Dear Santa, I want a PUPPY for Christmas!!

Are you adopting a puppy/dog (kitten/cat?) for Christmas?

Well it’s that time of year again. Our wonderful holiday season is in full swing. And Santa is getting requests from great kids everywhere for a puppy for Christmas. So here’s my thoughts from years of training and observation…

Party time!

I believe the biggest argument against bringing a new pet into the house is the amount of energy during the holidays. So let’s look at that first. We basically have three scenarios: 1) Tiny puppy, right now with his litter-mates and mom. 2) Dog at the pound. 3) Dog with a rescue group/in a foster home/etc.

In my mind, #3 is the most likely built for success. The dog is already in a home/loving situation and used to the hustle and bustle/energy of a home.

#2: Any dog that is in a pound of any kind is under stress- period. It is NOT a loving, stress-free environment. I know shelter workers don’t work there to get rich and have a great heart for pets in general and they do the best they can with limited budgets. But if you’ve ever been to the best pound/shelter, the stress of 36 dogs barking is NOT a loving environment.

And we don’t know where that dog was last week. Running in a field or allotment, hungry? Where the neighbors throwing stuff at the dog, yelling at it to go away? Then they’re taken to a pound with a concrete (cold) floor and walls… you get the picture. STRESS.

I always remind people that the dog they see at the pound is NOT the dog they’ll have in three weeks when the dog is more comfortable in their home- Could be better, could be worse. What is the dog’s medical condition? Were they EVER an inside dog and you want to make it one?

So, look carefully at the situation. Will bringing that dog into your house on Christmas morning be a recipe for success? I think not.

#1: A puppy bought from a breeder. So we go take the 8 week(?) old puppy from it’s warm, comfortable place by his mommy and bring him into your home on Christmas with shreeking children, loud video games and 1000 things that wold scare the fur off a well-adjusted dog. Again, not a good situation.

Serious Questions:

WHY are you getting a dog? Will your kids play with the new “toy (dog)” for 20 minutes until they open the X-Box /Wii/game console with the newest game and forget the dog? (Billy for the 10th time, take the dog out!! But mom, I’m almost at the next level!!) Have you had a dog before? Do you REALLY understand what you’re getting into? With the puppy, remember you’re also taking on potty-training (going into winter), chewing on most anything and more. Have you considered the extended costs of pet ownership? Kennel for in the home/toys/food/flea-tic meds/vet visits/bowls/etc. Have you considered shedding and the type of dog best for your family?

No perfect answer:

Please consider waiting until the blast of energy from the holidays is over. THEN bring your new pooch home. Contact a trainer like Perfectly Pawsible Dog Obedience to help that transition and know what to do. Perform research. Take your kids to a home where theirs games and dogs. What DO the pay attention to.

Best advise I can give you is to be conscious about what you’re doing! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Grant Holmes, Master Trainer (Like us @FaceBook/PerfectlyPawsible)

Tell me again why you called??

As you may have read, I’ve moved to TN. In the work to get this off the ground here, I met Anita from Doe Valley Pruning (my snazzy embroidered shirts!) and she was kind enough to invite me to a networking meeting. One gentleman said he had a referral for me (a relative who was at wits-end to get their two young lab mixes under control) and would have them call me when they were ready.

This was well over a month ago. This past week the gal finally called me for an appointment.

First let me say that nobody calls me and says, “I have two perfectly behaved dogs that we just are sooooo happy with. Just wanted you to know.”  No… my phone rings when people are up to “here” with bad dog behavior. One assumes the owner has finally gotten up to “here”. You might be wrong.

So, tell me again why you called?

So, today I arrived at the appointed time, greeted by one mostly well-behaved dog “Skippy”  (Names have been changed to protect the guilty). Skippy didn’t jump, just INTENSE sniffing and one dog being held at arms length by the owner. Owner let go and “Goober” starts jumping and pawing and mouthing/nipping at my hands. Seeing this wonderful behavior, Skippy thinks its a good idea and begins to jump too. Owners try several (failing badly) strategies to keep the dogs from jumping, etc. Didn’t work. Skippy jumps with front paws on counter. Owner,” Sign, we’ve been trying to stop that for months, too.” (hmmmm…)

As I give the dogs no energy or real contact, they finally lose interest. He owner, she owner and I start to talk.

Me: So is this the behaviors I’m here for (jumping, nipping)?

Her: yes, that and not heeling on a walk.

