The Good, The Bad & The Ugly (take two)

Before getting our first puppy together my husband and I did a lot of research into the type of dog we wanted and what breeds would fit with this ideal. My husband wanted a dog he could run with and I wanted a dog that was smart and easy to train. I also wanted to rescue and adopt a dog rather then go through a breeder, which is why we looked for types of dogs rather then specific breeds. In the March/April of 2011 we stumbled across the Australian Cattle Dog Rescue who were based in Sydney. Within a few weeks we found out that a litter was expected from a Australian Cattle Dog bitch who had been left at a veterinary surgeon by a breeder no longer wanting to breed.

We agreed to meet with the puppies once they were born and see if there was one for us. I was beyond excited, but then went away for three weeks in Europe, whilst my husband was in America for a similar length of time. We planned to visit the rescue in Sydney on our way home back to Canberra.

For all the dog lovers out there I probably do not need to go into much detail about the moment we saw the puppies, or the moment we saw our boy; Occa. We could pick him out a mile a way and it was love at first sight. There was no way that we were going to leave him behind, so we took him home that day. Completely unprepared, anxious and excited all at once.

during our first ride home together

But I digress, Occa's early days are for another time, as a teaser he is lucky my husband is patient and kind.

We were in love and him being our first fur baby I went into research overdrive. I read every possible book there was about puppy and dog care to help our little lad turn into a smart, responsive and confident dog. However, almost a year into having him home with us we noticed Occa starting to limp after playtime. At first we just eased off and rested him for a few days and he got better. Over the months though his limp stayed and gradually got worse. We had been speaking to the vets about his situation and as he was so young they were hesitant to do too much invasive investigation and as it wasn't so bad we thought it might just be his growth. Oh we wish. A little after his first birthday we took him to the vet as the situation now demanded some investigation. He had a few x-rays and was diagnosed with mild elbow dysplasia of his front right leg. A hereditary condition that revealed itself as he grew into adulthood which was why it was only apparent once he was mature. We were told that his situation was not so bad that it required surgery and largely he did not seem to be in pain, it just limited his ease of movement. We were encouraged to tidy up his diet with special dog food for joint issues to see if that helped.

that is a standard sized tennis ball next to him!

Wanting to do anything to help our little love bug I got back onto the research wagon determined to find something else that could help him. I stumbled upon a few supplements, we've tested out the full gamut believe me, and have settled on a mixture of two that have definitely improved his condition by at least 60% (in my opinion)! Occa as a mature dog (almost four now!) largely self-manages his condition through taking exercise sessions at his own pace, allowing his thunder paws of a sister to let loose, and resting whenever is neccessary. We also feed him food that is designed for 'large breed dogs' as they are often prone to joint conditions and have all the extra good stuff already built in to the formula. Then there is the supplements, one morning and one night and we are good to go. Despite the early fear that his condition may further deteriorate or the change of diet and supplements would not help at all, we have been incredibly lucky. Occa almost has full movement of his joints, so long as he eats his meals morning and night, and has not deteriorated past his initial diagnosis at all.

In spite of all he has gone through he is very much the happy chappy. Occa is an exuberant soul. Whilst quite easy to train in his youth, and thankfully he has kept many of his lessons over the years, he is quite content to march to the beat of his own drum.  He's one of those dogs that you can tell if you give an inch he will take a mile. We've had to be very careful over the years to not let him get away with too much otherwise he would drive us bonkers.

'I do what I want!'

He started this habit early in his life of talking whenever he wanted just for the hell of it. To ask for dinner, to ask how our day is, to tell his sister that she is annoying, to share his love, literally any reason. This though got a little bit frustrating and unruly when he would lie on the ground howling with no 'off' switch. So we trained one in. Now we can always tell when he wants to have a chat, he gets this look on his face and his throat and mouth almost look full with breath so we generally let him go to town for a few minutes and then tell him to settle. He's getting good with controlling himself day by day. Despite this, there remain a few situations that he cannot control himself in which can almost pierce our eardrums (going to the dog park for example). But we're working on it.

At the base level though, Occa is the biggest love bug you could ever meet. He is a Australian Cattle Dog through and through and embodies the moniker 'velcro dog'. You could not meet a dog more loyal, or more dedicated than Occa dog. There is nothing that you can do without him keeping his watchful eye on you and without fail whenever my husband is away overnight Occa is lying in the doorway of the bedroom just daring anyone to come near his Mum. He will always let me know he loves me in the morning with my wake-up kiss. He has a passion for learning and has learnt some of the funniest tricks. He's our dog that can be shot and play dead on command in any situation, crawl along the ground, bow, speak, spin, wait and catch food, wait and catch ball, be tickled, cuddled and played with whilst eating and is even content about children screaming in his face at deafening pitches for what seems like a neverending moment. He is so patient, he will wait just about forever until you tell him to do something (once he's learnt it of course), even if this means waiting five minutes for a toddler to learn themselves how to throw a ball for a dog.

the patience is ever present and neverending

He is the friendliest dog you would ever meet, to people, dogs, kids, you name it, but after you have gotten to know him you realise that those interactions are friendly, but not intimate. He is everyone's friend, but not everyone's family. It takes a while to capture his heart and that snuggle you finally receive on the couch letting you know you are 'in' is the best feeling in the world. He has a way of making you feel that he has chosen you and I personally feel privileged to be one of his human's.

