Stuff your dogs shouldn't eat

Food, they love food and some of our beloved pets would eat everything if we let them. But there are a couple of things that are good for them and there are some that can be poisonous for our four-legged friends.

Food & Beverages

• Chocolate
• Coffee
• Alcohol
• Avocado
• Onions
• Garlic, fresh
• Macademia nuts
• Potatoe leaves & stems
• Raisins & Grapes
• Tea
• Tomatoe leaves & stems

Here is a chart that will make you understand more about how dangerous chocolate can really be.

There are people out there who think it is funny to make their dogs drunk not realizing that it could kill them. It's not cute, funny or hilarious, it is completely IRRESPONSIBLE!

Yet, it isn't just food that can get dangerous for our dogs. It's also plants we have to have an eye on. There are highly poisonous plants out there.

• Apple seeds (in large amounts)
• Almonds
• Apricot seeds
  
• Autumn Crocus
• Avocado leaves
• Azaela
• Bleeding Heart leaves and roots
• Boston Ivy
• Buttercup
• Caladium
• Castor Bean leaves & seeds
• Daffodil
• Diffenbachia
• Golden Cain flowers
• Hemlock seeds, stems and taproot
• Hyacinth
• Iris roots
• Jonquil
• Lily of the valley
• Morning Glory seeds
• Mountain Laurel
• Narcissus
• Nepthytis
• Lightshade
• Oak acorns & foliage
• Oleander
• Philodendron
• Pothos
• Red Sage green berries
• Rhododendron
• Rhubarb leaves
• Rosary Pea seeds
• Sweet Pea seeds & pods
• Tobacco leaves
• Tulip bulbs
• Wild Black Cherry (leaves & seeds)
• Wisteria seeds & pods
• Umbrella plat
• Yellow Jasmine
• Yew

I know I probably missed some plants but this is what I have so far. Again, get some reading material, use google and educate yourself. I will do some more research on this, especially since in the US are so many more different plants that might not be good for a dog.

About Housetraining

I've never heard about crate training until I got married and joined an Army Wife Forum. Seriously, that is the first time I've heard and read about crate training and of how important it is for a puppy to be crate trained.

I am not sure if I like that concept. I understand why a dog should be crate trained, it is important, especially if you drive in a car, travel a lot and do overseas flights. However, locking a puppy into a crate just so it's out of your way even though you are at home 24/7 because you are a stay at home mom/wife/dad/husband I am not sure what to think about that.

There are people out there that get energetic dogs like Border Collies and Australian Shepherds not knowing how much energy they really have and lock them into a crate the whole day just because they can't control the dog anymore.

So yeah, what is this crate training all about? My parents are breeders for 30 years and I can't think of any puppy at all that we crate trained.

So how do you housetrain your puppy without crate training it?
The key to success is to take the puppy out more than it has to go. If your puppy has to go at least once in three hours, take it out twice or even three times instead of just once. Set it up for success.

If an accident happens, don't yell, don't stick the puppys nose into the pee, simply interrupt the baby, take it out and start all over again. After all it is a BABY you have here. Would you stick your babys nose into it's pee? Would you?
They cannot control their bladder until they are about half a year old. It's not going overnight and they can't connect the dots like older dogs. When I took Yukon into the house he was housebroken in a couple of days because he was able to connect the dots a lot faster than a puppy ever will. Zenzy never really had an accident at all. She was housetrained from the first day, even though she was an outside dog all her life. I took them out so many times that they didn't even have a chance to pee or poo into the house. With puppies it's different. They are baby's so don't expect any wonders.

If you can (especially stay at home wifes/moms can) take them out every hour. Use the possibility for a short walk. Don't walk to far, it is a puppy but please, please, please, I can't stress it enough, do not stick their nose into the pee!

And don't just lock them into a crate just because it is easier for you. Would you lock your baby into a cage all day long, just so it is out of the way? You can still crate train them but there is a fine line between training and locking them away so they are out of your way. Do the thinking before you get a puppy.

Do you really have the time for a puppy?
Do you have the patience for a puppy?
Who cares about the puppy while you are gone?
Do you know how hard it is to raise a puppy?
Is your place puppy proofed?
Do both of you have a fulltime job?
Do you have the possibility to join a puppy school?
Do you know what it means to socialize your puppy?

Those are just a couple of things you have to consider. Get some reading material, google and do some research about the breed before you bring a puppy into the house.

It takes continuity, persistence and patience to train a dog!

Training a dog takes a lot of patience. It doesn't work in one or two hours, you need persistence and continuity as well as a lot of patience and DISCIPLINE(!!!). You need to repeat it on a daily basis. Don't do it for hours because that will drive her tired. Do short sequences, over and over and over again.

Let them work for their food. Don't just give it to them. You can work pretty much every dog with the clicker. Even Schutzhund Champions, who are all tough and rough are worked with a clicker. Also, don't confuse a raw dog over stubborn and hard headed. There is a big difference between that.

Please, please, please... don't just stand there and call them twenty times. Take treats with you, charge the clicker and every time she listens "Click&Treat".
Let her work for her food. Let her sit and wait before you feed her.
Let her come to you first and sit in front of you before she gets it.
Let her lay down before she gets the food.
There are so many possibility throughout the day to train your dog, even if you don't have time to go to a doggy class, there is ALWAYS time throughout the day.

I've got two dogs myself. I haven't been at a class throughout the winter but I train them throughout the day. I use every frickin possibility to get the commands into their head. It doesn't matter where I am. If I am on a walk, in the dog park, before they get their food. It's about continuity, persistence and patience and if you don't have that... you don't have to be surprised that your dogs won't listen to you!

You can't come up with any excuse that I'll buy. I've got two dogs myself and know them all.

Simple as that...

Couldn't take Zenzy home...

I wanted to pick up Zenzy today. Mom said that the heat is pretty much over because Tony isn't interested in her anymore.
So I took Yukon with me to double check. Better safe than sorry, right?
Mom let her out and she went all crazy, jumped up on me, did her happy dance and ran around like she's nuts. We went to the car, let out Yukon and I took them both for a walk.

Oh boy, oh boy... what have I done. Yukon immediately was in love with her and wanted to get it on so bad. He was all over her and wanted her sooo bad.

I wanted to put him back into the car but Zenzy was faster and jumped in the trunk. I feld so bad, she really wanted to come with us and go home.

She was like "This is my car and I am not leaving!" It was so heartbreaking to see that she actually wants to go home.
The first couple of days she was fine. She loved being back, running around and had lots of fun but today she was kind of like "Okay, this is enough. Vacation is over, take me home...please?!"

I felt horrible that I couldn't take her home. I finally convinced her to leave the car and locked Yukon into it and that's when he started to whine. I have never ever heard him whine like that before. It wasn't just whining, he was howling, yelping and whining the same time. I've never seen him that lovesick.
I know Zenzy is homesick and she really wants to go home but it wouldn't do us any good at all. Once she's back I either get her spayed, castrated or put her on the hormones so I don't have to take her back to my parents. Hopefully she's good in three or four days so I can finally pick her up. She made her decision and she wants to stay with us and from now on that is the place where she belongs.
You know we always say "She's my dog." but with her it is the other way around because she decided that I am "her person".

About banning him from the couch...

...spoiled brat...

First Year Anniversary

March 3rd we've had our first year anniversary. Unfortunately we couldn't really celebrate it. While I went to Austria my husband had to work late. Yet he stayed up until I got home, which was around midnight.

It's been crazy the past couple of days. We barely saw each other and didn't get to spend much time. Last weekend we didn't even see each other. I wanted to go tracking this weekend but the snow changed my plans so I have to wait until that is gone.

Anyhow, hope ya'll have a great weekend. :)

Tracking Seminar in Talheim

First of all, every dog can track & trail. Every dog can do the scent work. It doesn't matter if it is a big, small, young or old dog. Every dog can do it because a dog sees the world through his nose and I figured that it would be a fun sport for Yukon.
Alls erstes moechte ich sagen das jeder Hund "faehrten" kann. Jeder Hund kann eine Spur verfolgen und seine Nase einsetzen. Egal ob gross, klein, jung oder alt, jeder Hund eignet sich fuer die Fahertenarbeit, denn Hunde nehmen ihre Umwelt eher mit der Nase, als mit den Augen wahr.

I went to the tracking seminar with Alexander Bick and Silke Ruenz in Talheim. Both are into tracking, both went to the German Championships and both are pretty succssful in handling dogs, training them and especially in training people because most of the time it is the handler on the other end of the leash that causes the problem.
Ich war auf dem Faehrtenseminar in Talheim, von Alexander Bick und Silke Ruenz. Beide sind aktiv in der Faehrtenarbeit, beide waren mehrmals auf der deutschen Meisterschaft und beide sind sehr erfolgreich darin Hunde und vor allem den Menschen auszubilden, denn meist ist es der Hundefuherer am ende der Leine welcher die Probleme verursacht.

The Club House

We met Friday evening in the Club House and Alex taught us the theoretical part of tracking. We've learned about angles, that you work the dogs literally into fever and how you let them cool down properly, what literature we should read etc.
Am Freitag gings los. Wir trafen uns alle im Vereinsheim und Alex unterrichtete uns den theoretischen Teil der Faehrte. Wir lernten etwas ueber Winkel, das man den Hund, im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes in ein Fieber hineinarbeitet und wie man den Hund wieder abkuehlt ohne das er kolabiert und welche Literatur wir uns aneignen sollten, sowie vieles mehr.

