Well – it’s about time for a health update.  As you may recall, I had some seizures that started back in August.  I had quite a bit of health testing and the best guess is Epilepsy.  Epilepsy seems to be the diagnosis of choice if there are no other causes for a seizure – no toxins, metabolic changes, or head trauma.  It’s a bit unusual as there does not seem to be any traces of epilepsy in my family tree – but these things happen.  

The drug of choice for epilepsy is phenobarbitol.  It’s a good news, bad news kind of drug.  The good news – it usually works well, and is inexpensive.  The bad news – it can be hard on your liver, it initially often has side effects, and it must be taken consistently twice daily.  Initially I was put on a high dosage – although considered to be an appropriate amount for my weight.  I had side effects within days – I couldn’t control which way my rear legs were going.  My human was MORTIFIED and immediately requested a reduction in dosage.  Which the Vet reluctantly agreed to do -as she said the side effects would wear off.  The only problem after the reduction- the dosage was now SO low – that I was at a barely therapeutic level according to blood tests.  And because I was at such a low level – it was CRITICAL that I get the dose exactly at 7AM and 7 PM each day.  On two occasions, my human was late in giving me my meds – once because she was detained getting home from an errand and once because she simply forgot the time!  She was playing with us, took us for walks – was home with us – and just FORGOT.  On both occasions, I ended up having seizures in the middle of the night.  My human was devastated – and frankly, couldn’t even share this info as she KNEW it was her fault.  BUT – we seem to have remedied the problem.  First, she now has two alarms programmed in her phone at 7 AM and 7 PM.  They go off every day.  In fact, when the alarm goes off, I head for the kitchen where I have figured out that I will be getting my pill – in a dollop of peanut butter.  Second, we have increased my dosage gradually – not to the original level – but to a level in between.  And I have had no side effects.  My human spoke with the pharmacist when she picked up my prescription, and he said that the effects of the medication will last longer now – so IF I am late in getting a pill, the likelihood of having a seizure will be less.  

There are other medications for epilepsy, and my human and her Vet will be looking at those.  New options are always coming out – and my human wants to use what is safest for me – with the least amount of side effects.  For now, we want to get these things under control – and paws crossed – so far so good.

Another side effect of the drug though, is hunger.  My human isn’t certain that has changed – let’s face it – I’m a PON and I’m ALWAYS hungry.   My energy level is the same – I will retrieve until I am ready to collapse and in the past week, I have started to chase Elroy when we go out for a run.  And vice versa.  I’m am really starting to warm up to him.  At least that’s what I want my human to think.  Truth be told – this whole “ignoring” thing is a big ploy by the two of us.  We wanted my human to think we weren’t chums – so that she wouldn’t know that we are actually working together.  It’s brilliant, really.  When my human sits down for dinner, it’s Elroy’s job to go and scratch at the door.  Or chew the carpet.  Or grab something off the counter.  Then when my human goes to stop him, it’s my opportunity to move in for her meal.  You should see how QUICKLY I can move when she steps away from her food.  And Elroy benefits too – as he usually gets something for a “trade.”  And all this time, she thought I didn’t like him….

So things here are under control.  Well – as “under control ” as anything gets in THIS house!

Have a good one.

Free-dom!!!  Free-dom!!!  No, I’m not singing that song by Pharrell Williams, although my human could have been singing it yesterday. Nope – I’m talking about a new way to take Jaws for a walk – the Freedom No-Pull Harness.  https://freedomnopullharness.com/  Yes, I am about to do a commercial message for a product that has yet to be extensively tested in our household – but what SEEMS to work on its initial trial.

Teaching us dogs to walk on a leash can be a challenging task.  Yes – my human KNOWS you should not let us pull – because once when we learn that behavior,  it’s hard to break.  So when walking on a leash, if we do start pulling,  the human should stop and only proceed when we are not pulling. We dogs should be rewarded for loose leash walking.  Some suggest going a different direction if a dog starts pulling.  So you end up zig zagging down the street or going in circles so that you eventually become dizzy and never get to your destination.  Patience is the key.  And that’s all well and good if you have 6 hours to train us each day.  Yes – I KNOW it can be done.  But sometimes when you have an overly enthusiastic puppy and you DO want to go for a walk, you need to come up with a solution to stop the pulling.  Slip collars usually end up strangling us.  Not that we haven’t used them, but they definitely do not stop the pulling.  Some people use prong collars – which lots of people oppose.  Like anything, if used correctly it can make a difference for some people and dogs.  Some people like the Gentle Leader type of bridle.  Again they seem to work for some – but you also need to be careful with them as well.