Forever love your dog,
Emma

Review: Bach Flower Rescue Remedy

Continuing on from the post about Belle last week, I thought I might do a quick review on a supplement that we have been using to help her anxiety.

 

When we first found out that Belle had anxiety, the Canine Coach undertook a behavioural training program with us and helped us realise where her problems stemmed from and a special plan in order to treat them, which included supplements as well as behavioural training. I also endeavored to do as much research as possible on things that could help our baby girl. I am big on natural supplements and aids in our own lives and we are very much into clean living, so if possible I was determined to find a natural aid which could be used as desired, rather than a medication that required weaning on and off. I was also worried about medication changing Belle's temperament when she wasn't anxious, like when at home playing with Occa, because she has a beautiful nature and soul that we didn't want to mess with permanently.

The Canine Coach gave us several suggestions about scents, special coats and a product called 'The Rescue Remedy'.  We researched every option; some were quite costly, others we felt might disturb her more then help, however 'The Rescue Remedy' seemed to offer results at a low price which made it easy for us to test out. 'The Rescue Remedy' comes from the Bach Flower Remedy product line, it is "a blend of five different Bach Flower Remedies: ... created by Dr Bach to deal with emergencies and crises... it can be used to ... get through any stressful situations... help us relax and get the needed calmness." (Excerpt taken from their website, for more information visit http://www.bachflower.com/) The various reviews that people had posted about their use with their pets were very positive. So we decided to give it a go!

'The Rescue Remedy' products can be bought online, or in Canberra they can be purchased at Discount Chemist Warehouse. It comes in a couple of different forms; a spray or a dropper. After some thought we went with the dropper as Belle freaks at aerosol sprays which would not be productive for getting the substance near her. Please note; it is important that you get the specialised pet version as they are careful to ensure there is no alcohol in the ingredients and it is completely pet friendly.

 

 

 

 

We started using the liquid directly into Belle's mouth, you can just add it to food or water but as Belle and Occa share most of their edibles we wanted to make sure that Belle got 100% of the liquid, every day. We noticed a change within the first few days, she generally seemed a little calmer, but the longer she remained taking it the less of an effect it had. Because of this I decided to only give it to her during times of known stress, or when she seemed particularly anxious. This approach seemed to tackle it the best. We've now been able to manage her anxiety using training and 'The Rescue Remedy' sporadically during moments of high stress. It takes the edge off and she seems more capable of relaxing and listening to us after she has taken it. 

If you are thinking of adding this product to your arsenal, I would suggest that you only use occasionally, as it seems that the animal can build up a tolerance to the liquid thus reducing its effectiveness. Because of it's all natural ingredients there is no need to taper on or off this product, simply use as required and monitor the behaviour.

Let us know if you have used this product for any of your pooches for their fear or anxiety (it is commonly used for weather fear) and your experiences with it. We'd be very interested to hear!

Forever love your dog,
Emma

The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

To let you in on the characters of Occa and Belle a little more I decided to dedicate a post to each dog outlining their Good, Bad and downright Ugly (there is always something isn't there?)

Today I want to talk about our youngest; Belle.



honestly, butter wouldn't melt in her mouth

Both our dogs are rescue dogs, however we adopted Belle when she was a bit over three months old and had already gone through what is known as the 'imprinting stage' (between 8 - 12 weeks) that is prime time for socialisation. She was also in a shelter from very young and I don't believe she ever made it into a foster home for socialisation. This is not the fault of the shelter at all, and definitely not wholly responsible for some of the issues that Belle has.

It was always clear to us that Belle had anxiety (the ugly). She has always struggled with new experiences (for example walking through new doorways is always an exercise that requires patience and understanding as it takes minutes..), deep voices, loud sounds (vaccuum cleaner, food processor etc), open stairs or bridges and of course her big one; new dogs in her face. With most of these issues she exhibits her anxiety in a standard fashion; she runs away, hides or cowers, but when dogs get in her face she expresses her anxiety and fear through aggression. Belle is not an aggressive dog by any stretch of the imagination, if you met her you would understand, and when she goes into her anxiety attacks around other dogs she never makes contact; she's all bark and no bite. But these episodes completely knock her around and she turns into a mess for a few days afterwards. To give some more context, Belle only acts like this when she isn't given the time and space to meet a new dog on her terms. She loves to meet new friends, but the introductions must be slow, polite and have boundaries.