Alexander Bick

Saturday we went out early. We all had to lay a track and let me tell you, it ain't easy if you have never done it before. I have watched a thousand times, helped here and there but never laid a track in farmland that was that wet, deep and muddy.
You walk two steps, pull back one of your feet and put a treat into the footprint. Than you walk four more footsteps, pull back your foot again and put another treat into the print. Walk three footsteps and put another treat into the print. The goal is to get the dog to follow your indvidual scent while he is sniffing out the treats. To keep him going you have to make it interesting, that's why you don't put a treat into each step or every second step.
Am Samstag ging es schon frueh auf den Acker. Wir mussten alle unsere Faherte legen und das ist nicht so einfach wie es aussieht. Der Acker war weich, matschig und tief. Ich blieb zum Teil stecken und musste aufpassen das ich nicht das Gleichgewicht verlor. Aber am schwierigsten war es sich nicht zu verzettlen, denn man muss nicht nur die Schritte zaehlen sondern auch darauf achten wann und wo man denn nun das Futter reinlegt, denn das wichtigste an der Sache ist es so interessant wie moeglich fuer den Hund zu gestalten.

Yukon, me & Silke Ruenz

Once we've finished we went back to the Club House for lunch. What most people don't know is that the scent gets stronger they longer you wait. Most people get the dogs half an hour after they laid the track but you don't have to hurry at all.
You could go out there in the morning, go back to work, sleep and come back the next working to let the dog do the scent work and he'll still find it.
What is important is that you work out a straight line. My first line wasn't really that straight. It was all cricket and wiggly AND I switched from one field into another which is called "Gelaendewechsel". Usually you don't do that with a "raw" dog but I guess I got it a little wrong. However, Yukon did a great job. He sniffed his way to the Jackpot :)
Als wir fertig waren ging es zurueck ins Vereinsheim. Was viele nicht wissen ist, je laenger die Faehrte liegenbleibt, desto intensiver die Spur. Es gibt viele die schon nach einer halben Stunde den Hund holen aber man kann die Faehrte tatsaechlich liegen lassen. Mann koennte sogar zuerst zur arbeit, schlafen und erst am naechsten Morgen wieder kommen und der Hund wuerde immer noch die Faehrte aufnehmen.
Wichtig ist es, am Anfang, eine gerade Linie zu legen. Meine Faehrte aehnelte jedoch eher einer Schlangenlinie, dazu kommt das ich dann auch noch ueber einen Feldweg in den naechsten Acker hineinlegte. Fuer einen rohen Hund ist das sehr schwierig, Yukon schaffte den Gelaendewechsel jedoch relativ gut. Ich musste ihm zwar etwas ueber den Weg helfen, aber er machte eine wirklich gute Figur.

Talheim Farmland

One of the other dog handlers and his Briard

Sunday we went out early again. Watched Silke, how she's laying two tracks, than we had to do prepare our own tracks. It was hard. Xynthia didn't make it easier and the storm almost knocked me over a couple of times while I had problems to march my way through the deep, muddy farmland.
At least my track wasn't that wiggly and cricket anymore. I managed to get a straight line and Yukon did a great and awesome job. He had so much fun doing the scent work that I've decided to make this his major discipline and maybe... one day... we can even take the FH1.
Sonntags ging es wieder frueh los. Wir sahen Silke zu wie sie zwei Faherten legt und gingen danach wieder selbst auf den Acker. Xynthia machte es uns nicht gerade einfach. Der Sturm traff mich einige Male hart und ich musste wirklich aufpassen nicht das Gleichgewicht zu verlieren waerend ich versuchte durchs Gelaende zu stapfen. Der Boden kam mir sogar noch schwerer vor wie am Vortag. Ich schaffte es jedoch eine relativ gerade Linie hinzubekommen, wie ich das gemacht hab, weis ich nicht, aber der zweite Tag verlief weitaus besser wie der vorige. Yukon zeigte sich grossartig und hatte soviel Spass an der Sache das er regelrecht auflebte. Er wollte gar nicht mehr aufhoeren und weitermachen. Ich denke wir haben nun tatsaechlich seine Disziplin gefunden und werden dabei auch bleiben... wer weis... vielleicht schaffen wir eines Tages sogar die FH1.

Silke laying tracks


That's what we had to deal with, check out the boots


Yukon & me

All in all it was a great Seminar. I've learned a lot, got to know great people and had a lot of fun. Alex and Silke are great trainers with so much knowledge and wisdom that one can only benefit from it.

Alles in allem war es ein tolles Seminar das ich jederzeit wieder mitmachen wuerde. Ich habe eine ganze Menge gelernt, tolle Leute kennengelernt und viel Spass gehabt. Alex und Silke sind tolle Trainer die ueber soviel Wissen und Weisheit verfuegen, das man nur davon profitieren kann.

Yukon

I can fully recommend Alex & Silke. If you want to learn how to track with your dog or to go into depth they are the right adress.,

Yukon resting on his favorite pillow