know who's who!!  After three years it's amazing what was once so simple because I saw them everyday has turned into a challenge for me.  

Here's a hint:  He's one of the outside ones. 

Aggression Corrections?

I tend to be quite a puzzle solver when it comes to psychological behavior.  I like to figure things out for myself using the least amount of tools and basic theories.  When it comes to dealing with Brut in particular, I have found that I have a natural instinct for handling his aggressions with Zappa.  It has evolved over the course of time, as I've learned from my mistakes, going from pulling them apart in fights to prevention.  I began to learn Brut's signals until gradually over time able I was able to find his warning signs and stop anything before it started.  The results have been dramatically and didn't come easy.  Neither dog has ever been hurt except for a scratch or two and most of the time they ignore each other.

Handling Brut and Zappa has become part of my being.  The trouble is that I can't seem to explain to Daddy how to do it.  Brut has taken Daddy on as a possession, since he has started walking Brut. It has caused a slight riff again between Brut and Zappa again.  Daddy has a soft heart and I have done most of the serious discipline.  I have been watching these interactions, trying to break down to Daddy what Brut is doing and how he needs to react.  It is like trying to describe to someone how to breathe.  So I broke down, went to the library and tried to find a book that could help.

The selections were not the best, but I thought I had found one that might work.  As I read to the main sections I was interested in, aggression between dogs and corrections, to my horror I found this book also believes in negative reinforcement and punishment.

For corrections, they stated using a choke chain or pinch/prong collar.  Two things I have never used, as I do not care for either.  Another correction is the "Alpha Rollover.  I have used this method in order to gain control of a fight.  I rarely use it, but I believe it is safe only because it is language the dog understands.  Dogs do this to other dogs in establishing dominance.  For me, it is a non-violent expression that I won't tolerate this behavior.  Some don't believe in it, but it has been effective for me.

The next correction they list is called the "Shake."  To my horror I read how to grab the dog by the loose skin on both sides of the jaw, lift the dog off the ground and literally shake some sense into the dog until he gives into submission.  Shaking the dog until his neurons are rearranged and the dog is disorient.  I shook as I read this.  I can not begin to understand how or why you would do this or what the dog actually learns from this let alone how effective it's method would actual be.  It was horrifying.

If that wasn't bad enough, there a method called the "Cuff. This is suppose to effective for 'nipping' dogs or if there is no response from the "Shake."  This is knocking the bottom jaw in an upward motion with a fist.  Are you're jaws dropping yet?  And this is in print.  And what is it suppose to mean, if the "Shake" doesn't work?  If the dog is suppose to be disoriented after a shake, why the hell would you need to cuff the dog too?

There were a few other methods, squirt bottles, hanging (picking dog up by collar until front paws are off the ground),  making banging sounds, etc..  All of these methods were mentioned in the dog-dog aggression section.  I achieved the same results that they concluded without "Shaking" my dog or cuffing him or any other method that I saw as violent and disturbing.  I am still flabbergasted by this reading.
It is like giving permission to be abusive to your dogs and you can still look at this book today.  I found it in the library.  It still exist somewhere.  It was copyrighted in 1950, (first clue), but then was republished in 1995.  That I have a very difficult time with.  Haven't we come any further than these barbaric methods?

So needless to say, I didn't need to read anymore.  I didn't need to read what I had.  I ran outside with the dogs to feel the peace of the snow, the mild night, and if I didn't need a pat on the back, I got one.  The dogs ran around showing off for me, Zappa and Brut in their respective places as I witnessed the beauty of these creatures that I have had the wonder and awe in partaking of their lives.  So many times, I am unsure of what I do, uncertain of the gift I have, but a simple reminder puts everything back in perspective again.

Now, if I can just figure out how to teach my husband...BOL

 

BE

I think my dogs take care of me more than I take care of them.  Sometimes it is more than the basics care or even the love that is put into it.  There is a constant of well being and protection in every part of the house.  I tend to go through some real rough patches and just the fact that the dogs are there can mean more than any affection they can give me.  It goes deeper than just understanding and knowing, it is the peace that evolves from this place.  To just be.  To be able to just accept and take in that they are there.

In the quiet of the night there have been many times I have taken the dogs out, thinking they want to play.  Instead we find ourselves listening to wind and the dogs barking in the night.  It is in these moments that by following the dogs direction I quiet my mind and listen.  That's when I discover it isn't always about doing, it is about being.  I may not be able to pick up on all the sights and sounds, but by stilling my mind, I get a taste of it.  Becoming in tune with the slightest movements they give signals their focus that leads me in the rhythm of their spirits.

More than often I am engrossed with the need 'to do' and what I am not 'doing' enough.  It is easy to get spread thin with 6 dogs divided.  Yet, every time I hear them howl together,  I find a unique oneness that brings them together and what surprises me more is that they always end together.  I always stop during these howling session to listen.  To listen to all six dogs singing together in their blended harmony.  No matter the strife any of them have with one another, it is the one place where they come together and blend into unison.  It is like magic.  It is a high like no other and often we join them.  For in those moments we are complete.  Putting everything aside to be in that moment.  I never tired of this beautiful demonstration of their love and the simple message to be.  A universal communication that we are all one, despite our differences.  How many times have you listened to a howling dog video and your dogs have joined in?

Have you taken the time to just be with your dog?

You can listen to the Howling Choir on our previous post:  The Sounds of the Hounds

Sounds of the Hounds

I think the 'puppies' are part hound.  No, really.  It is more than the fact that their noses are on 24/7, especially Chance and Fiona.  I figured out that Silver's father wasn't a purebred Black Lab.  He was not built like a Lab, he had a much slimmer and sleeker body structure.  Silver was built the same way and we had always attributed it to the Husky in her.  Until one day Zappa got on a barking spiel and wouldn't quit, then Silver wrangled in with her Indian War Cry, which then set off Chance's belting from the other side, until all of the dogs had joined in and we had a regular Howling Choir going on.

That's when I began to realize those were not Husky cries or howls, those were the sounds of the hounds!

The Howling Choir is a daily tradition.  We can even start them on cue, although it is nowhere as good when it is their idea!!   Darn independent thinkers!!

Here's a clip from the Front Dogs side singing at the door of separation from the Back Dogs:  Please excuse the sideways glance, we weren't able to upright it.

Listen to Chance get down!!

Now you be the judge.  Are these Husky cries?  Or are they the call of the Hounds?

Or could it be a little of both?

PeeS.  Please don't tell Daddy about that his precious Husky/Lab mixes might be part Hound.  It will break his heart!  BOL

 

DOGGIE MEDICINE CABINET

With 6 dogs and two cats we do what we can to avoid going to the vet unless absolutely necessary, except for their shots and a yearly check up.  I don't like to give medicines unless I believe it is warranted.  Here are some of our magic bullets in the doggie medicine cabinet.

GINGER-when Zappa was first learning to ride in the car, he would get carsick.  We bought a bottle of ginger capsules and gave him one capsule about 20 minutes before leaving took care of his nausea.  We only had to use it two or three times and he was fine after that.

THERMOMETER/VASELINE-A dog's temperature should be between 100F-102F (38C-39C).  When Silver was pregnant I had to check her temperature once a day, so she definitely needed her own tools!  :)

PUMPKIN-Every fall, I cut up a pumpkin and freeze it.  I learned that it was good for cats that have diarrhea and then later found it was good for dogs too.  

PEPTO-BISMOL-I use this mainly for diarrhea, but my vet has suggested it can be used for upset stomachs also.  I rarely use it any more, as the pumpkin works great, but before I knew about the pumpkin I used Pepto-Bismol.  Giving the liquid form doesn't go down easy and is a mess to clean up, not to mention that most of what I gave my dogs ended up on the floor.  I discovered they have a tablet form and it is as easy as giving a pill.  I think it is one of the greatest inventions they could think of for my dogs.  :)

TODDLER SOCKS-We use these for cuts on the paw or pad and they work great.  We have also cut the toes out for minor leg injuries that need to be covered.  Hence the Boo-Boo Socks.

TRIPLE ANTIBIOTIC CREAM-I use this on any minor cuts or injuries to help keep clean.

PROBIOTICS-I have these in capsule and powder form and use them to assist with any cuts or injuries.  I haven't used oral antibiotics in two years and haven't had any infections yet.

EAR CLEANSING SOLUTION-I got this formula from Hound Girl, who received it from her vet.  3 parts rubbing alcohol to 1 part vinegar.  Works great!  I also keep gauze and cotton swabs on hand for cleaning ears, along with a syringe when I need to flush them out.

BENEDRYL-Works great for bee, wasp or any stinging insect.  Zappa once had one side of his face swell up because of a low-hanging wasp nest.  The vet recommended Benedryl.

These are some our little tricks of the trade.  What are some of yours?



**Disclaimer** Always check with your vet before administering any medications to your pet.  This post is in no way intended to be used for diagnoses or treatment for you pet.  Please consult with your vet for any medical treatment. 

**Note**We are in no way getting reimbursed for any of these products nor are we promoting them.  We just use them because they work on our pets and most were vet recommended.