Pawsitive Dog

Growling - Is it bad?

2012-01-22T10:49:00.000-08:00

Yup, I am the talker in this K9 family of 3. I bark & I growl. When a foster dog is added to our pack, I am the one to say "let's play" with a growl and also "give me my toy" with a growl. Humans think I am a bad dog because I growl but I am not. So here is my explanation to help you humans understand your dog's growls.

What is A Growl?
Dogs can’t use words to communicate, so they rely on body languageand vocalizations (growls, barks, and whines, to name a few) to “haveconversations.” Dogs converse with other dogs, as well as with people withthese vocalizations. To really understand your dog, you have to know whatgrowling does – and does not – mean.

Why Do Dogs Growl?
Not all growls are created equal. To decipher the meaning of agrowl, you need to find out why your dog is growling. There are many reasons dogsgrowl – when playing, dreaming, protecting something of value, if they feelthreatened, or scared.

What Does A Growl Mean?

Dog-to-Dog Growls
As mentioned earlier, it’s important to take into considerationthe context in which your dog is growling. Remember, dogs don’t have words.They can only use their body language and vocalizations to communicate withtheir dog friends. Growling is one way dogs communicate with one another. Sometimesdogs growl when they are playing happily with another dog-friend. Wondering howto tell the difference between a serious and a playful growl? Take a lookat your dog’s body. Do you see the following?

“Loose” bodies (not rigidand stiff)

Mutual playing (both dogsare content to play together, neither one looks scared or threatened)
Willingness to continueplaying together (if one gets the chance to leave, does he?)
Cooperative play (dogs taketurns “winning” or pinning each other)

If you see these things, the dogs are most likely engaging innormal dog-play. If either dog looks scared, looks like they are bullying theother dog, or moves stiffly, it’s time to interrupt play-time and let themsettle down before allowing them to play again.

Dogs also growl to communicate their uneasiness. Your dog maygrowl at another dog if that dog is:

Unfamiliar

Too close to a valued object
Behaving inappropriately(jumping on your dog, for instance)
Crowding your dog’s space

When I come back, I will go into Dog to Human Growls. Hana Banana

Lost Dog

2012-01-15T08:19:00.000-08:00

I just saw a new Lost Dog poster on the local grocery store bulletin board and says No ID Tag?!? Don't people understand that their dogs can run out the door, break free from their leash, or escape through an unlatched gate? My neighbors' dog ran out the front door during their New Year's Eve party. They searched and searched for hours and eventually they found him - but they were lucky. Did you know less than 5% of all lost pets are reunited with their owners? It may even be a low as 2 or 3%. This is a terribly sad statistic especially because many of those poor pets could have been returned to their owners if only they had been wearing an ID tag. Rabies tag is not much good when your vet's office is closed! A microchip is an excellent identification system but again, your dog either has to be taken to a vet or Humane Society to be able to have it read. So please include an ID tag to your dog's collar along with his Rabies and microchip. It may save his life!

New Bipartisan law Would Make Dog Bandanas Mandatory!

2011-11-02T16:11:00.000-07:00

Check this out! I want to go shopping for a new bandana, mom!
http://www.theonion.com/articles/new-bipartisan-law-would-make-dog-neckerchiefs-man,26301/

A Bit of Kibble

2011-10-24T16:08:00.001-07:00

Show the world when you are happy. Wag your tail if you have one or wiggle your butt if you don't have a tail. Humans like signs telling them how you feel.

Hana Banana

Hot, Humid, Dehydration

2011-06-21T19:42:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't know about you but I kinda keep a low profile in this weather. Laying on the deck in the shade, watching the elm trees, just in case of squirrel alert, is my style. Not LoonaToon! She is a Wirehaired Pointer and she goes and goes and goes like she is powered by the Everyready Bunny. Dehydration can be a summertime hazard for all us canines, not just those nutso ones like Loona. Of course one on the best ways to keep us safe in the summertime is a lot of cool, clean, fresh water. We have ice cubes floating in our water bucket! This afternoon Mom gave us each a Kong. Not just an ordinary Kong but a frozen one with CANNED FOOD in it!!! Wow did that hit the spot! Why the canned food? I did not do anything spectacular or funny today. No training session. No performances. Ohhhh...to increase the moisture content in our diets for prevention of dehydration. Pass this on to your Mom.

