My Favorite Dog Tails

One very relaxed dog

In the post below, I share the premature aging of my dog Bella.  My other dog, Chief, is the exact opposite. He is the calmest, most laid-back dog (unless you get in the way of his food dish, then the beagle comes out).  He's either getting lazier or his age is showing in his increased "laziness".  He's almost seven but still looks like a puppy (take note Bella). He's always been a tad slow. He literally slides off of the couch, then stretches, and  slowly walks over.  And all of this is just to go for a walk.  You have to allow extra time for him to make his way across the room.  And lately, he's been try to cut walks short. He'll stop dead and refuse to go.  Once we turn back towards home, he's happy to go. Last night, I made him continue. Although it's been hot, it wasn't last night.  He was also recently at the vet with a clean bill of heatlh so it isn't his health.  I guess it's good he knows his own mind, but when he really gets old, I wonder if I'm going to have to take him around in a wheelbarrow!

Dug: The dog from Up

Last year, an animated movie come out called Up. It's a great movie in many ways. One of those ways is a talking dog named Dug. The writers did a wonderful job with a script that sounds how you expect a dog to talk. For example, upon meeting the main characters Dug says, "I have just met you and I love you." Anyone with a dog realizes how true this is! The actor also does a fantastic job with the characterization of Dug's voice.

The other reason I enjoy Dug so much because he reminds me of my dog, Chief. If Chief could talk, I would expect him to talk and sound like Dug.

What Do Dogs Bark At?

Recently, my youngest son and I watched the movie, Up (great animated movie, by the way). In what part, this dog with a voice maker (turns barks into human language, conveniently English) would frequently stop everything, become totally still, look in the distance, and say, "Squirrel".  After a few second, normal behavior would resume.

My dogs do something similar.

Out of the blue, they will spot something and start to bark. All attention and body language is focused on the barking target. 95% of the time, I have no idea what they are barking at. But are they insistent. Is it a squirre, dog, other animall? Do they hear something beyond my human hearing? Did a leaf fall by the window? Or are they simply crazy?

I generally think it's that they heard something, but I'll never know. Unless I can find a voice maker that interprets dog barks into English!

Chief: The best or worst of two popular dog breeds?

 Chief is part beagle and part labrator retriever, two of the most popular dog breeds in the U.S. His coat has a thick underlayer like a lab and the length of the top coat is also long and soft like a lab. But the color is tri-color like a beagle. His body is shaped more like a lab, but smaller, like a lab puppy. His head looks more lab. He likes to sniff like a beagle but doesn't track a scent.  If he has "hunted" anything, it has been birds, like a lab. He barks like a lab but howls like a beagle. He has the laid-back, gentle nature of a lab, but he can be stubborn and independent like a beagle.

In short, he's a mix in every way, shape, and form.

Experts say to get purebreds so that you'll know their personality. True. But I know Chief's personality just fine and which set of genes to praise or blame certain characteristics. However, the best part of his mixed genetic make up is that he does not have allergies that beagles are prone to. Nor does he have the hip problems that often plague labs. He is extraordinarily healthy.  Some will argue, but I had another cross-breed or mutt that lived 16 years, so I'm going with the contention that mixed breeds are healthier.

Now, whether he has the best or worst of those two popular dog breeds, I'll let you decide. But we think Chief is perfect just the way he is! And we're glad we rescued  him from doggy death row in rural, southern Indiana.  I'd encourage any dog owner - past, current, or future - to do the same when getting their next canine companion.

If Your Dog Were a Rock Star ...

My sons and I were talking in the car about what kind of musicians would our dogs be if they were, well, human. We decided that Chief would be a country singer. His songs would be slow ballads about the quirks of life and simple joys (chewing a shoe, sitting on the deck in the sun, sleeping a warm lap). Bella would be a rockin' chick with an edge. A slightly neurotic edge. Like the rock star, Pink, maybe. But she'd be really great to her fans, signing autographs, having a Facebook page.

I'm not sure why we try to humanize our dogs, but always fun when we think we see "human" traits in their canine actions.

Oh, gotta go. Bella is demanding organic dog treats in a crystal bowl before her next number. <smile>

Dog Tricks: Eye to Mouth Coordination

You've heard of eye-to-hand coordination?  Its important for athletes, especially in baseball and tennis. Have you ever heard of Eye-to-Mouth coordination?  It's that canine ability for dogs to catch tasty treat morsels in their mouth.

Chief is a champ. He has caught as many as 20 goldfish crackers in a row. Perfectly. Opening and grabbing at just the last minute.  He could have done more, but I didn't want to overfeed him or waste crackers.

Bella, on the other hand, is not so good. Or maybe she's part seal.  She bounces most of the crackers off of her nose. If I lob it really high, she'll get it about 50% of the time. She really can't judge the distance properly. 

Not sure what they can do with this talent (or lack thereof), other than amuse me. I'll have to get a picture or video clip up.

The Amazing Scent Ability of Hounds

One morning while Bella and Chief were sleeping with my sons, and I was getting ready for work, Bella broke the quiet dawn with her patented non-stop barking used to signal anything from "Look, there's a squirrel" to "Hey Spike, neighbor, how's the sniffing these days?"  I took her out on the leash to do her business, and she kept trying to look into the front yard. I brought her in and looked out the front door. There were four deer in the front yard. She had SMELLED them through closed windows on the second floor.  They were shut and locked and the blinds drawn, so she hadn't seen them. She smelled them.  I knew she had a great sniffer, but this really surprised and amazed me.

In contrast, Chief kept sleeping and didn't want to leave the warm, cushy bed.  He either couldn't smell them (very possible, his nose is not nearly as keen as hers) or just didn't care (highly likely, the stubborn hound combined with the laid-back lab in Chief's DNA often translates into a "If it requires moving, I really don't care" attitude).

Still Puppies after all These Years

Chief and Bella have not lost their puppiness. Last night they raced and chased each other around the house, over the sofa, under the table, through the chairs like two puppies. Chief is almost 4 years old and Bella three and a half. You might expect some mature decorum from them. Nope. Chief still chews about anything he can get his teeth on. Bella still piddles whenever a new person comes to visit in her excitement to meet them (aren't you glad humans don't have this trait!). So even though they're getting older, they're not growing up.  Looks like I'll have baby gates throughout the house for some time yet to come!

Dogs Play Favorites

I have no doubt that both Bella and Chief love me and recognize me as the Alpha dog, leader of the pack.  Both like to snuggle up with me in different circumstances. Chief likes my lap when watching tv on the couch. Bella views that my bed is her bed. In fact, when it comes to sleeping, Bella much prefers to sleep with me. Chief, when he has his choice, picks sleeping with my boys. It's like a male-bonding ritual that transcends species. 

5 Characteristics of an Alpha Dog

In your reactions with your dog(s), it's important to be the recognized Alpha dog of your pack (i.e., family).  Although Bella would like to be the Alpha Dog, she doesn't have the confidence.  Chief is the quite, assertive Alpha between the two. I am the Alpha over them. (Does that make Chief, the Beta dog?)

Here are a five characteristics that demonstrate that Chief has dominance in the pack hierarchy over Bella. If you want Alpha status over your dogs, you should be sure to the do the same behaviors.

1) First to go out the door. Some times Bella sneaks in front, but nearly always Chief goes out first.  This is an easy way to establish authority. So when you take them out for a walk, go out the door first, making them wait until you have crossed the threshold.

2) First to the water bowl. Bella waits until Chief is through. (Now, I'm not saying you should get down on hands and knees and slurp from the dog bowl, but many experts advise to feed your dogs after the family has eaten.)

3) First to eat. Same as above. Although I feed both dogs in their kennels, Bella will wait until Chief starts eating to eat.  And if I don't feed them in their kennels, Chief will ...

4) Help himself to Bella's food.  If I leave the door unlocked, he will come right into her cage and take over her food bowl. She always acquiesces.  (Again, I'm not suggesting you reach in while they're eating and help herself to a kibble, but if you share a snack, make sure you get first dibs.)

5) Gets his way. While this may not seem fair for one person to always get his/her way, it is in the dog pack. If Chief wants a toy and doesn't just want to play with it with Bella (like a tug), he will command that she gives it up. And if he has one, she will not try to take it away.   So when you discipline or train your dog, remember you must and should win. If you say sit, do it until the dog sits - no treat or reward until they obey.

I have found the dogs behave much better for me than the children. Why?  Because they know I'm the Alpha and outrank them. If they ever misbehave with the children, I remind them of these steps for them to re-establish their place in the pack hierarchy. The dog pack is not a democracy. There is a King/Queen, the Alpha.  Your dogs behavior will the better if you are the Alpha, and if you recognize which dog has dominance if you have more than one.