Jenn's Adventures in Africa-South Africa

Jenn recently spent three weeks in Africa and she says it was the most amazing experience of her life!  She met wonderful people, saw gazillions of animals, and traveled to remote parts of the African bush. But things started here:

...in Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa.  But not before Jenn spent over 20 hours on a plane to get there.  Yikes!!  Jenn met her other traveling companions at the Donnybrook Guest House and then headed to the  Elephant Sanctuary at Hartbeespoortdam.  Here's Jenn and her friend Anthony meeting a very friendly female ele.

 
Here's a video Jenn shot:

Then, Jenn went to the nearby Bush Babies Sanctuary for some close encounters with lemurs and monkeys:

Next, it was off to the Pilanesberg Reserve about 2 hours from Johannesburg.  Here are some photos from Jenn's game drives in Pilanesberg:

Here's a video that Jenn made from Pilanesberg featuring a lioness carrying her cub, a close encounter elephant encounter, and a plethora of elephants, and hippes at a watering hole.

Wow!  And that's only the beginning of Jenn's adventures in Africa!  Next, it's off to the bush in Botswana!!

Jenn's Going to Africa!

Jenn says that she is going on an adventure next month to Africa!  Her TTouch friend Edie Jane arranged the trip to South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe and it sounds like Jenn is going to have the trip of a lifetime.  First of all, Africa is really far away and really huge.  Jenn has to travel 8,000 miles over 22 hours just to get there and she is only visiting a small part of the continent.  But here's where she is going:

Jenn flies into Johannesburg, and she gets to spend two days exploring.  She plans to go to the Elephant Sanctuary at Hartbeespoortdam.

Jenn will have the opportunity to get up close with elephants and learn about how they use positive reinforcement based animal husbandry techniques to keep the sanctuary elephants happy and healthy.

Then, it's off to the Pilanesberg Reserve. 

Pilanesberg Reserve is located on an eroded volcano crater (one of only three the world).  The reserve has lions, leopards, black and white rhino, elephants and buffalos and a wide variety of rare species including nocturnal brown hyaena, cheetah, sable, as well as giraffe, zebra, hippo and crocodile, to mention but a few.

If you ask Jenn, she has always wanted to see all these animals in the wild, but especially her all time favorite, the cheetah.  Wait a minute!!  I thought dogs were her favorites.  Hmmph!

After two days in Pilanesberg, Jenn gets on a little tiny plane and is off to Botswana for five days at RAW Botswana (Ride and Walk), an eco-camp in the Okavango Delta.  The Okavango Delta is a very special place, the largest inland delta in the world.  It floods several months out of the year, which attracts large groups of animals from all over southern Africa. Jenn is staying in the Motswiri camp, near the Selinda spillway on the far right side of this map:

So Jenn can hike and boat to watch the animals.

Whoa!!  From Botswana, the group heads into Zimbabwe for a few days at Victoria Falls.   Victoria Falls is the largest waterfall in the world, twice the height of Niagara Falls. 

From there, it is back to Johannesburg for a bit of a rest before flying back to North Carolina. Puppies aren't welcome on this trip-which means I have to stay home.  Bummer.   But Jenn is really looking forward to playing adventurer even if she has to go without me! 

The Genius of Us and Dognition!!

Jenn's been busy working on some projects focusing on the new book called "The Genius of Dogs: How Dogs are Smarter Than You Think" and the new company called Dognition.  Both are exciting ventures by Dr. Brian Hare, of the Duke Canine Cognition Center, to help you humans learn about how smart your dogs are and to gather tons of information from dogs and people all over the world.   The information that is gathered could help lead to major discoveries!!  

Here's Jenn and Jet featured in a story on CBS Morning News:

I remember participating in three different canine cognition studies at Duke, showing them all about my intelligence and problem solving skills.  Here I am acing one of the cup tests!

What's really cool is Dr. Hare and his wife Vanessa Woods, wrote a book about how dogs are smart and about all the research that's been done over the past 10 years that proves it.  The book is available on Amazon and Jenn says that it is really terrific.  Jenn got to interview Dr. Hare and she wrote a review of the book that will be in a upcoming issue of the APDT Journal, The Chronicle of the Dog.

 

Dr. Hare talks about how dogs developed the ability to use information from humans to be successful, like how we follow your gestures.  But not only can you read all about dog intelligence in Dr. Hare's book, but you can find out how your dog is a genius at home!  Dognition is the new company that offers scientific games called the Canine Assessment Toolkit that you and your dog can play, that determine your dog's unique problem solving skills.  

                                         

Once you play all the games, a Dognition Profile tells you what kind of problem solver your dog is.

The games are super fun and I got to play them with Jenn and Eric.  We played games that measured empathy, communication, cunning, memory, and reasoning.  My results said that I'm a Renaissance Dog, which means that I use a variety of problem solving techniques, like a "jack of all trades."    Once you know how we learn and solve problems, you can give us the information we need to solve problems faster.  Super cool!!

So how can you and your dog get in on the fun??  Now you can get your human to go to Dognition.com and play the games with you and find out how smart you are!  Jenn is a member of the Dognition Trainer Program, so email her and she'll send you a $20 discount code.  

Be the Heart of Your Pack!

Seems that Jenn had a pretty terrific trip last weekend to San Francisco to attend Clicker Expo, a conference for science based animal trainers.  Jenn says the best thing about Clicker Expo is that it is a chance to learn and mingle with the most advanced trainers in the world, (including Karen Pryor who Jenn got to meet!) all on whom use training methods based in science.  Jenn attended sessions by Karen Pryor, Dr. Susan Friedman, Kay Laurence, Julie Shaw, Debbie Martin, Emma Parsons, and Michele Pouliot and got to attend some learning labs with dogs.

The most memorable and insightful subjects from Clicker Expo came out of sessions by British trainer Kay Laurence.  They sum up how Jenn and many science based trainers feel about their role in training and their relationships with animals (especially dogs).   

There are so many people telling you to "Be the Pack Leader" by doing simply awful and hurtful things to dogs, things that destroy the dog's trust, things that create stress along with larger problems.  When in reality, the goal should not be being "leader" of a pack, but being the Heart of the Pack.

Being the Heart of the Pack means that you don't need to dominate, intimidate, hurt, startle, or punish to have success and harmony with your animal companions.  We should be focusing on creating a connection with the animal based on trust, safety and cooperation.  There are so many science based training options available (like clicker training) that allow that connection and communication to flourish.  Listen to your heart when you select a training method, and learn to be the Heart of the Pack.

We often restrain, resist, and strip away what our dogs are.  Like trying to forcefully slam a square peg into a round hole.  If we just find a way to change the round hole so that it is just big enough for the square peg.

Sometimes, we get so focused on achieving goals, we try to make our dogs conform to our idea of what they should be, and we lose track or ignore what where born to be.  This is seen so much in the disconnection of leash walking.   Our focus shouldn't be on the latest harness or the latest technique that function on suppression.  This is not learning and does not create a true connection.  It should be about establishing and nurturing the connection between the dog and their person, sharing positive experiences, feeling comfort and security with each other.   Most dogs are programmed to connect with us and we often just don't know how to connect with them.

Jenn hopes to take these ideas and others from Clicker Expo and use them to help her be a better trainer with people and with animals. 

Having Safe and Happy Holidays

The holidays are a super exciting time of year with visitors, traveling, lots of food preparation, and decorations and packages around the house.  Although I do enjoy the change of pace, it can all be a little overwhelming for me and other pets. 

During the holidays, it is important to consider keeping your pet safe and stress free which includes keeping them on a normal diet, managing your pets with children, using crates and supervision, giving extra chew toys and mental toys, and planning to keep us well exercised.

DIET The holidays are all about humans overindulging, but that is not the safest thing for your pets.  It's a good idea to keep your pets on their normal diet to avoid stomach upset.  Even small amounts of fatty turkey skin can mean trouble.  And, I'm sure that last thing anyone wants to deal with is doggie gastric issues. But it's also not a good idea to give us too many holiday goodies because they can increase a dog's risk of developing pancreatitis, a dangerous inflammation of the pancreas caused by fatty foods.  Best to play it safe and err on the side of moderation.  Here's a helpful article by Dr. Nancy Kay on how to avoid canine pancreatitis.

PET/CHILD HOLIDAY SAFETY It goes without saying that the holidays are a special time for children.  When we have children visitors in our house or if we go to someone's house that has kids, Jenn or another adult are always watching, making sure that I'm not too stressed, and that the child is respecting my space.  It is very important for adults and children to recognize the signs of stress in pets to keep everyone safe.  Certified Dog Behavior Consultant and founder of Family Paws Parent Education Jen Shryock has done a video on pet/child holiday safety with some great basics about reading pet body language.  You can watch it here:

CONTAINMENT/SUPERVISION Sometimes, with all the hustle and bustle of people coming and going from your home, your pet just wants a quiet place to chill out.  Lots of visitors are exciting, but they can also make us anxious, so being able to have a place in the house to go can be very helpful for pets to have access to.  This could be a calm place in the house, with a dog bed or crate, chew toys, etc.   Here's Jet chilling out in a quiet spot. 

If you are traveling over the holidays, be sure to take sturdy crates with you so your dog can travel in safety in your vehicle and so that you will have a way to contain them wherever you are visiting. Crates also serve as a quiet place for your pet to retreat to if they want some alone time and keeps your pet out of harms way when you can't supervise them. There are lots of holiday hazards that puppies can get into so be careful and supervise, supervise, supervise.
PHYSICAL AND MENTAL EXERCISE Tired dogs make the best holiday companions. Jenn knows there are nice walking trails nearby where we can go everyday and that we will be walking many miles. Try to keep up with your dog's exercise routines over the holidays so that your dog will be calmer and less anxious (and so will you). Additional exercise will keep down stress levels. Keep chews and mental activity toys around so you can give your dog something to do when they need it.
THUNDERSHIRT Another great stress reducer is the Thundershirt, which is now available for cats too.  The Thundershirt can help alleviate the anxieties of the holidays including car anxiety and is very snazzy too.  Here's Jenn's travel training video about how to use the Thundershirt to reduce car anxiety:

And lastly and most importantly, don't forget to have your pet's ID tags on wherever you go. I'm looking forward to all the excitement of the holidays! For more holiday pet safety tips click here
and here's a list of tips for "winterizing" your pet from Dr. Nancy Kay.   Happy Holidays!

My 5th Birthday!!

Hard to believe that I'm FIVE years old!  And I just knew that it was a special day just for me and that Jenn and Eric were planning something.  Jenn was busy making a cake with peanut butter and carrots.  That's a complete give-away that I'm having a party!

 

My girlfriend Mona came over and we got to play.  Jenn's mom made us all special Jing-A-Ling Bandanas.

 

Poor Bernie had to watch most of the party from inside.  He tore a ligament in his leg and has to take it easy for several weeks.  Sorry Bernie!

 But then Jenn brought out the cake!

 

Wow!   This might be my favorite cake ever.  Jenn got special treats at Paws at the Corner in Hillsborough.  The treats are handmade at Oliver's Collar Dog Treat Bakery in Durham. 

 

I could not wait to try it!   Mona thought it was outstanding that dogs get their own cake.

 Jet and Bernie and I were all lined up, ready for our pieces of cake.

 Jet and I ate our cake pieces in one bite!   

And, then we did our gift swap.  I got a cow toy stuffed with a crinkly plastic bottle.  I don't have anything like it and I give it a big paw's up! 

After the guests left, it was time to crash.  Thanks to everyone for my fifth birthday wishes.  I hope to have many more birthdays to come! 

Resource Guarding-What NOT to do, what you can do

A study by the ASPCA found that food bowl guarding is one of the most common reasons why dogs are put to sleep at shelters.  A more recent ASPCA study found that food guarding can be easy to modify when humans use safe, behavior modification techniques that teach the dog to respond calmly and happily instead of displaying guarding behaviors.

 

Of course the easiest solution for food guarding is prevention.  Jenn and Eric taught me as a puppy that humans being around my food bowl was a good thing so even now that I'm grown up I don't guard food.   And Jet did some more intense food guarding when she was a puppy and Jenn taught her that humans can be trusted and it was OK to let them near your food bowl.  

But lots of puppies don't get those lessons and they develop food bowl guarding behaviors that can become dangerous if they aren't handled properly.  Here's what you SHOULDN'T EVER IN A MILLION YEARS DO WITH A DOG THAT GUARDS, never make it a physical confrontation. This video is slowed down and captioned so you can get a sense of what the dog was trying to communicate and how the trainer did not read her signals:

Nothing this guy did helped resolve the problem, it only made it worse.   Let's see, where do I start with everything he did wrong.  First off, he didn't take the time to establish trust with the dog, or to teach her that she had other options.  He threatened her, bullied her, punched her in the neck, and escalated the situation for the cameras.  Oh, and then he kicked her. What a jerk!  So now instead of having a dog that resource guards, you have a dog that has learned that humans can't be trusted and bites without giving the signals that this human didn't bother to read. There's no "winner" here.    Please do not do this to your dog!

The bottom line here is all this drama and violence are so unnecessary.  Helping a dog with guarding behaviors should not be a "showdown" or "winning."  Truly helping a dog with food guarding should be using non-confrontational techniques that help the dog to become less defensive and more trusting of humans around food.  Why wouldn't you just use a proven, safe, and effective method for changing a dog's guarding behavior where no one gets hurt?  I guess that doesn't make for dramatic TV.  Always, always set the dog up for success, not failure. 

Here are some proven options from positive pet professionals on how to safely work with a dog that guards food:

•  How to Stop Food Guarding Without Taking Stupid Risks

• Resource Guarding article by Grisha Stewart

• Food Guarding from ASPCA
• The behavior modification program suggested by the ASPCA involves rewarding the dog with something really yummy when a human approaches the bowl:

• There are more videos here of dogs before/after this behavioral modification program.  

It goes without saying that if you are concerned about your dog's food guarding you should contact a positive dog training professional who can properly access your dog's issues and help you resolve them safely, especially if the behavior is escalating or if a bite has already happened.  Don't take chances, get help for your dog.  You can use this guide from the Association of Pet Dog Trainers to help find the right trainer for your dog. 

And be sure to ask what type of methods any trainer uses before allowing them to work with your dog.  If they claim to be positive, but use choke, prong, or shock collars or use force or intimidation, then find another trainer that does not resort to these tools/methods. 

Rainy Beach Walks and Kitchen Surveillance

We just got back from a very wet trip to the beach.  I loved walking on the beach in the rain!  Jenn and Eric were not so thrilled, but it was really quiet and comfortable anyway.  Here's me and Jet with Jenn on a wet walk.   We got to say hello to lots of nice people and dogs that also didn't mind getting wet on the beach. 

Bernie got his own private walks with Jenn.  Apparently, people on the beach thought he was very cute and polite.  Hmmph! 

Jet had her own agenda while at the beach.  She has developed quite a strategy for mooching food off Eric while he makes his lunch.   First, she positions herself in the kitchen so she has a good vantage point to see what Eric is making. 

 I, of course, have learned to follow Jet's lead on certain things.  So, I'm close by while Eric starts prepping his lunch.

Jet quickly moves to a more central kitchen floor location to get a better look at exactly what Eric is doing.

Jet has also perfected the "sad and very hungry face" and does it to Eric every chance she gets.  See the ears go back, her eyes get big.  Boy, she's good.

When the "sad face" doesn't get the reaction she was hoping for,  Jet repositions herself so that just in case something falls off the counter, she's in strategic position. 

At this point, we've taken up most of the floor space in the kitchen. It would not be the first time that someone has accidentally tripped over a red dog and their lunch lands on the floor.  But Eric tries to move around us as best he can.

Then, Jet flashes the "sad face" again.  I give it a try too.  Eric is unfazed by our attempts to solicit food.  Perhaps Jenn has taught him better than we think. Well, we'll just have to keep an eye on things anyway.

Jet Gets Spayed the OVE Way

Jenn has been waiting and waiting to get our little Jet spayed.  Spaying a female dog is a surgery that removes their reproductive organs.  There are many differing opinions about when the best time is to get a dog spayed.  Jenn read as much as she could and decided to wait until Jet had reached a level of "maturity" and gone through at least one heat cycle, so her body could get all the hormonal benefits including bone, brain and organ development. Little did we know that we would be waiting almost three years.  

Has Jet reached a level of maturity?  The jury is still out on that one.  But she did have a heat cycle in May, so Jenn felt that it was a good time to have Jet spayed.


There are two types of spays, OVH-which is a complete hysterectomy and OVE-which is only removal of the dog's ovaries.  Jenn had read several articles by veterinarian Dr. Nancy Kay, about the advantages of the OVE spay:

A Newer Way To Spay by Dr. