Reading Review #2: Dr. Ian Dunbar's Before & After

Good Morning, Afternoon, and Evening to you lovely dog people in the interspace. I am going to do another book review for you today while I'm working away at my computer here. I bought this book not out of what I have heard about Dr. Dunbar's approach but out of pure consumerism. I'm actually a member of the local bookstore chain Chapters Indigo and since buying a membership/frequent buyer's card I had a coupon for so much off of a book providing I bought it online. This book was the result of my endless search for all things dog.

Granted, there are a load of ill-advised and over populated dog books out there, this is not one of them. I throughly enjoyed Dr. Dunbar's approach at raising a dog from puppyhood. Dr. Dunbar (now that I am aware) is well known in the dog world and has a stable business and series or books and DVD's that explore how to get the best out of your dog.

The first section is concerned with the fast and dirty of going into dog ownership. I think this is primarily for those owners who have their dog prior to reading the text. It goes about exploring rule learning, physical handling, confinement, socialization, and some serious concerns with small behaviour problems in your pup. It's a very good opener to a book that is very easy to read and very understandable.

In the following section, Dr. Dunbar breaks down the chronological developmental deadlines that every pup goes through. Though I think that these deadlines cannot be set in stone due to the same variations that we see in the social development of humans, Dr. Dunbar also suggests that these deadlines are crucial but have flexibility (especially in the case of owning an older puppy).

Dunbar suggests there are 6 major developmental deadlines as follows:

1. Education

• Dunbar goes into depth about how to choose your dog (Mix breed or Pure? Spaniel or Retriever?). He then talks about when you should bring the puppy into your home (note: NEVER bring a puppy into a home at holidays or other celebratory times).
• Dr. Dunbar is a big promoter of adopting a dog from the shelter. This is very aimiable because I believe that adopting dogs who need homes is very important, especially in North America. I plan on adopting greyhounds in the future when I own a home that has a fenced yard.
• Selecting a good breeder is one of the ways you can prevent the onset of Puppy Mills around your area. With the addition of the Pet Shop to our materialistic culture we have created a vortex of bad news bears by not supporting local breeders and supporting the quick and cheap puppy mill version of already sick dogs.
• Dr. Dunbar also includes a small shopping list of things you'll need in preparation for your puppy (He believes in training a dog to eat from Kong stuff toys rather than from food bowls which is quite interesting and definitely worth a try).

2. Puppy Social Progression (with owners and other pups)

• Dr. Dunbar talks about going to the breeder to see the puppies after the first set of immunizations (usually a couple of weeks after the eyes open -at the 1 month stage). All breeders should welcome you in their home for viewing provided you will not provide any risks to the animals.
• When going to the breeders to choose a puppy you should be able to comfortably handle the pup in all of the sensitive spaces (bum, underleg, belly, genitals, mouth and teeth, ears).
• Some people have been popularizing Alpha rollovers to test dominance in a dog (it is not recommended by the author)
• It's important to test the animals sensitivity to sound as a pup should be surrounded by sounds in the breeder's home (pots banging, cupboards or doors slamming, people being loud, etc. )
• A pup should know basic manners when coming from the breeder to your home. It should already know how to sit, lie down, and possibly roll over (though I think this is one of the hardest things a dog can learn, it's not natural for a dog to want to roll over to its backside).
• The final thing is to consider your preference in the litter. Do you like the obnoxious know it all pup or do you prefer a pup who is waiting its turn to see you?

3. Puppy Training and Confinement

• This is one of the most intensive chapters. I personally spent a lot of time reading this chapter to absorb all of the information. Dunbar actually teaches what you should work on with your puppy during the first week in your home. Then he outlines chew-toy training and errorless housetraining.
• What to do when you aren't home. This is a big deal for me as I hate the idea of leaving a pup during the day for the first couple of weeks. Think about it for a moment- a pup spends all of his time with his litter mates until you take him/her away to a quite lonely place where you're bored and tired of having no fun- it doesn't sound like its much good to me. But we are often very busy people so I think that Dunbar has some very useful tips about what to do while you are away.
• What to do when you're home. Just because you're home doesn't mean you should be spending all of your time occupying a puppy. They need to learn that quite time happens when you're in the house as well as when you are gone.
• The differences between short and long term confinement.
• Pitfalls and training tips to make sure your puppy doesn't make piddles on your floor into adulthood.
• Chew-toys are a godsend according to this expert. I actually like the idea of using chew-toys to feed your dog. My previous family pet had a Kong toy and it went over well. So allowing your dog to hunt, gather, and dig out for food is much better than letting him/her run back and forth to a bowl.
• Theres so much other stuff in this chapter that I can't possibly talk about it all but I'll list some of the things I left out: Kong stuffing 101, Settle down and Shush, Home Alone, Separation Anxiety, When leaving home, When returning home, Jekyll & Hide Behaviours, Wonderful Weekends...worrysome weekdays, what to do at nighttime, sit etc. and Misbehaviour.

4. Puppy-People Socialization

• Dr. D (as I shall now call him) insists laying on the heavy for socialization with people. In fact, he has a rule, 3 people a day must meet your puppy (100 people by 4 months of age). That's a lot of people but once you read the chapter it makes a lot of sense.
• Each person that meets your pup should get him/her to sit, lie down, and roll over before playing or petting the pup.
• As many children and/or men as possible should meet your dog in this training stage. This teaches your puppy to like and respect people.
• Positive training methods are of utmost importance to Dr. D. They should be given appropriately and in a timely manner. Actually, according to Dr. D your dog should be only hand or chew-toy fed until the pup is fully trained (mostly never).
• Once the pup is comfortable with sitting, laying down, and rolling over guests should be training the dog by handling them and playing puppy games. Teaching bite inhibition and positive punishment practice.
• Socialization continuation throughout the dogs life is also discussed in a heavy way. The phrase "I ate my dog's homework" is used to undermine the human condition of making excuses for not continuing socialization and training through the lifespan.

5. Bite Inhibition

• This is an important skill for all dogs to learn. Having soft gums is very good for playing with your pup and teaches them to never let themselves get out of control. Bite inhibition training is combined with the Sit and Shush to create a well minding dog.
• Dr. D also introduces the idea of puppy training classes in this chapter.

It's short and sweet but has an important message.

6. Navigating the world through Adolescence

• The sixth deadline involves what to expect when your puppy starts going through adolescence. How to maintain all of the training you worked on through puppyhood. And how to continually keep socializing and training for the greater world. Distractions in the environment continually inflict your dog. Distracting your dog from training and generally maintaining a balanced condition.
• Introduction to training in the car, on a walk, in a dog park, recall, and emergency sit.
• How to play during training sessions, integrating training and lifestyles.

The final chapters are so much simpler than the other in-depth chapters. Dr. D goes through puppy priorities both important to teach and urgent to teach. Then homework schedules, and finally a listing of important books, videos, websites for training, ownership, and fun.

I am looking forward to picking up some more of Dr. D's books in the future. He has a lot of good things to say and a great attitude toward the canine disposition.

Reading Review #2: Dr. Ian Dunbar

Reading Review #1: Happy Dogs

This is actually the second dog book that I've read in the past month (I'm on to the third now). I picked up the book at my local Chapters-Indigo Store here in St. John's, Newfoundland. Upon first impressions I thought the book would be valuable based upon all of the different sections and topics that I glanced at.

Only later, did I realize that the book was co-written by Oprah's dog groomer. I have to say when Billy introduced himself as a celebrity dog groomer I was a bit unconvinced that I'd actually picked up a useful book. But alas, there I sat with a book that I had just purchased from the bookstore, feeling that I absolutely had to keep reading to see if I got my money worth. Up until this point I had made 3 observations about this book.

a)It had a lovely and attractive breakdown for new comers to the pet side of life.

b)There seemed to be loads of information in the book from training for grooming, to nutrition, to first aid, and dog treat recipes.

c)It also had outlined that positive dog training was the way to go.

The first chapter of the book takes you through the basic anatomy of a dog and explains why it is important to care for your dog at home and in between professional visits. Billy's whole regime surrounds the idea of caring for your dog to promote health and well-being. He goes into great detail by explaining how you (the dog owner) should choose the appropriate people (he uses the word team) to care for your dog. That includes trainers, dog walkers, day care, kennels, and veterinarians. Billy provides some basic questions to ask these people when researching who's available in your area to help you maintain your dog.

Billy later explains how there is a deep rooted connection between a dog's health and it's nutrition. All good dog owners should know this already but if you're a bit confused as to why you should not buy your dog food from a grocery store then this book breaks it down for you. Overall, the book is written in the simplest of manner which makes it accessible for people who do not love to read as much as I do. Sometimes, for the avid reader, it can be a bit patronizing.

Billy also goes into great detail about how you should dog proof your home. This protects everyone because chances are if your home is dog proof then it is also baby proof to a great extent. The emergency care section comes right after this chapter as it explores things that affect dogs on a daily basis like heat exhaustion, and hypothermia. It also, talks about taking your dog on vacation or to the trail/campsite. This was particularly of interest to me as I plan on taking the dog with me whenever I can get the chance. That means camping, hiking, and driving.

The book outlines how airline travel is significantly stressful for your dog and that you should try and avoid it unless absolutely necessary. Billy also goes into detail about car travel and how often you should stop. He also is an avid believer in never ever leaving your dog in a car unattended.

The rest of the book outlines games that you can play with your pup. Some common allergies and parasites that affect your pet. Of particular interest is a yearly, monthly, weekly breakdown of routine dog related checks that any good dog owner should perform.

Keeping in mind that Billy is a groomer then, it makes sense that he has dedicated 4 chapters to at-home grooming and professional grooming. First, he talks about which tools you will need to maintain your own dog groom station at home based upon your breed's hair type. Then how to perform an entire body inspection of your dog. Thirdly, he discusses how to perform dirty-jobs at home (some of which are disastrously gross). Finally, he suggests why you should take your dog to the groomer for specific tasks that are dangerous to do at home (like nail clipping). I am a bit critical of some of his reasons why you should take your dog to the groomer but, I understand that Billy is a professional groomer for a living and if he didn't promote professional grooming in his book he may be putting himself into some hot water.

I liked the book. The writing was easy to understand. It was chopped into small portions for those of you who are non-readers or slow readers. I did find some places patronizing but I can live with that. Also, if you've never owned a dog and are unfamiliar with how to do regular maintenance then I suggest you read this. It is a long book with a whole load of information so be warned. Also, I suggest you read other books. This is not the end all be all of dog information books out there. I'll definitely be referring to it for my grooming training as a dog owner. Great Job Billy. Enjoy everyone else.

Productive Products V.2.0.

YAY!!!!

Today I got some wonderful things in the mail. Hooray Mail! For those of you who are interested and don't know. I love to order things online for several reasons.

1. I don't have to wander aimlessly searching for things in the mall.

2. I don't have to deal with mall crowds.

3. My car doesn't get scratched by parking in mall parking lots.

4. I can shop whenever I want. That means 6 am or 4 am.

5. I can shop wearing nothing at all. Or pyjamas.

6. I get things in the mail! It's the expectation that gets me.

It's like christmas to me when I get boxes in the mail. I get so excited that I actually become a tracking number diva online with Canada Post. Which can be annoying to those friends who get to hear my latest update about where my package is and when I expect to get it.

You're asking about what I got by now I guess? Sorry, I warned you with the prepositioned YAY!!! above that I might be excited. Today I got two parcels that I've been looking forward to getting. I got a book, clothes, and a dog bed. Big haul for a friday right? I thought so. Now I'm just waiting for a package full of outdoor wear from Mountain Equipment Co-op which has nothing to do with this dog blog.

Below you'll see a picture of the L.L.Bean Denim Dog Bed that I ordered. When I opened the box that it came in I was surprised to see that the pillow and the cover were seperately packaged.

Brand New L.L. Bean Dog Bed

The pillow itself was very firm and adequately sewn. I'm a fan of the actual pillow and it is sewn in a doughnut sort of manner. The pillow is probably stuffed better than my own pillows on my bed. I sat on the pillow and tested it's durability. After siting on the pillow for about 5 minutes I got up and my arse print lifted immediately (no dents). I also did not get a hard floor feeling from the bottom of the pillow. It was like siting on a couch.

The cover is actually made of a midweight denim fabric. It feels like my father's carpentry coveralls. Which seems like it would stand the test of time. It will also wash pretty nice. Eventually I expect to see some colour fading due to the fabric. It should feel like a pair of worn in denim jeans when used regularly. At this price point ($59CAD) I feel like I got my money's worth. The true test of course will be when my dog gets to break it in !

Ian Dunbar's Book on Puppy Ownership

This is a book that I ordered from Chapters-Indigo. It's a Canadian version of Barnes and Nobles. The truth about this book is that I had a coupon for $5 off of the purchase online. So, I bought another dog book to add to my growing collection. Dr. Dunbar is pretty well known. The book itself has a pretty good rating but once I read it I'll post a judgement of how I actually rate it amongst what I've read. He has a website that is quite extensive so I'm just hoping that the material covered in the book is somewhat different from the information that is available online. More to come on this one I'm afraid...

Finally, this week my dear friend Hannah went back to Norway for the summer. She'll be having some really great experiences before she gets her dog. Alas, she'll be one of my main dog coordinating partners through the growth, development, and training of my new pet. She's also getting a dog in August upon her return to the country. Soon she should find out if the pregnancy was a success from her breeder. It's exciting. Check her blog out at tervtails.blogspot.com . She's been so good to me the last couple of months. She's my dog-talk person for sure. And below you'll find a picture of us expectant pet owners.

Hannah and I as she leaves for her Flight to Norway. (Hannah don't kill me)

St. John's is Dog Friendly

The above video was of one of my four legged friends Kaede. She is owned by my friends Tak and Marcie. Kaede is a black labrador retriever mix who is about 19 months old. She was adopted in January of this year from the local pound.

Yesterday, it was one of those rare sunny days in St. John's. So earlier in the morning I had to take the chance to get out into the sun. We've been training Kaede since January and since we got her in her "teenage days" she sometimes has the tendency to get rambunctious. She is a very smart and beautiful dog however, giving me the opportunity to work on training techniques and seeing the struggles that can happen.

Adopting a dog was a wonderful choice for my friends who have lots of time to dedicate to helping Kaede re-learn how she should behave according to people. One of the things she's particularly struggling with in various environments is leash training. She likes to pull quite a bit and thus takes the lead. So we tried umbilical training yesterday and I'm not particularly pleased about how it turned out. I think maybe if it was a part of her everyday thing that she'd understand the idea of staying by the side. Yesterday, she got to learn that pulling means we stop.

The advantage of umbilical training is that she can't pull Marcie off of her feet as easily (who is very petite and often struggles with Kaede's pulling). I recommended her to train like this around the home as well so she can get used to it.

So we walked around the beautiful Quidi Vidi Lake yesterday and soaked up some sunshine. We started out on the South side of the pond and walked around to the dog park. This dog park is set up by the City of St. John's and offers a great place for dogs to play and socialize. It's fenced in with double gate entries on both sides. Marcie and Tak were unsure about the dog park and Kaede at first.

I suggested that a) try it with a lead on at first before you set her free, b) this lets the other dogs come welcome her and she meets them in a controlled manner. c) From the first meeting you can always be aware of how your dog is interacting with the others and if there is the potential of harm. If the park doesn't have the right kind of dogs and owners at the time then you can easily walk out of the park in a controlled manner.

Tak and Marcie decided that it felt okay and set Kaede free. She had a blast obviously. After the dog park adventure Kaede responded much better to walking in the Heel position. It makes sense to get all of the excited energy out before training. Not as a puppy of course but she is old enough to handle it.

I hope to bring my dog to this spot when I get him/her as this will provide great training and socialization ground. Next to the fenced dog park there is a big field that would serve well for recall training. I'm excited about training and Kaede is a very good example of how patience and time can provide the results you want.

Productive Products

So, today I bought a dog bed. I have been trying not to buy everything that I need for the future puppy. It's hard. I'll blame the consumerist culture for right now but not my ever impending excitement towards a new member of the family.

I have been considering dog beds and which to get. Originally, I had heard good things about the L.L. Bean Pet beds. I really love their clothes so I decided to buy one today given the fact that I was already making spring purchases. Here's what it looks like:

I have been looking at products all week. I am slightly obsessed but you can deal with that how you like. One of the other things I have been looking at is a specialized water bowl for dogs with long ears. The trouble with long ears is that they get in the way of life. It becomes even more problematic when you have feathered hair on the long ears. Wet ears can lead to bacterial infections in the ear and damage a dog's hearing.

There is serious concern for this in Spaniel breeds. So it makes sense to me to try and avoid this problem in the beginning. At first, I was thinking about making my own. But since I don't have access to clay and/or a studio I thought it best to see what is out there. I found www.spanielbowls.com. It's custom pottery bowls for dogs with long ears. They are not only aesthetically appealing but they also function quite well. This website has numerous photos of the bowls in action. This is one of their bowls:

They are quite expensive though. So, it's going to take time for me to build up extra monies to buy these with my budget. But I have time so it works. I'm also working on a little surprise for those of you who are knitters out there. Other options are available for dogs if these bowls are out of the $$ range. A snood is one option. That's just a fancy word for a hat-type sleeve that holds the ears back. This is an object that must be used from the start so that the dog is used to the feeling of a snood. I'm working on a self-made knitting pattern for one so stay tuned for the final project.

The First Woof and Wag

This is my attempt at journaling my progression of dog ownership. It is a "dog blog" and before you judge me too much I'd like to explain why I bothered. Firstly, as you can already guess being a dog owner will be a big deal for me. A life step that I'd rather not forget. Second, the community of dog owner's online is huge and I'm talking at least half of the 500 Billion people who currently use the social media networking website Facebook. It's a good way to get advice, tips, and make contact with the dog people of the world. Thirdly, I do not believe in Facebook dog profiles, nor do I believe in the creation of pet based social communication online. Let's face it if Minnie the dog was to post a status update on Facebook then it would be woof, sniff, or whine and not "getting ready for a walk with the owners". So, this is for me, end point. Fourth, I live away from some of my closest friends and family. They are interested in the progress of not only my life but the life of my future pup. Having a blog (hopefully with videos at some point) will make it easier for them to connect with my various trials, tribulations, and celebrations with the pet. It will also provide some commentary on the things I am reading, seeing, or product that I think is worth talking about. Finally, I have spent the past 3 years excited about the purchase and ultimate responsibility of a dog. I have nothing against cats ( I quite like them, even own one named Caley who's a ragdoll) it's just that a dog is a little more responsibility. It's also an indication of my adult growth (in my opinion) so it's priority to keep myself in check.

Enough justification for one day on why I created the Blog. Now I'd like to tell you about my potential pup preference. As many of my friends and family know, I LOVE greyhounds. It's a personal goal of mine to own one at some point. However, these dogs (though the laziest animals I've seen) are a large breed. Naturally, this is problematic when living in rented spaces. I'm afraid to say that my small basement apartment is not large enough to house a large breed like that at this time. That's why I'm getting one of these:

This is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. It is different from the, often confused, English Toy Spaniel (called the King Charles Spaniel in the UK) which has a flattened face due to breeding with Pugs and Pekinese. These dogs are in the Toy Group of the CKC (Canadian Kennel Club) but are the largest of the toy breeds standing 12-13 inches and weighing 13-18 pounds. Now, I'm not usually a fan of lap dogs but these guys are extraordinary in my opinion. See the following videos for a quick visual.

Animal Planets Dogs 101 Segment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rd5dR7YR2ig

Breed All About it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ave3YP77vhU

Jackson the Amazing 4 Month Old Cav:

The Cav (as I lovingly shorten it) is a companion dog. Excellently, it loves to train to please you. This makes me excited at the possibility of having an Agility trained pet. It's also well suited for travel with it's easy-going temperament and small size. These dogs were considered royalty and at one point it was declared that they were never to be denied access to a public place in the UK. They are spaniels though so they are particularly good at retrieval tasks. Long ago, it was illegal to hunt with a dog higher than 13 inches in Britain so these dogs were favoured. Though it is in the top 10 of favourite breeds (in competition with Labrador Retrievers) I have seen very few in Newfoundland and Labrador.

In a future post, I will be talking about breeders here in the province.