My human always thought that a harness would result in MORE pulling.  But the Amazing Amy – the woman who took Jaws into her home for a puppy play date, recommended the Freedom Harness.  So my human went out and got one.  Getting the bucking bronco to stand still while she adjusted it was an amusing sight.  At first when it was on, he wouldn’t even move.  But with treat rewards to entice him and encouragement to keep a loose leash – well it was like a MIRACLE.  He walked down the road and walked right at her side.  No attempts to drag her into the ditch.  No chafed hands.  No strangulation.  Waggy tail.  Happy human.  A real miracle.

The jury is out on whether the effectiveness will last – but so far so good.   I figured that Frodo and I were well behaved enough that we wouldn’t need one.  Cough.  Cough.  But I DID see my human on-line looking at sizes.  That better not be a Christmas gift.  That’s like giving a gift of clothing to a  4 year old.  NOT cool.  We’ll see.  

But for now – Elroy has FREEDOM.  Actually the freedom belongs to my human…

Have a good one!

We’ve talked before about the Fear Periods that puppies go through and I think Jaws may be going through another one.  For example, he saw his reflection in the patio door the other night and half scared himself to death.  First he ran away.  Then he started growling at himself.

Then the next morning at 5 AM when he took my human out, in the dark – he stared into the woods, put his nose in the air, and BOLTED in the other direction – on a leash of course.  Which then made my human worried as well.  I mean – WHAT could be out there?  When she went to take Frodo and I out for our walk, I tried to pull INTO the woods.  So did Frodo.  There obviously WAS something out there.  And as the sun began to rise, my human saw what the terrible apparition probably was.  A bunny.  Yup – pretty scary.

There’s not a whole lot that I fear.  I may be a tad shy when I meet people, but I usually get over that pretty quickly.  I suppose I do have one HUGE fear though. Grooming.  Well maybe fear is a strong word.  Maybe more like intense DISLIKE.

Oh and I fear running out of food.  Now THAT would be scary.  REALLY scary. Almost as scary as Donald Trump.  Sorry I – couldn’t resist.

So today – try to face your fears.  Go skydiving.  Swim with Sharks.  Take your dog to an obedience class.  Or better yet – enter a dog show.

October 17.  And today is the birthday of Rick Mercer.  Now folks from Canada would have to be living under a dead maple tree not to know who Rick Mercer is.  But for those from other lands, who may not know him – well you are missing a pretty funny guy.  Rick is a Canadian political satirist, comedian and actor.  And he has his own television show on CBC.

Now I’m not sure that Rick owns a dog himself – he’s a very busy guy.  But he certainly has done a number of segments about dogs, so I have picked three of my favorites and I’d like to share them with you.  This one is about a big dog show in Canada – the Purina National:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkW3-hMY_CA

And here is one about Police Dogs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeDXiS8Yeho

And the last is about a big dog festival that takes place in Toronto each year, called Woofstock:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wT5O0k7SR0

Rick has more videos if you google him.  We enjoyed these – and pretty much barked whenever we heard a dog in the segment.  I would suggest you keep the volume down – but not so much that you can’t hear the monologue.  Good luck with that.

In our household, things are good, although I am thinking that the “trade” command is not working as it should.  That’s the instruction my human uses when Jaws has taken something that he should not have, or he picks up something, like a rock and tries to eat it.  He’s supposed to “trade” the item for a treat. It’s actually quite amusing to watch.  Like yesterday when he stole a poop bag from the pocket of her ugly dog sweat pants while she was working at the computer.  An empty poop bag – obviously.  He’s becoming a decent pick pocket.  As soon as he takes something, he casually walks away.  And then he quickens his pace.  At which point my human begins the futile “trade” command.  Now apparently you aren’t SUPPOSED to chase the dog – as it becomes a game, but visions of a swallowed poop bag are too much for my human to ignore.  Remember Paxton and the 2 foot long sling.  So around and around the dining table they go.  With my human chanting “trade” and “just be calm.”  Honestly, I wish someone would give ME a go pro camera to record the spectacle.

Well it’s Monday – but BONUS – my human is off today.  We’ll make sure she does not get bored.

Oh and Happy birthday Rick! Have a good one!

October 16 – and it’s National Dictionary Day.  When my human saw that, she thought about something that she had been meaning to look up in the dictionary – something from the Canadian Standard of the Berger Picard.  For those who are reading this and are not into dog terminology – every purebred dog has a “standard” – a picture of what the “perfect” example of the breed should look like.  In a perfect world.  The standard includes a description about the breed – everything from height to eyes to coat to the way the dog should carry his tail. 