They have two kennels for the dogs. I ask if they go in their kennels eaisily

Her: Yes//Him: No  (hmmmm)  Her: Well, I give them a treat to go in.

Me: Why a treat?

Her: so they’ll listen.  Him: (rolls eyes)

On hearing about treats I ask about their diets.

Her: well we’re vegans and all the dog food on the market is crap (points at dog food they are using), so we give them table scraps too.

Me: did you know giving a dog human food can shorten their lives 3-5 years?

Her: I’ve read that, but it isn’t true and besides we’re health nuts, so they only get healthy food.

At this point I can see where this is heading. She thinks a human vegan diet is great for a canine.

So I start asking about how they discipline.

Her: well, I’m not hitting my dog.   (Me: Looking to find the voice that said someone had asked her to hit the dog)

Her: My father comes over here. He’s really stern with the dogs (no he doesn’t hit them either). They listen to him. When we go outside they follow HIM. (This last said with distaste as the dogs follow the “mean” guy)( not the owners with no rules, boundaries, or limitations.)

Anything I mention about structure, expecting the dog to behave with NO treats is met with a look of disdain, bordering on hate. He and she are sitting on their couch now, but don’t offer me a seat. Part of the reason is the only seat left is the “Dog Couch”. I know if I sit on my own, I’ll have two labs on my lap and have to deal with it.

I ask about keeping the dogs off that couch. YIKES daggers of death!!! I asked what happens if her 90 year old grandma comes over and a 40# dog jumps in her lap? Or the dogs both jump on her at the door like they did me, she falls and breaks her hip??

Silence…… then finally, Her: I hadn’t thought of that.   (huh, really? How self-absorbed are you??)(No, I didn’t ask that).

Her: But I WANT the dogs on the couch.

Me: Is there anything wrong with you “owning” the couch and they could get up if invited?

Her: I want them to have their own couch. (Note they each have a nice kennel with blankets and pillows and all kinds of carpet to lay on. I just don’t like all this “Dominance” stuff you’re talking about. You’re like my dad. I don’t want to dominate my dogs. I want to be able to spoil them. They’re my kids for now.

At some point in an evaluation, when I can see people are struggling with the discipline issue, I’ll ask if they have a spare bedroom (especially if I know/think they do…). After an unusual look I’ll say, “Tell ya what, I’m gonna move in this weekend. I expect to get room and board. I may tear some stuff up now and then. I usually will make myself a pesk when ANYONE comes over to visit and embarrass you. Oh yeah, You’ll have to make sure I get fed on time, you take me out to pee in the yard and cover all my medical. What do you say? Heck, I’ll even play ball with you!!!”

I ALWAYS get a “Probably not”. My point? EXACTLY. The dogs gig here is pretty good. And all you REALLY want is for them to behave?? Not surprisingly, I got silence from them on that.

Me (at the limit of patience now): Sp do I hear you saying that your dad fully expects the dogs to behave and they do. You don’t expect them to, in fact you just told me you expect to spoil them and they don’t listen to you? I’m not sure why you called me. Did you know that these (all) dogs are 98% gray wolf and expect to have a pack leader?

Her: I read that and that’s not true. They’ve had thousands of years to adjust without a pack leader. They don’t need that.

Me: I’m sorry. I can tell that we’re too far apart. I can see even if you hired me, we would butt heads. I choose at this point to part as close to friends as we can get. — I shake both their hands and leave.

Total elapsed time? 14 minutes. One of the shortest evaluations I’ve ever been on.

So tell me again, if all of your fantastic research is working so well and you have it so “under control”… WHY did you call me??

Sigh.

So, if I CAN help you, and you’re willing to accept training from an expert, please stop by the Perfectly Pawsible Dog Obedience web site!!

-Grant

Controlling “Gulping” food

I’m brilliant. There I said it.

Okay, not really so much. But here’s the story.
Murphy; A few years back I owned a pure-breed Golden that would eat 1-2 cups of food in under 20 seconds. I’m convinced he never tasted the food. I’ve referenced it here in the blog (and here’s a link to an article on my website about gulping food).

Talking to a dog food salesman (also referenced above), I learned more about dog digestion and how much gulping can affect their digestion in a negative way. To this point, I’d only experienced dogs that graze (keep food out ALL the time and occasionally they saunter over and eat very casually)m, and dogs that GULP (food in dish, and…. GONE! It’s a mad frenzy to eat immediately).

Then I adopted Axle. Axle is a GSD (German Shepherd Dog). I’m told by owners that GSD’s seldom gulp, but I’ve only owned two. Axle didn’t exactly gulp, and he kind of grazed. He could walk by his food bowl many times, even stop to sniff food that was there, but walk away. These are indicators of a grazer. But I did notice that at times, maybe after play or being outside a while, he’d come in and GULP to satisfy his appetite. Almost like he couldn’t stop himself.

Then later, I’d see the previous behavior, a more casual approach. We were feeding nearly 6 cups of food a day. I thought this was a bit high, but he is a big boy and was a little under-weight when I adopted him (now nearly a month ago). So I pulled out the old “stones in the bowl” trick (link above).

My dog is brilliant too…

I live very close to a river, so went out and got a couple nice rocks to use, came in and rinsed them well. Put his food in his dish, dropped the rocks on top. He released to the bowl, sniffed and looked up at me like, “You’re messing with me, aren’t you?” He nudged the rocks around a bit and nosed one out of the bowl. I asked him to sit and put the rock back in. I released him again. He looked down at the bowl, then back at me. The “Jack Benny dead-pan” look on his face was perfect- Like, “Really?” I just laughed.

So while I was smart, so was he…

Now he’s likely to pick up a rock, walk it to the Living Room and drop it there, go back and eat. Sometimes he also just drops rocks right by his bowl. It’s a fun challenge to have a dog as bright (brighter than??) as you are!

The Good News is

His food intake is down, his BM’s are better and he has slowed down. Now it’s man v. dog on the rock thing. As an aside, Murphy never once pulled the rocks out of the bowl. Personalities are interesting!

Cold Weather Blues

This is the time of year (at least here in NE-Ohio…) that we all love! Okay, maybe not. I’m sure there are some of you that like to ski, snowmobile, shovel snow, and all the other fun winter sports! It’s also a time when many dogs love to go out and play!

My two dogs are loving the snow. For some reason, Lexi HAS to bite the snow as she runs around bounding over snow drifts. She and Shayna love to wrestle in the snow.

I’m often asked about dogs being outside and how long and about sweaters or covers and such. First, your veterinarian is a great source of information on how much exposure your dog might handle, but even then, guidelines are likely all you’ll get.

It’s a balance between your outside temperature, wind factors and your dog’s size, coat and activity level. A four pound hairless dog at 6 degrees sitting on your porch in the wind is going to last about 3 minutes. Okay, I really don’t know how long, but we have to use common sense! There are many dogs that have dual coats; the under coat for warmth, the outer coat for shedding water, etc. Maybe you have a short-haired boxer that only weighs 35 pounds. Say it’s only 30 degrees outside, but the dog is your jogging partner. If it’s not windy and you actually jog, your dog may very likely generate enough heat to not get cold during your run. However, if you cool down/walk the last 3 minutes to your home, your boxer could get chilled as they try to make the transition.

Shayna

There is no one right answer. Both of my dogs are basically built for colder weather. Big, furry, dual coated dogs. But I just don’t leave them out forever either. The other day, they were at a friend’s home. It was about 28 degrees or so. They played outside for almost 90 minutes with another German Shepherd and they never stopped running. They made a bee-line for the water dish when they did come in, but LOVED being outside playing!!

Lexi

Quite frankly, I’ve never quite understood how dogs react to temperature. My old dog, Buddy, was 1/2 Golden Retriever and 1/2 Yellow Lab. In the summer, he would go outside and lay in the direct sunlight in the gravel driveway when it was 80 degrees. Then he’d come inside and sleep by the air conditioning vent. Go figure!

My advice: Read up on your breed’s capabilities. Use common sense. Keep an eye on your dog.

Don’t Forget About Your Dog!

Well, here we are. The time of year that mental health professionals suggest is the most stressful time of the year. From Pastors to PhDs, they say people are on edge, little things become magnified; the presents aren’t wrapped yet, we are over budget, the house is a mess, the kids are off school and misbehaving (‘cause they’ve already played PS3 for 6 hours and are bored) and oh yeah, the in-laws are due in about 20 minutes.

I know!! Let’s get a dog for Christmas!!!

YIKES!

Let’s look at two scenarios…
1) You already have a dog.
Chances are if you’ve had the dog for several years, it may be “used” to the energy speed bump that is the holidays. But if you’ve not done the holiday season with this pack, read #2! Your current dog possibly already understands the energy ball that is his pack. He may just hide in the corner til January 3rd (heck, some years I wanted to do that!) and you may not see much change at all. For you, just be sensitive to all that is going on. The loud parties, or being gone for long periods while you attend them, can stress your pooch; so remember that generally they are at your control for water, food, exercise and the ability to get out and go. Instead of buying your dog that 18″ long rawhide bone that vets say is bad for her, spend 30 minutes today playing and let her feel your touch and your voice. It’s the best treat you can give your dog!

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.
– Josh Billings

2) You’re bringing a new dog into your home.
My first advice: Don’t.
Read (re-read?) the above. Imagine being an 8 week old puppy. You were just taken from the best place in the world (your mommy’s warm body, all the free warm milk you can drink, love and a quiet den) to BANG! BAM! Lights! Kids! Loud adults! BANG, Billy got a drum set! YIKES. How would YOU react?

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.
– Roger Caras

Not much different for a dog from the pound. That dog is already under stress! Then we’re going to introduce it into yet another stressful situation. Trust me, I’d rather have a dog in a warm, loving environment (your home) as opposed to the pound, but remember that it may take 7-21 days before you know that dog! Can you leave it alone? Does it have any health issues? Is it/was it kennel trained? Are you willing to lose MORE sleep as the dog adjusts? Why 7-21 days? For instance, you read in my last post that I adopted Shayna from the Stark Pound. She had some Kennel Cough issues, etc. She is just now feeling well, eating regularly and beginning to play with Lexi. No surprises, but at the 7-10 day mark, your dog starts realizing that they aren’t moving again and start to show their true personality. A dog that was a bit playful at first, may begin to nip or show food aggression as it learns the pack order.

Okay, enough scare tactics, but please remember to give your pooch a safe, quiet place to get away from it all. Remember kennel/cage/den training is NOT mean to your dog. It may be the place they are most comfortable in during this time of high energy. On the other hand, a kennel/cage is NOT a baby-sitter for that 10 hour New Years bash you want to attend.

Remember water, food and exercise. Remember to be thankful that we have dogs to help keep us sane!!

We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare, and love we can spare.  
And in return, dogs give us their all. It’s the best deal man has ever made.  – M. Acklam

Until the New Year! Have a safe, prosperous, Dog-gone-good holiday!

Remember, They have to Adjust too!

For those of you that follow this blog, you know I’ve been moving for the last several weeks. While Amanda, my office assistant, helps here and there, much of the work falls on my shoulders. So everything goes slow. Very slow in some cases. Then there’s running the business, doing various Chamber events (we support both the Canton Regional and Jackson/Belden Chambers of Commerce), singing at Primavera’s Italian Restaurant on Friday nights, teaching for Portage Lakes Career Center – oh yeah and sneaking in some sleep here and there! So my apologies yet again for not being as “on top” of this blog as I’d like to be.

That preamble sets up something we tend to forget: The dog. Lexi, my German Shepherd, is an amazing dog. Incredibly smart, more obedient than I even understand, and a great companion. This week, I finally brought her to the new pad/office; our new home. We tend to think because we understand something, so will the dog. How ignorant we are sometimes! More than that, I think it’s how much we take our pals for granted. Even though I had brought her here to visit several times, for the first three days she pretty much had the runs. It’s called stress.

Remember that anything outside of your dog’s normal routine will cause stress. Sometimes its no big deal, sometimes it is. It depends on the cause of the stress, the intensity, duration and then just how your particular dog will react to those variables. She also ate less food for a couple days. Both reactions are perfectly normal.

Another way we take Fido for granted is that while we have meetings and work and all kinds of ways to help us or entertain us, all your dog has is you. We’ve had Lexi since May. In that time, I can’t think of a single “human” thing she’s gotten into. She just doesn’t touch stuff unless it’s specifically placed in her mouth. This week has been particularly stressful working with utilities and many, many meetings. Yesterday I was in and out way too much; every time allowing her out to do her duty. But when I got back yesterday, she had found a roll of masking tape and a carpenter’s pencil. Both items had my scent on them. Both were chewed to throw-away status. Many people think their dog is “punishing them” for a lack of attention. I don’t think that dogs think that way. I DO think, however, that my dog so craved SOMETHING from me, that she found some stuff with my scent on it in an effort to help her comfort level.