Pyschologically, this makes complete sense! How would you like it if someone ran up to you and starting yelling and laughing in your face within mere moments of meeting them. You'd probably yell back or run away. To help Belle with this particular issue we've done a lot of research and got the assistance of The Canine Coach to write a special training program for Belle that 'counter conditions' her to have a positive experience everytime she sees or meets another dog. We also use Bach's Flower Essence on particularly sensitive days, and have adopted a very zen approach to life so there is no yelling or excessive anxiety at home. She is going beautifully and hasn't had a full blown attack in months. The basic structure of counter conditioning is marking and rewarding Belle at the moment she starts to feel her anxiety in an attempt to change her mentality from seeing a dog being something which causes anxiety and fear to a positive experience, as it means she is receiving treats and lots of praise (and generally having a good time).

That being said, this isn't a problem that will go away. She will always have this mentality and urge to protect her personal space. It requires constant management from us to ensure that every adventure out of the house is a 100% positive one for her. We do this through never leaving the house without a treat bag and vigilant eyes. Of course we still have some bad days, but we just take those as they come and remember that everyone has bad days and life is a continually evolving process.
 

 



super relaxed in her zen household..

Belle also has a small issue (the bad) of herding dogs when out on an oval. Something which comes from her farm roots and something we haven't spent a lot of training time on because she has only recently been allowed off lead around other dogs. We do not let her off lead in dog heavy situations, and try to take her to places that are closed in and gently ask people to let us be if they wander by but sometimes it will occur that a dog will virtually come out of nowhere and off she is... zooming for them. She usually just chases them and pulls up last minute and then runs off again, which you wouldn't think would be a problem, but can you imagine someone sprinting at you (Belle is lightening fast) with now idea why they are chasing you.. what would your reaction be? Probably terror. Which is what we are afraid of. Through this behaviour she is putting herself in dangerous situations around unknown dogs (ironic given her anxiety) with no way for us to control her. So far nothing too bad has happened, most dogs are pretty good about it and either wander away before she gets to them or just say hello when she arrives. However, we're about to embark on a new training technique to help give us some control over her behaviour. We are planning on getting a long lead and normal/dog whistle to break her concentration when she goes into her torpedo mode. We're hoping the whistle will work and she'll be able to respond once her concentration is broken, but if not the long lead is a built-in added protection. We'll keep you posted.

Belle is an absolute teddy bear of a dog (the good/great/excellent!) and in life literally only wants to be loved. She will never turn away a cuddle and is amazingly atune to human emotion. She is also a keen learner. She longs to please us and picks up on any form of training within a couple of repetitions. She is the dog we plan to take through agility training, and is always the show and tell dog in class.. it is hard not to be a proud puppy parent.



during her first days at home..

Belle is also the more mature and subdued dog of the two - she will generally wait before leaping out of a vehicle, or dashing across a road, is quiet as a mouse and will choose to sleep in a quiet spot whenever we visit family or friends. She loves humans and will happily snuggle with anyone she meets and isn't remotely fazed by the weird stuff that small children (or even full grown adults!) do. She generally endears herself to everybody. We have had many people attempt to steal her (not literally) or keep her for just a little while.. everyone she meets falls head over heels.

She is also an ace exercise buddy; not only is she super fast, but she picks up on the nuances of your pace, where she should run when you are running or even cycling and is happy to just cruise at whatever speed is neccessary.



 

happy exercising on the beach

Belle is a special creature whom we adore unequivocally, who despite the bad and the ugly we would never change for the world. She is who she is and with a little extra guidance and support she is a fantastic family member. She is loyal to the bone and will always  be around for a cuddle when required.

 

 

 

 

gotta a lot of love to give

 

 

Power Booster

 

Does your dog have something that is always guaranteed to put an extra spring in their step?

 

Occa loves puddles. We affectionately call him a hippo, or the Blue Whale.

 

And without a doubt if there is a puddle up ahead he will race towards it at full pelt... then after running through it, getting the water through his paws and usually all over my legs, he positively skips with glee for the next few metres.

 

It reminds me of the power booster pads on Mario Cart.. His own personal power booster in real life...

 

 

Reactions..

Have you ever reacted to a situation that you later regretted and knew you could have handled better?

The other day I was taking a nap on the couch, all snuggled with the fur-babies, when all of a sudden barking rang throughout the house and the two pups were at the door going a little crazy.. unfortunately in my sleepy haze my reaction was to start yelling and carrying on. As you can guess this only served to make things worse.. with me yelling Occa got more agitated and started barking and howling even more, and Belle well she just ran around the house a little confused and terrified.

Turns out there was a dog in the front yard. Totally reasonable for the dogs to alert me to this fact. There was someone on their land - how dare they?!

I meanwhile sat there kicking myself for escalating the situation past boiling point and setting the dogs excitement off the radar...

Later that very day, a delivery truck arrived. I thought right, this is my chance to get it right for the day. So true to form the dogs alerted me to the fact someone was at the door - I said "okay, let me check." Upon seeing who was there I told the dogs that all was fine and to "settle", then whilst I opened the door I asked them to "wait". Perfect behaviour was exhibited! They both instantly stopped their reactions once I showed that I was going to investigate the situation, and upon asking them to settle they chilled out and were calm enough to follow my other instructions.

It showed me that if I can just remember all the hard work and training we have put into the dogs over the past four years and trust them, then everything operates like a well oiled machine. They have their place (alert) and I have mine (investigate). Once we operate together and understand each other everyone is happy.

Have you ever had a situation where you've forgotten your training methods and lost control of the situation?

Forever love your dog,
Emma

Sydney Weekend - c'mon let's go!

Hello all. I am back! Thank you for being so patient whilst I was off planning our wedding and apologies I've been off the grid for as long as I have.

 

However, with the wedding behind us and life as a family before us, it is time to get back into the important business of documenting our lives as dog parents.

 

I was in Sydney on the weekend to see Sculptures by the Sea and was delighted to stumble across what looked like a puppy pool party. In actual fact it was many savvy dog parents taking their pups for a dip at Mackenzies Bay, the rocky outcrop between Bondi and Bronte Beaches.

It was a delightful scene to watch, and of course me being me insisted on stopping to admire for a while.

 

 

 

It was a 34 degree Celsius day, not a cloud in the sky. The ocean was bringing in a steady stream of waves, but not so large or fierce to overwhelm and on an unassuming rock ledge were at least 15 dogs and their owners enjoying a dip and even sunbake. Most were off - lead and enjoying the social aspect of the day also. My favorite pup was a black lab chasing his ball as it was rocked around a pool by the waves. There were also surfer dogs who jumped into the waves and swam their way back to the shore.

 

The excited lab chasing his ball..

 

Once a dip was had these pups were content to wander back to their parents who were enjoying the spectacle from the warm rocks.. Some looked settled in for the long haul, others just passed through for a cool day. All came back up with a rapidly wagging tail and huge goofy smile.

 

Bliss.

 

 

Unfortunately I hadn't taken our pups to Sydney that day. But if we are planning another trip over the spring/summer, Mackenzies Bay will definitely be on our list to check out.

 

Forever love your dog,

Emma

 

House Rules... kind of

Going coastal

We're in the midst of planning a coastal wedding for October this year which has meant many a roadtrip down South with our faithful fur-babies in tow.

 

A few weekends ago we were off again with a full itinerary of appointments and a Jeep loaded up with two excited cattle dogs.

 

 

 

Our first stop was in Ulladulla, NSW at a lovely coffee shop called Boardwalk Cafe, from the outside it looked like a normal sidewalk cafe - nice but normal... However they also have a back entrance which opens up onto a courtyard that overlooks the water.. it is also dog friendly!!!! We had a lovely time, met the establishment dog who came over straight away to greet our two, and another beagle who was enjoying the morning sunshine! (We felt very special as we'd been told that he usually ignores the other dogs and let's them come to him!!) Belle tried to convince us she was human and jumped onto the bench, but she was quickly removed!

 

 

 

the resident dog... what looked like a blue heeler cross

After this the dogs went for a walk along Mollymook Beach whilst we were in our first meeting (with their paternal grandparents, not alone don't worry!!), then into the Jeep and onto Milton.

 

It was a brief stop at our cake makers home, where we met her border collie and our pups enjoyed the country surrounds of fresh air and serenity before our final pit stop in Lake Conjola. Here they met another friend, a chi/maltese/poodle who had a big personality and wanted to have a good play with the big dogs.

 

After all this the pups were ready to call it a day with just one more visit to the beach on the way home.. and this time a swim was not to be escaped!!!

 

On the Sunday morning we went for a long bush walk around Malua Bay, before one more quick frolic on the beach and then onwards to home.

 

The dogs were so exhausted but had had a lovely time meeting new friends and finding new dog friendly places along the way.

 

Don't let a pet stop you traveling - in our experience they love coming along!!

 

Forever love your dog,
Emma

The Fetch Fiends

As has been previously mentioned here on the blog our two working dogs are fetch mad. To the point where Occa can turn anything into a fetch toy. Husband to be took off his socks last night after work and Occa started carting them around dropping them at our feet, he's even used a toy spanner as a fetch toy before...
 

With all this it is safe to say that as a family we need to have a constant supply of appropriate fetch items for playtime. Our Kong Flyer is great (reviewed previously), but we've started really getting into combination walks where we as humans also get some exercise, so having a smaller fetch toy has become more important. Enter the 'high bounce Spalding ball.'

 

 

A ball intended for things such as handball and general horseplay it's not one you'd immediately think of when searching for a dog toy. Well it is fabulous. It's hard rubber surface, which makes it a great bouncer, also gives it a strong defense against blue heeler teeth whilst being soft enough not to knock any of them out. It's also easier to fit into a standard ball thrower, lighter so it goes further and seems to hurt less when it accidently hits them!
 

It's also an amazing price at only a few dollars per ball from your local sports store. 

 

The only problem we've had with them is losing them down drains, in long grass or at sea..

 

 

Definitely one for a fetch fiend.

Forever love your dog,
Emma

Tackling Mt Taylor



Being practically born and bred Canberran the bush has long been my backyard. One of my favourite childhood haunts which has no become a favourite exercise regime in my adult years is the infamous (for Canberra anyway) Mount Taylor Reserve.

 

Mount Taylor is Canberra's second highest peak at an impressive 856 metres and is one of the most well known mountains in the Canberra region. A popular walking mecca for families, horse-riders, hikers, exercise enthusiaists and of course my dog lover comrades it is always a good place to meet like minded folks and socialize your pup of and weekend morning. Note - if you're not feeling up to and by sort of socialization I would avoid this area due to its popularity! !! 

There are several different routes up the mountain depending on which suburb you are keen to start from. I regularly take the curving path from Chifley, or the steep path from Torrens. Only a couple of times have I taken the fire truck path from Chifley as it is killer!!!! 

A few weekends ago we went out with the family and started walking from the Chifley suburbs, took the curving path and headed on up. We then went back down the curving path and went back via Chifley Shops for a coffee and some ball time. 

The path features a few break points which are great photo opportunities, and we also met the friendly neighborhood dog water carrier on the way up. A lovely gentlemen who carries 2L of water on his back to keep the bowl on the top of the mountain full!! The world needs more selfless people like him - he's a hoot! 

  

At the top, taking a well deserved break.

Belle basking in the warmth of the sun.

The dog bowl at the top which is refilled regularly by a friendly neighbor. 

Towards the end of the walk Belle trod on a thorn and decided she needed to be fireman carried for a little while. Her daddy happily obliged. 

All in all we did an 11km walk in two hours, which was enough to tire the pups out for the afternoon. Usually the route up the mountain only takes us an hour round trip.. but our stop at Chifley Shops was well worth the extra time.

 

Forever love your dog,

 

Emma

Rescued dogs or rescued humans..

This is our story. ♡

I have always had pets growing up and dogs were always a starring part in that cohort. I've loved animals since I can remember, but dogs have always held a special place in my heart because their capacity of emotion is remarkably similar to our own. They have good days, bad days, tired days and social days. They have friendship cliques and other dogs they dislike or mistrust, they understand minute differences in human emotion and movement and overwhelmingly come across rather human (despite the fur and lack of English).

Three years ago, I was desperate to add a little furry member to our family, and Husband (to be in October) whilst not immediately amenable to the plan was quite open to considering a written proposal. I think he only said this and never considered I would actually do it! But determined I was, and I came through on the written proposal for Occa. There were several reasons I cited for the merit of my idea, including the psychological links to reduced depression, greater happiness and overall increased healthiness.

Early on in our dog discussions, Husband had mentioned he wanted a dog that he could exercise with and be active with.. I had owned a border collie in my childhood and loved them, but we thought the fur would be too much maintenance for us and therefore had stumbled upon the breed of Australian Cattle Dog. The amount of research I did once deciding on the breed was insane.. I was a little like a woman possessed. I knew everything possible one could know about a breed of dog they didn't yet own (something that helped immensely once we brought Occa home!)which led me to stumbling across the Australian Cattle Dog Rescue based in Sydney, Australia.

We were lucky enough to have enquired at the same time as a pregnant bitch being rescued and after much convincing we put down our deposit for our little boy. 

After meeting the litter it was love at first sight with Occa. Once we saw him,  we could take no other pup. He was only 7 and a half weeks when he came home and he looked like a little bear cub.

The first few months were a little rocky.. we were just becoming new pup parents and it admittedly took us a while to comprehend how much the term 'velcro dog' applies to cattle dogs. We tried to have Occa sleep in the laundry but it was just too difficult. . Once we had him in our room we never ever looked back. We are a pack and our room is the pack den. Precisely how Occa always knew it should be.

Occa; the first day we met him! 

7 or 8 months after Occa came home, we saw Belle's face on the Pet Rescue Web page and she stole our hearts. We thought we were ready for another fur baby and that Occa was keen for a friend
... and luckily we were right!

Belle's picture from the Rescue website

We've had our ups and our downs (one being a time where Belle chewed the wiring loom of Husband's car the day before it was to be sold) but we're a family. Occa and Belle have made us a family and in a way that only a dog could, encourage us to be better people everyday. We exercise everyday because of their need and passion for a daily run, every time we fight Occa sits in front of us staring us with his big brown eyes willing us to stop and no matter how you feel after a long day they are always,  ALWAYS happy to see you. Their love is neverending,  all encompassing and unbelievably honest.

They are constantly giving, so remember; to you they are one part of your world,  but you are their entire world. Be deserving of that love and take that energy with you in all aspects of your life.

Forever love your dog,
Emma

Our beautiful goof-balls

Obsession. .

Do any of your dogs have a particular obsession?

Recently we were at my parents house and they'd bought a lovely snuggle rug for Lucy to use on the couch. It's beautiful, fluffy and so cozy.

I decided I wanted one for myself.. However unfortunately I was weak the first few times and allowed Occa to snuggle with me on this beauty of a snuggle rug.. and there started his obsession.

We tend to leave our things out of their reach while we're out at work, and usually they're so good and don't even bother to try and snaffle any items.. but this rug was too tempting. First day left alone,  I come home and the rug is splayed out on the ground.. 

I perservered though determined to keep this rug to myself..

The next night it was sitting on the human side of the couch (the dogs know the difference yes), but Occa just wouldn't settle. He kept pacing in front of the couch, staring at the snuggle rug and nudging it. Eventually,  partially from exasperation and party an experiment, I moved the rug to the dog side of the couch.. within mere seconds Occa was on the rug and asleep. I checked on him once through the night and he hadn't moved!!! It was at this point I decided to give my rug over to him.

So I bought a second rug, determined to keep this one for myself!

Thinking it would be safe in its wrapping it was accidentally left in the living room this week whilst we went to work and low and behold.. I come home to the rug packaging all over the house and the rug nestled in a nest shape on the ground. Perfect, unmarked, but definitely cuddled in. This was just too hilarious! 

That he was so careful to not rip the rug whilst removing it from the packaging reveals the true extent of his obsession. 

Now we've reached a stage where my rug is kept in a separate room and his is nestled on the couch.. but if his sister dare be on it she'll either be sat on (as caught below) or glared at... 

Aaaah the hilarity! 

Do any of your dogs have similar obsessions?

Forever love your dog,
Emma

Occa the Prince,  with his snuggle rug. ♡

Weekend Adventures

Whew! What a weekend we have just had! A real bonanza of canine adventures.

Saturday.

The pups and I went for a walk around Yarralumla with Mum, Dad & Lucy (Lucy & co. ). We started near CSIRO, walked around the Golf Course, then along the side of the lake and finally back through the streets of Yarralumla.

Yarralumla is  one of my favorite suburbs, with the tree lined streets and huge sidewalks it is a suburban dream. It also has one of the more under-utilised sides of the lake.. something that remains curious to me as it is beyond stunning and so peaceful.

The dogs loved having an explore through the woody terrain, and we even had a few moments of hide and seek between the front and back pack (Belle can lag at times..) This route was a relatively easy 5.5km;  even road and paved the majority of the way.

Yarralumla

Happy boy.. 

We were planning on stopping in at Yarralumla for coffee afterwards,  however we were too late and the crowds beat us! We still had a lovely session back at Lucy's house where she revealed her natural talent for stalking! As you can see below she well and truly has that kelpie eye and seemed determined to stare Occa and Belle into order. .. pity she was doing it to two more experienced working dogs who felt free to ignore her instinctual ways!!

Lucy; the stalker

Hey... what are you guys doing??

Sunday.

Occa and I were up bright and early and got straight to the Farmers Market.  Occa continues to impress me with his calm demeanor at the markets, he genuinely seems happy just to plod along, just to be involved in the morning activity. He doesn't mind the odd pat and cuddle that he receives every few steps either!!!

Then we were all back to school! Occa and Belle are currently enrolled in Obedience at the ACT Companion Dog Club out at Symonston. Our overall goal is to take Belle through Agility/Rally-O and Occa through Obedience.

It has always struck me how inclusive the club is. A community of dog lovers who will help one another out no matter the problem. Problem dogs are never turned away so long as the owner is dedicated to rehabilitation and training. They're also dedicated to teaching owners how to read dog body language to give owners a greater understanding of how we can communicate with our fur-babies. They are passionate about training the owner to train the dog, which is my great passion also. Dogs are so capable and intelligent, our role as human is to break down the communication barrier and understand what the dog is trying to articulate.

The dogs love going to class and it is helping hugely with Occa's emotion control (he can be exuberant..). In only a few classes he's realised it's okay not to play or jump on every dog he is within a metre of and can now happily sit next to another dog without forcing himself on it. A big win in the self control stakes!  But when it comes time for end of class he knows that means playtime! 

However, after yesterday's class we took the dogs for a bush walking adventure.  We met up with Lucy and co. and headed out to Woods Reserve (on the way to Corin Forrest out along Cotter Road).

Our initial goal was to find Gibraltar Falls, however we discovered quite quickly that the path, which had been damaged by floods a few years back, hadn't quite been repaired as yet.. so this meant that the journey became more important (and fun) than the original destination.

After a few minutes we let all three dogs off lead and they were off!! Leading us humans through the dense bush. . Every so often we would happen back on the creek and attempt a crossing to gain some height, however after about 2kms we couldn't go further and decided to turn back. 

Crossing the creek..

The dogs displayed their true working dog colours,  with continual check-ins on each member of the group and plenty of rounding from the front of the group all the way to the back. We figured that since they ran from the front to the back of the pack that they'd done about fives times the exercise we did!!

Whilst there was some initial fear during the first river crossing we used our basic training (wait, direction, come) to make sure they made it safely across.. Although it must be said that Occa chose to plunge himself in for a swim.. The true Blue Whale.

Now an experienced creek crosser.

Gibraltar Falls; the Holy Grail

After about an hour walk (it was pretty tough going at times so felt longer!!) We had a picnic lunch by the fire.. A great way to spend a winters day in Canberra.

If you are a keen walker, I'd definitely check out Woods Reserve. It's not for the faint hearted though so be prepared and don't wear clothes that you are worried about damaging!

We hope you all find an adventure to be had with your pup. The bond you create from experiencing, learning and challenging yourselves together is priceless and everlasting.

Forever love your dog,
Emma

Mealtime Manners

Today a post about one of the most important tools that will help you co-habit happily with your fur-babies.

Mealtime Manners.

Whilst on face value mealtime manners could be seen as a technique that just increases our control over pups exuberance, but in truth it is a method of reducing the occurrence of resource guarding if practiced regularly from a young age.

The first half of mealtime manners is asking your pup to wait until told to eat and the second half is teaching pup that we have every right to touch, interrupt or take away anything they may be eating at any time. Of course this takes a lot of work and repetition to get your dog to trust that you're not something to run away from, or even defend against.

To begin, hold your pups food bowl above his head and wait for him to sit, then start to lower the bowl to the ground. If pup remains sitting continue to lower the bowl, the minute pup's behind raises from the ground pull the bowl back up into the air. Continue this until pup realizes that in order for his food to reach the ground he must be sitting. This can take some pups only 5 minutes,  but others can be more obstinate. Be patient. It is worth it!
Do not let pup eat unless you have said a food release word (we use 'enjoy'), and over the next few meals gradually increase the length of time between the bowl hitting the ground and you giving the release word. If you've timed it correctly from the beginning pup will always know he has to wait for you to give him permission to eat.

Our dogs are now in the practice of sitting by their place mats whilst we prepare their food and waiting for the permission to enjoy their meal.

The second part of mealtime manners relates to resource guarding and must be practiced regularly to ensure confidence in the skill. For a myriad of reasons we want pup to trust us to take something from their mouth or touch their food. To earn this trust we must first assure pup (easiest to start young) that we can be trusted with their hard earn spoils, whether that be dinner or a bone. To begin, just start petting your dog whilst they are eating and get them comfortable having you in their space whilst they enjoy a meal or a bone, to make it a really awesome experience throw a delicious treats in their bowl whilst they are eating. Once they are completely relaxed with this, start to run your hand through their food, not taking any, just touching it and the bowl to let them see you are touching their food but not stealing it or taking it away. Again, make sure the really premium food rewards are flowing to make sure pup thinks you being around is excellent news. Next, start to offer the amazing treat as a reward for them letting you take their food away from them. Always use a better treat as the reward for letting us take their possession, so it is always a more positive experience. We never want pup to think it is a negative experience for us to take their food or be near them whilst eating. Continue this technique regularly all through their life so when you do have to take something away for a particular reason (say they found a chicken bone on the street) they don't think anything of it and know that they'll be rewarded in turn for releasing their prize effortlessly. 

Just remember that each pup is different and have had different experiences through youth which may influence their reaction to this sort of training. Whilst that may at first be a bit daunting, perservere! Just take it slow and work at the right pace for your pup.

Forever love your dog,

Emma

an evening meal in our house, we've worked hard to ensure Occa and Belle maintain their manners and are not concerned when we're peering into their food bowl... even with a camera! 

Review; The Kong Flyer

It is only fitting that for our first product review we feature our longest surviving toy; the Kong Flyer. 

The first savior we found to exercise the dogs and in my humble opinion,  the best toy you could buy for an active dog. We purchased one only a few months after we brought Occa home and were initially concerned about its longevity in his jaws. But true to form, Kong has created a frisbee from their tough, yet plyable rubber which has not broken, cracked or torn in two years! That's right my friends,  we have had one of our Frisbees for two years and it has been played with by multiple dogs at one time. It has withstood mid-air catching, tug of war and general chewing yet still hasn't shown signs of giving in.

The Flyer was relatively easy to get the hang of and once you got the angle of the throw correct (try to throw it flat so it doesn't catch on the air) it can fly for metres. There has been many a time that the dogs have become mere specks on the horizon from the distance they've had to cover with minimal effort from the thrower.

The Flyer is made of a soft, yet incredibly durable, rubber which is easy on the hands and teeth! The speed at which our dogs catch the frisbee is incredible, and you can only imagine what a harder plastic frisbee has done to a tooth over the years...

Overall,  Occa, Belle and I give the Kong Flyer an A+. We have never had a toy that has lasted this long and brought so much pleasure to the family. So simple to use and the bright colour makes it easy for the dogs to keep an eye on as they make their great leap.

Forever love your dog, 

Emma

A few action shots!

The positive road to teaching..

We train Occa and Belle using the positive reinforcement method of dog - training.  In a nutshell positive reinforcement is when you reward the behaviour you want repeated and ignore (but not punish) the behaviour you don't necessarily like. It is a simple cause and effect technique. Dogs thrive on cause and effect, particularly when they cotton on to the fact that they can get something out of it.

To strengthen our positive reinforcement training we also use the marking method (with a clicker), which puts a mark on the moment of behaviour that we want to reward. For example, the instant the dog sits we mark and then reward. This marking technique becomes particularly useful when doing distance training and you may not necessarily be close enough to your dog for immediate treating, but they'll still know a reward is coming.

We have taught Occa and Belle not only skilled obedience but also several party tricks using this technique and the results are fantastic. This method enables an even level of communication; you both understand what the marker means. A marker can either be a clicker (pictured below and what we use) or a chosen word (just be careful to choose a word you don't use around the dog in other circumstances). We went with the clicker to ensure there was no confusion as Husband and I have different voices and therefore would be recognised as two different markers. Once the marker is chosen we must ensure pup knows what the marker means. To 'charge' your marker (terminology from the RSPCA Life Skills Courses) you must repeatedly activate the marker (repeat your word/click the clicker) and immediately treat. This will form a relationship between the sound and a reward. Continue this until pup looks for a reward once the sound is made and voila you have charged your marker!!

The marker; available from most dog training centres or your local RSPCA.

The other important thing to consider when getting started on training is identifying what gets and keeps your dogs interest; food or toys. Our dogs are particularly susceptible to raw meat, meatballs (all kinds), eggs and their ball. If your dog finds reward from toys this is a good thing to foster as it means you will be less likely to have to 'bribe' your dog to perform certain behaviours.

We use a combination of treats to keep the dogs interested.

The first and best command to teach a dog, which should become their default, is the 'sit'. The sit is quite easy to teach using a lure. Hold a treat above the dogs nose and then draw your hand directly up into the air (palm facing the roof), the dog's nose should then attempt to follow the treat and in turn they will move their body into a sit position. The instant the dog sits, mark and reward. Repeat this over some time until the dog is recognising the hand signal and then gradually phase the lure out. You can now start applying the word 'sit' every time you mark, and this too will become part of the command.

Belle; exhibiting the perfect sit and attention pose.

The lure and marking method can be used for every trick conceivable, it is just a matter of thinking and figuring out how to lure and shape their behaviour to get the desired result. We'll be sharing our training tips and secrets on this blog, so stay tuned for posts on how we taught our dogs tricks like; bow, play dead, speak, hi 5 and spin. 

Every dog is different, but it is important to pay attention to your dog's cues so you know when they may be ready to either phase out the lure, or add in the verbal command. The other point to remember is  to gradually increase challenges and not expect your dog to immediately graduate from puppy school to university. Challenges can take multiple forms, including different locations, visitors, other animals, new sounds or smells, distance (from you), duration (how long you expect them to remain in the command), different handlers and treats. The list is potentially endless, but the key to solid and dependable training is short, sharp bursts of training every where you go. 

Forever love your dog,

Emma

The Arboretum Adventure

After being lulled to sleep by the sound of rain on Friday evening we were preparing to be housebound this weekend just past, however on awakening (admittedly quite late) we were surprised by the sun beaming into our room (affectionately known by the dogs as 'the Den'). 

Filled with weather induced happiness the three of us got into the car and headed out for a surprise adventure to... the National Arboretum Canberra!! The Arboretum is one of my absolute favourite places to take the dogs for a hike/walk as every time we go we explore a different path and whichever way we look it is always breathtaking. The dogs also appreciate the opportunity to meet and greet with kangaroos, cows (yes cows) and an incredible variety of birds.

The Arboretum was opened only recently, in February 2013, and is aiming to become the next wonder of the world. The majority of trees will take at least 15 years to reach maturity but it is quite wonderful to be able to take part in the journey from the very beginning. 

Perhaps the greatest drawcard for the Arboretum, bar it's captivating beauty, is that it allows dogs! Most (almost all) National Parks in Australia are not dog friendly which means finding different hiking/walking routes a real chore, but the Arboretum welcomes us with open arms and is right in our own backyard! 

On Saturday's journey we parked at the Cork Oak Forrest and took a hike down past the Acorn playground and central Village Centre; a real mecca for parents and their children (the playground is state of the art and rather unique).

Belle & Occa enjoying the view - you can see the Village Centre in the background. 

Once past the Village Centre we took one of the red paths (i.e. the 'less beaten') and before we knew it we felt like we'd left civilisation and were at one with nature (bliss). The only 'problem' with taking the path less beaten post rain meant the paths had turned to soft, slushy mud.. It made for fun photos and the dogs LOVE the feeling of mud under their paws, but it was decidedly not fun for my trainers! 

The Blue Dog leaving his mark on the Red Land. 

The Dingo Dog

At one with the land..

Very easy to forget we are only a ten minute drive from the City Centre.

Australia; the 'wide brown land', home of the Blue Dog.

Eventually we made our way back to civilisation and enjoyed the artistic side of the Arboretum; which includes sculptures like the above. The Arboretum, a celebration of Australia's nature, culture and history, is the perfect place for two Australian Cattle Dogs to list among their favourite places to visit. 

For all the Canberran readers, dog owner or not, definitely get yourself to the Arboretum. There is something for everyone; playground, picnic locations, hiking trails and is open to all. For the future visitors out there - if you are ever in Canberra you know where to go. 

Forever love your dogs,

Emma