My human had read the standard for the Picard, and when she did, she came across two terms that she didn’t know.  Here are quotes from the standard using the two terms: 

Teething.  Will it EVER end?  Seriously.  It seems that Jaws has been teething longer than Trump has been running for President.  And it is equally painful for all.  Jaws is still at it.  We were thinking that things had slowed down, but right now, every chance he gets he wants to chew on something.  He JUST turned 5 months old this week.  My human saw him smacking his lips while playing with Frodo the other night and she assumed he had a mouthful of Frodo hair.  They were lying down and taking turns chewing on each others ears.  And then she noticed something on his leg.  A tooth!  A molar in fact.  It’s been a long time since she found a dog tooth.  Frodo and I probably just ate ours.

Along with his ravenous chewing frenzies, we also noticed that his ears have gone down.  My human remembered hearing that it could happen when he is teething.  So he has the Flying Nun thing going on again.  Just when we thought those ears were up for good.

I was wondering if Jaws would be visited by the tooth fairy, with a treat under his pillow.  Wait – he has no pillow as he would chew it…

And in thinking about this whole tooth thing, GUESS what my human found on the net?   Are you ready?  This is for the human who has everything… You can get a custom made sterling silver necklace, made from your dog’s tooth.   You send them the tooth, they make a mold out of silver and then return the tooth.   Quite the conversation fashion statement.  That’s right up there with the custom nose print necklaces.  Wonder if anyone has made custom silver poop necklaces….Now THAT would be interesting….

Just some ideas for you to chew on today – hope you have a good one!

Sometimes humans just need to sit back and be thankful for the “little things in life…”

On Monday, the day that Frodo refused to go out in the rain, we had quite a bad storm.  Around 4:30 in the afternoon, JUST after my human put her dinner in the oven, we lost power.  Now we dogs didn’t REALLY care – our dinner doesn’t require heating.  And being without electricity wasn’t all that bad.  Initially.  We went outside and played.  My human could still do things around the house.  But as the hours wore on, it got darker and darker.  She was wearing her trusty headlamp and attempted to read some materials for work. And it was in that moment…That moment of total silence – no sound of the refrigerator, no buzzing of a light, no music playing…that she looked around her and low and behold, there in the impending darkness was a miracle.  Within three feet of her, THREE sleeping dogs.  Totally content.  No one chewing on the carpet…or chairs…or the table—or someone else’s ears. No barking.  No wrestling.  No squeaking.  She attempted to take pictures of all three of us, without moving – for fear that the magic moment would end.  And in that moment she gave thanks – because after all, it WAS Thanksgiving Day…

Last night Elroy had his last performance puppy class.  And as far as I can tell, he still can’t play the piano.  Or dance.  He went with my human and the little girl from down the street.  She adores Elroy – and of course thinks he is THE best puppy in the class.  My human hates to tell her she is biased. He reportedly had a FEW moments of brilliance, but apparently the word “sit” was not in his vocabulary last night.  Which makes a puppy obedience class just a BIT of a challenge.  That word is pretty basic.  But he decided he just didn’t know what it meant.   I think he is going to be like me – he likes the “action” and “moving” stuff in obedience, like heeling, but the stationary stuff – not so much.  He didn’t get any diploma or anything last night – so I’m not sure he is ready for the next “level” of classes.  And I think my human is starting to appreciate MY brilliance even more these days.  Thanks to Elroy.  But as I said, he DID have moments of looking like the neurons WERE firing – and for THAT my human again gave thanks.

Yup.  It’s these little things in life…

Happy Friday!

Today is October 13 – and it is National Train Your Brain Day.  And I found an EXCELLENT site that summarizes what happens in our brains when humans train us dogs.  Check it out:

http://visual.ly/effect-training-dog-brain

I’m not so sure, though, about the list of easiest and most difficult dogs to train.  I mean we PONs didn’t appear at all.  In either list.  Really – we could go in both.  Depends on the treats.  And as for girls being easier to train – well I don’t know about that.  We certainly find it a challenge to train our human.

All sources say that to keep our brains active, humans should play games with us.  This site has some excellent examples of games to play.  

http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/10-brain-games-to-play-with-your-dog
Frodo and I have certainly played the Treasure Hunt game – in our house it is known as Find the Bunny.   We have also done that game with treats.  We must try it with Elroy.

Hide and Seek is not really a favorite game in our house.  We don’t have someone else to hold us while our human hides, and her experience has been that when she tries this outdoors, on the trail, she finds herself alone in the woods.  We don’t bother looking for her.  OK, OK.  Frodo does.  But Elroy and I have other things to find.  Like bunnies.  And flying leaves.

I like the idea of the Hot and Cold game.  Seems like a simple way to get LOTS of treats.  As for 52 Pick up – that’s my human’s job to put away our toys.  I wouldn’t want to take that from her.

The Red Light Green Light game is something my human has been trying with Elroy.  So far, his red light is kind of yellow.  They have more work to do.

As for Jumping Rope….good luck with that.  My HUMAN isn’t coordinated enough to jump rope – so forget training us dogs to do it.  I envision someone being strangled by the rope…

 Anyway, these games ARE a good way to help us improve our brain health.  And when our brains are active, it can tire us out.  Which in OUR house spells a golden moment – three tired dogs equals pure bliss.  Too bad it happens so infrequently!

October 13.  It’s National Fossil Day.  And no – it’s not my human’s birthday.  It’s a day to celebrate  remains and traces of animals, and plants from a LONG time ago found in rocks and sediment.  The cool thing about fossils is that they give us a picture of life way back when and an idea about how all of us have evolved.

There have been many findings of fossils of dogs – including the Paleolithic dog – whose fossilized remains have been found across Europe.  Skulls of those early dogs have been found alongside the remains of mammoths – and in the hunting camps of humans – possibly indicating the early domestication of us canines.  You humans  THINK you domesticated us, but of COURSE, we know it is the other way around.  Think about it.  You feed us, wash us, pick up our poop… who is controlling who?

In looking for information about dog fossils, I found two REALLY cool facts:

• Just this past year, some researchers in Maryland unearthed the fossil of a “new dog” believed to have existed 12 MILLION years ago.  Even before humans.  They lived on a diet of plants, insects and meat.  The scientific name is Cynarctus wangi, and they were believed to be about the size of a coyote.  Given the timeline here – I think we have even MORE evidence about domestication…..Yup.   We were here FIRST.
• There is a cave in Southern France – the Chauvet Cave- which was discovered to have some of the earliest cave paintings ever.  They were created over 32,000 years ago.  And while the paintings themselves are quite amazing, I LOVED this other fact….in the cave was a 50metre trail…believed to have been made by a young boy of about ten who was carrying a torch.  And longside his footprints were those of a large canid – a wolf or a dog.  So it looks like the little boy had a friend way back then…How COOL is that?! Wonder what his name was…

Nova Scotia is known for several areas where important fossilized remains have been found.  I’ve never heard about a fossilized dog though.  I’ll have to get Elroy working on it – he LOVES to dig…

Have a rockin’ good day!

So yesterday was the “official” Thanksgiving day – even though my human celebrated with the traditional turkey dinner the day before with her family.  Because it was a holiday, it was a day off for most people.  Which for many people might spell the opportunity to sleep in and relax.  Not in our house.

We dogs are creatures of habit.  We are used to getting up at 5AM.  Holiday or not.  So of course, we made sure our human did not mess up her circadian rhythm by sleeping in.  We care about her.  That’s WHY we wake her up.  The only problem – it was POURING rain.

We have not had a POURING rain morning in some time.  Yes, we have had showers – but yesterday we were talking Niagara Falls type rain.  So you KNOW what that means. Pull-a-PON.  It was actually a bit ironic – here we begged our human to get up – and then we didn’t want to go out.  Elroy is FINE with the rain.  He stands there and just stares at the heavens.  I tell ya- he IS different.

Next it was my turn.  I was sporting my cobalt blue raincoat, and I understand that one must “go” quickly in such weather.  So I was out and back in.

But then there is Frodo.  As SOON as he saw the raincoats come out, he was gone.  So that’s why my human took me first – she figured she would catch him afterward.

We came back in and my soaking coat was removed.  My human towel dried my head and then had to go and catch Frodo.  After several loops around the dining room table, she got him by the collar and led him to the door.  He stood and put on his 70’s style ill-fitting plaid coat.  I think that’s part of the problem.  Well.  Maybe not.  Even if he goes WITHOUT a coat, he’s not happy.  He gets to the open door and puts on the brakes.  So the sport of Pull-a-PON begins.  Complete with treat enticement and begging.  He finally agreed to go out the doorway and began his funeral march.  It’s interesting to see how much faster he moves AFTER he makes his “deposit” and is headed for home.

This phenomenon of dogs disliking rain it not completely breed specific.  Although, according to some sources, fear of rain and thunderstorms occurs more frequently in herding breeds – and German Shepherds and Collies were named as examples of breeds disliking the rain.  I get the thunderstorm thing – the loud noise and changes in barometric pressure CAN affect dogs.  And that could be scary.  Interestingly, though, Frodo and I don’t care about thunder.  Not sure about Elroy yet – he hasn’t heard any.

Some sites say that because we dogs have such good hearing, the sound of the rain actually hurts our ears.  Clearly Frodo’s ears are not sensitive to the the sound of his own barking.  I still think he just doesn’t LIKE getting wet.

Anyway, by 6 AM all of us had “done our thing” and were raring to go and DO something else.  Isn’t that what holidays are for?  But for some odd reason, my human just wanted to go back to bed.  GO figure.

Have a good one!