What did I do? No punishment whatsoever (Why punish the dog because I was an idiot?). I threw them away and spent about 30 minutes on the floor with her, petting, playing and giving her attention. The rest of the night she was under my feet, which is very unusual for her. Lonely? I think so.

Remember that you brought the pet into your home. They really didn’t choose you. We have to make sure we honor that responsibility. If you’ve never read it, we have a Pet 10 Commandments on our website. I didn’t write it. Many pet sites have borrowed it. Read it and remember; they need to adjust too!

The Difference Between Dogs

Seems I hear a hundred dog stories every week. From the cute ones to aggression issues to pains in someone’s life to just about everything in between.

While I am in transition and will end up with one dog, right now regular readers know I have a Golden Retriever (Murphy) and a German Shepherd (Lexi). They are so totally different, yet in many ways the same.

Murphy is a four year old boy. Think of most any toe-headed, rambunctious 4 year old boy and you have Murphy. Lexi is just over a year old. She is the consummate princess. Everything about her is “little girl” from the way she eats to the way she walks.

I’ve written before about how watching them play is like watching a Ferrari and a Pickup truck. They are a hoot to watch.

The very interesting thing however is how differently they approach situations. My oldest son loves to play with my dogs, especially when it involves teasing. So last night he gets out a small radio control car and is running it around the floor. Murphy has got to chase it no matter how many circles and twists the car makes. Lexi couldn’t care less; isn’t scared of it, pretty much just indifferent, and walks away.

When playing Lexi lays down immediately to conserve energy. Murphy stands there and pants. While I was working at my new office the other day, I took the dogs over and same thing: Lexi lays down across the room and watches; Murphy stands three feet away… and pants.

I’ve actually missed them this week as I spend lots of time remodeling. Sorry this is a short post, but I am jammed trying to get the remodeling finished. Hopefully, I’ll be finishing up this weekend and can get back in the swing of things next week.

Thanks for your patience!

Leads, Leashes & Collars, Oh My…

I was trying to make that come out like, “Lions, Tigers & Bears” but just couldn’t pull it off.

I had an interesting reaction to a post a few weeks ago, so thought I’d follow up…

I commented on thinking Halti Collars are pretty much worthless. In the middle of all the other stuff this kind of stuck out I guess. So let me backup and tell you why:

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1st: there is NO MAGIC in ANY training device.

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We only use a certain type of collar when we train. I know it’s the easiest collar for us to work with, I know that dogs understand the collar when used, and most importantly, I know its the easiest collar for owners to understand how to use effectively.

So, I’ll officially back off my “Halti” statement above, yet back up my belief. I see more dogs put on the collar because they’ve been told it will “fix” their dog. Without proper training many people will not understand how to use a given training tool. The issue with Halti’s is that they’ve gotten a great reputation, but I’ve seen as many badly behaved dogs on a Halti as not. So THAT is my point, and I’m sorry to anyone that misunderstood my plodding into the point unprepared. I tend to forget my audience doesn’t know what I’m thinking.

Heck, I often don’t know what I’m thinking!

So another point I hope I can transfer better:
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I believe there are few badly behaved dogs, but plenty of owners that don’t have the tools to understand dog behavior. And why would they? Most people are not trained or educated to “know” what to do in given situations. Take some time and drop back through past posts.

We fully believe that your dog can be a great member of your pack, no matter what the behavior problem. It can be solved in a way your dog understands naturally. And when you hire a professional trainer, you’ll get their best approach to your dogs needs!

Till next time: I’ll try and stay out of hot water!

Stories You Hear at Dog Events

Ho boy. How long THIS blog can be. I’ll try and keep it under 10,000 words. Okay, a LOT shorter than that! Spent most of Sunday at the “Mutt Strutt” event that supports the Stark County Humane Society.
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But first a really cool dog video I just saw. Think our furry friends don’t think or feel??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofpYRITtLSg
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I observed a lot on Sunday. Several hundred dog owners and the requisite number of pets makes for very interesting entertainment. Was it Yogi Berra that said, “You can observe a lot by watching.”?

A guy with two Golden Retrievers, both at least 80-85lbs. walks down the middle of where we’re set up with booths. We all know Golden’s are very strong. He can barely hold them back (as in: can BARELY control them). He’s got a death grip on both leads. A lady in a booth holds out ONE treat for the two dogs.  One moment here:
    Really? Do people THINK anymore? Do people observe and try to use common sense? “I know, here comes a guy with two dogs barely under control- I think I’ll tease them, then be surprised when they tow the owner over to my booth and jump up on me.” OBVIOUSLY, “NO” to both questions.
The guy is actually smiling as this all happens. Either he is clueless, or the strain of pulling on the dogs just LOOKS like a smile! “Obedience” doesn’t fit here. Weird.
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A guy with a dog that barks at other dogs every time it sees one (see previous observation on HUNDREDS of dog owners). So the dog pretty much barked at everything. You can tell he’s very frustrated. He’s using a Halti (which in my opinion are pretty much worthless) and the dog is barking. So he pulls the dog back to him, makes him sit, closes his mouth with his hand to get the dog to quit barking, and pets him (giving affection). Then they asked me why he continues to bark. Let’s review:
1) Using a collar that provides pretty much no real control over a dog.
2) When the dog barks, YOU close his mouth instead of training him to quit barking.
3) Giving affection to the activity you’re striving to stop.

Note to owners: you don’t give affection when the dog is misbehaving. Never. Ever. Well, unless of course you wish to NOT correct the behavior. Remember that affection to a dog is better than ANY treat you can give. Give affection to support good behavior.

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A lady whose designer dog barks at everything holds the dog to give it security- so it quits barking: rewind to above. Dog barks, owner picks up dog, pets dog (“Good Girl, Sassy!! Thanks for Barking!!!”) Owner puts dog down only to be surprised when dog barks again. See above three points.
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To the guy with the 110lb. German Shepherd who was as gentle, quiet and well-behaved as they come: THANK YOU! And to the guy with the Pit/Boxer mix of the same description: THANK YOU, TOO!

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When I get home my two dogs, Murphy & Lexi, are running around the yard playing and wrestling. I’m reading a book, occasionally watching them. Suddenly I hear a different bark. There’s a cute little retriever mix running in the yard with my two. It’s not real sure it wants to play, but it wants to play. Thirty seconds later comes the young gal owner from a party down the street, calling for her dog to come to her. Short story is I tell her to squat down and pet Murphy. Sure enough, the dog being a golden mix realizes Murphy is getting more attention and comes over to get his share. I pretty much figured that would happen. So she grabs her dog and thanks me. As she pulls the dog up the driveway with her hand on the collar (yes, I wonder where the lead is too…) she starts to smack the dog and tell him what a bad boy he is.

If you read my blogs you know I preach about NOT punishing your dog. She must not be a reader. I called her back. I asked if I could ask a question, “Sure,” she said. I asked, “If I called you over here and gave you a dope slap, how likely would it be that you’d come back over, even if I use a really nice voice?” “I probably wouldn’t,” she said. “Exactly,” I said, “So when you call your dog and you get a hold of it, and you smack him, what do you think his motivation is to come to you next time?” She didn’t say anything but got the point. I told her that while it may seem very (humanly) backwards, even though the dog ran, when you catch him, praise him for coming and being a good dog.
1) Maybe next time he won’t run as quickly or as far.
2) Maybe next time he’ll remember getting petted and praised and come more quickly?!

Till next time!

Is Your Dog Really “Jealous”?

I take our dogs a lot of places. Various events all over the place. People are always coming up to pet Lexi & Murphy. I find it interesting how often I hear people say, “Oh… my dog is going to be soooo jealous!” And I always think, “Really?”

We pick up a thousand scents everyday that we’ll never smell, but our dogs will. I left yesterday for a non-dog appointment and when I got home our two were all over me, smelling specific spots on my pants and shoes. I’m fairly certain they were not jealous as there was nothing to be jealous of; short of me having chicken for supper that they didn’t – but then they never get people food, so why would they be? Okay, enough of that!

I am always amazed at how dogs will sniff, sniff, sniff, then razor in on a spot the size of a dime. Lexi, our German Shepherd, will sniff her food for the fish oil pill we give her. Ironically, at first I had to give them to her in peanut butter to get her to eat them. Now she finds it first (no peanut butter). Go figure. But in all the different food smells, she can pick out that fish oil tablet. You ever smell one? NO ODOR – to me at least, but Lexi knows it.

My point? You can read on-line most anywhere about how sensitive a dog’s nose is. Trust me, when you get home, your dog wants to know what’s going on and end up doing the same thing to you that they do to each other… they sniff! So quit giving your dog the human capability of jealousy and assume they are just curious. You know why?

They are!