Stay cool, Hana

Duffy The Tale of Terrier

2011-06-19T12:47:00.000-07:00

Mom just finished reading this book. She was quite intent on reading (must of been too good to put down) because everytime I tried to bug her, she'd say "go find dirty toy" (the rag of a toy I drag around) to get me focused on something besides her. This book is written by a Hudson resident and by mom's reaction (smiles) is must read!

http://www.duffythedog.com/

Hilarious video

2011-06-16T16:22:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Rich & Ceasar for sending this to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGeKSiCQkPw

Rawhide 101 Good or Bad

2011-06-12T10:35:00.000-07:00

Rawhide. The stuff is everywhere. And it is available in so many different forms. Choose your own dead animal part pig snouts, ears, hooves, innards or just plain cow skin. I love them all! But why is it risky business to feed me these treats?
   Rawhide is cured animal hide pressed into shapes, such as bones, or just left au natural. This seemingly ultimate chew toy (inexpensive and hey! Us dogs all love'em) has lurking danger potential, especially if us dogs are not monitored for our chewing habits.
   Rawhide can be chewed up into tiny pieces and scratch the throat on the way down to the gut. That is if it makes it to the gut. Choking is another very real danger of rawhide as the uneven, gnarled pieces may get lodged in my throat. If the happy hide makes its way down there without a hitch, then there is the need to worry about acute pancreatitis and intestinal blockage.
   The rawhide comes from bull, cow and horse hides obtained from slaughterhouses. Once all the meat is scraped off, the hide is repeatedly soaked in an ash-lye or lime solution. The ash-lye involves covering or soaking the hide in a mixture of wood ash and water, which creates lye. The hide soaks for approximately three days, then the hair is scraped off.
   As if this weren't scary enough, the next process is sanitizing with a bleach solution. The rawhide is then pressed into shapes and dried, during which time the rawhide shrinks up to half of its size.
   This means that the rawhide will expand in my stomach, once it is wet with saliva and swallowed. My gastric juices will not break it down and it is this bloated piece of hide that can cause a stomach upset or even my death!
   Now this does not sound like something I should eat! But I love rawhide so is there such a thing as "good" rawhide? Yes, there is.
   Purchase American made as there are regulations to processing and hides are fresher with shorter time from cow to you. Hides sent to China, with non-regulation processing, can take months just to get there! Hides can be black with mold and bacteria like salmonella by the time they hit processing. The hides have to sit in bleach a long time to be sanitized!  A common practice with processing in China is to use arsenic and formaldhyde in their processing!  Dangerous stuff!
   So where do you find good rawhide? My human has been ordering from http://www.usbones.com/   All the products are 1) made in the USA, 2) lots of rawhide and bones in natural color, 3) 25% of your purchase dollar goes to PAWS of Western WI (my favorite local non-profit).
   So check them out. Have your human place an order and enjoy (with your human monitoring your chewing, of course).
Chew on, Hana Banana

PS. REMEMBER: Whiter the bone or rawhide, the longer it has sat in bleach, which probably meant it had an excess of mold and/or bacteria to start with. Sorry Walmart. You are out!

Great friends video

2011-05-07T15:14:00.001-07:00

http://5thworld.com/Paradigm/Postings/!Wisdom/OrangutanAndHound.html

The Dog That Can Read

2011-03-12T14:02:00.000-08:00

Once it starts, click on the video on the right
Reading Dog

My Goal in Life

2011-02-27T09:26:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=P9Fyey4D5hg

I am working on it!

Bark, bark! Snow storm today!

2011-02-20T14:58:00.000-08:00

What does all this new snow mean to me? It is exilarating! Fresh, clean spots to make poop in. Finding vermin is a breeze in the moisture. Easier digging for those pesty mice & moles, (yes, I do catch one once in a while). Cool, snow rolling makes sparkling fur. And best of all....a snooze after the exploring Loona & I do. Everyone one takes in a snow storm differently. PT & Hazel (ya, I share my home with cats) take it all in stride & cat nap the day away. JazzLyn, the old dog of the family, decides its too cold to poop outside (she cannot walk too well so it does take a lot of effort for her to break a poop trail in this weather), and Shadow, Jimi & Dylan stay in the barn to munch their hay. So, I hope you, doggy friends, are encouraging your humans to come outside to play your favorite snow games.

Clicker training later. Learning to read pictures. More on that later.

Help! Cat Music Video

2011-02-18T18:09:00.000-08:00

My new friend, Growler

2010-12-17T19:15:00.000-08:00

The best thing about living with a clicker trainer, is that I get to go with (sometimes) on training sessions at client's homes. I get to show off (I am quite the clicker savy pooch, ya know) and help train (& be trained) with dog friends. As you can see, I do get to have playtime too. Found out that Growler loves to play tug like me....woof, woof.... so we did! I have the
best life!!!

Thanksgiving morning

2010-11-25T07:35:00.000-08:00

I smell beans??? What is Dad thinking of? Where is the turkey? Oh, does not go in the oven till 10 AM. Thank goodness.....I am not a vegetarian. Today we are having company for dinner so Mom is already hinting about that "polite sit" thing. Sit with all paws on the floor? Does she realize how hard that is to do? I have short legs which makes me very close to the floor & I know that I will get a "hello" pat if I put my front feet on company legs. I am just too cute to resist, ya know. Polite sit....nada. Jump, twirl, bark....act like a crazy terrier...you bet! Well, I gotta go. Time for me & Loona to go up to the barn. Talk to ya later.

First snow of the season

2010-11-19T18:02:00.000-08:00

I loved the new snow last week! What was really fun was hunting for mice and moles under the snow! And yup I caught a mole and showed it to Shar. Although LoonaToon tried to grab it from me, I managed to sneak it into the house to show Brad and the cats. Soooo proud I am.

Oops, forgot my Clown photo

2010-10-24T10:44:00.000-07:00

Howloween Party

2010-10-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

Thank you Bobtown Pet Clinic for inviting me to your Howloween party. My favorite costume was Darla, dressed as a Dogasaurus. I hate wearing clothes so I just went as a Clown. No silly costume....just a little face paint & woof, woof.

As you can see, I wore out Darla with my play maneuvers.

Awesome Fall Day

2010-10-10T16:59:00.000-07:00

It was a perfect day to go exploring so off we went (Shar drove) to Lucy and Tara's house for an adventure. Tara the BC is on the move all the time and knows the terrain at her farm so she took me on a tour. Woof, woof...the cats were not too sure of me but I don't care. They are cats....no fun. Tara and I wanted a sniffing adventure so we walked the paths and dirt roads towards the river. What a gorgeous route. Tara showed me some of her favorite spots. The oat field was high & Tara jumps in the air higher than the plants to hunt. Of course my legs are about 1/3 the length of hers so jumping was not my forte. I uses my shoulders to plow thru the oats. Worked fine. Tara caught a mouse & ate it. Ya, that made me jealous. Anyway, we sniffed, ran, panted, and walked ourselves back to the house after a 2 hour adventure. Loved the day! Thanks Tara!

Frosty Toes

2010-10-04T06:33:00.000-07:00

First frost on the grass this AM. A little chilly, yes. But when you run as fast as you can up to the barn....well, by the time you get there, your toes do not even notice the cold wetness. After donkey chores and breakfast, a snuggle nap with LoonaToon makes me toasty. I love fall!

I fell in love with Henry

2010-09-12T18:44:00.000-07:00

Best thing about living in a trainers home is that I get to go On Site to help with client's dogs. Yup....Henry. Gonna be a big boy (just a little bigger than me at 13 weeks). His jumps are higher than mine! I was surprised that he could get those big feet off the ground. I guess he gave me the same behaviors that I irritate LoonaToon with. Jump high, jump over, jump on top.....hey, I love it! He loved it...what is it with humans not loving it? Humans can be so boring sometimes!

Beware! This is what global warming may do to your canine friend!

2010-09-08T16:24:00.000-07:00

http://www.pawswi.com/global%20warming.doc

Laws of Learning

2010-09-04T15:12:00.000-07:00

Think about these two basic laws of learning: 1) all animals (including humans) learn by the immediate — not delayed — consequences of their behavior, and 2) behaviors that meet with rewarding consequences will happen more often." -- Unknown

Click Me

2010-08-15T14:15:00.000-07:00

Using a clicker is really an effective way to train me, because it communicates to me what Shar wants me to do. Timing is most important to us canines as our brains are pretty much in the moment. Not 2 minutes prior or later. Right now! And wow is Shar's timing phenomenal! I would assume I had some training from my prior home (I sit up pretty when she came to the Humane Society to see me) but that clicker sound sure can speed up the training process--and once your Human understands how to use one--you learn everything from obedience to tricks in no time. So I am going to try to explain this clicker stuff to you, my fellow canines, so you can encourage your Human to find a Clicker Coach to help them learn the training process so you can learn to be the best dog you can be in a short amount of time. So I will be back soon with more. Time to watch Shar do some donkey training....oh ya, she uses the clicker. Dog brain, donkey brain..not much difference??!!^^

Me & Jimi chewing the greens

Hot Car Facts

2010-07-16T17:36:00.000-07:00

In a relatively mild 85-degree day, it takes only 10 minutes for the interior of a car to reach 102 degrees—and within 30 minutes, the inside of the car can be a staggering 120 degrees! Leaving windows open a few inches does not help. Dogs cool down mostly by panting and the car can become an inferno with the addition of hot panting breath. In only a short amount of time, a dog with a high body temperature can suffer critical damage to his nervous system, heart, liver and brain.

At least 14 states and many municipalities have enacted laws to address the problem of animals left in cars in extreme temperatures. Under these laws, police, animal control agents, peace officers and others may be authorized to enter a vehicle by whatever means necessary to remove an animal. Wisconsin doesn't have a specific law addressing animals left in hot cars (Minnesota does!) but you should still call law enforcement, because it is most likely considered animal cruelty under the state or local laws

2010-07-16T17:34:00.000-07:00

Quick Summary of States with Animals in Parked Cars Laws

Praise Me, Pet Me

2010-07-03T06:35:00.000-07:00

If praise is used as a reward, deliver it in high singsong tones, which are most pleasing for your dog. Also, enthusiasm in your voice will be much appreciated.

If petting is to be used as a reward, it should be in a way that your dog enjoys, such as stroking the hair on the side of her face in the same direction that it grows, or scratching her on the chest. If your dog ducks her head or backs up away from you when you try to stroke her head, she is avoiding your petting. Petting on top of the head is not appreciated by most dogs. I will roll over anytime for a good chest/belly scratch!

Happy 4th!

Hot Day at Hana's House

2010-06-28T15:29:00.000-07:00

Woof..... Too much play for 13 yr old JazzLyn.

Winston's coonhound nose just had to sniff Dylan up close.

Tara the BC is a hard one to keep up to!

The arena was all set up from the day before when Dylan and Jimi (jackasses, I call them) did some trick and obstacle training, so I thought I would call a few of my doggy friends to come over and show those jackasses a few tricks of our own.
Even though it was 10 AM, the humidity was too high to get overly active but we had fun anyway. If you would like to join us sometime, give me an email.
Barking off, Hana Banana

How hot is too hot?

2010-06-20T08:28:00.000-07:00

My husband was at Menards yesterday and he pulled into the parking space next to a pickup. Out of the half rolled down window of this truck was a lab head. The dog was panting, drool running down the outside of the door. It was not particularly hot yesterday....72-75 degrees but the dog sure was looking stressed. How long has this dog been in the truck? Yes, the window was down, head out but how hot was the interior? You could feel the heat rising off the asphalt. My husband went right to the customer service counter and asked to have the owner of the truck paged and it took that person 10 minutes to come up to the counter. After the Menard's employee explained my husband's concern, the Person entered the line at a check out which took another 10 minutes before exiting the store! Doesn't this person realize that heatstroke can be a death sentence for his dog?

Now my question is...what is the law (or is there one?) about leaving a pet in a vehicle on a hot day? Can a person be fined? What action can you take as a concerned citizen?

Shar @ Pawsitive
Hana's human!

Me & PT

2010-06-19T23:52:00.000-07:00

This is my wrestling buddy. Do you have one?

Training Attitude

2010-06-17T16:48:00.000-07:00

There is nothing more critical to the success of my training than my human, Shar’s attitude. Her mindset is more important than the equipment she purchases (although I cannot have too many tug toys), the training method used (woof, woof, I love that clicking sound), or breed I am (?). Nothing can destroy the likelihood of effective training more quickly than Shar having the wrong outlook on the training process.

I, like you and all dogs…well, we naturally crave and enjoy human companionship. When I am approached the right way, I am particularly receptive to learning and developing a strong desire to act in the manner that will please Shar. That is why a proper attitude is exceedingly important with respect to my training. When Shar is pleasant, I will be pleasant. When she is excited about teaching, I will be excited about learning. I often reflect her attitude and disposition. I am sure you can relate to that!

The proper outlook on my training will make my experience infinitely more enjoyable. A pleasant training experience will naturally produce better instruction on Shar’s part. Again, proper attitude will pay training dividends.

So what is the right attitude Shar needs to bring to my training sessions? She needs to strive to maintain a proper perspective at all time and strive for a mood that makes the process fun for both of us. (Warning - Failure to approach training with such an attitude does risk disaster.)

Shar has to be positive. A positive perspective works in conjunction with whatever behavior she wants me to learn. Effective training requires positive reinforcement and that kind of reward is best administered when Shar presents a positive attitude.

Most importantly, Shar must always remember that my training is supposed to be fun. It should be fun for her and just as fun me. (I am a terrier so fun is my middle name!) The idea is to make the training process exciting and enjoyable for me as much as possible. Am I asking too much? No way...By making the process fun and rewarding, I am definitely motivated to listen and perform!

You know what? I AM training Shar right!

Paws up,
Hana Banana

Who I Am

2010-04-02T18:18:00.000-07:00

I came to Pawsitive Dog from the Arnell Humane Society in Amery Wi. I was adopted by Shar, a Pawsitive K9 Coach. Why me? Well, as you can see I am doggone cute (wiry hair w/a short beard) and very active as I am a terrier! And besides, every dog trainer should have the experience of having a Holy Terrier in their life. So here I am. Loving every minute of country life with my 2 big sisters...Jazzlyn the oldest (senior) GSD and LoonaToon the wired GWP.

My blog is about the training I am receiving FROM MY POINT OF VIEW. I am sure this will be quite understandable to all my fellow dog friends, no matter what breed you may be. Yup, this is a blog for dogs to whine, bark, and growl on. With your help, our human friends will learn how to communicate and understand us which will make us the best dogs we can be!

BARKING IS ALLOWED HERE!!!!!

Speak on,
Hana Banana

PS You will see comments, articles, and suggestions written by Pawsitive K9 Coaches, Shar & Erin too. Humans are so verbal!!! Give me a quiet hand signal any day.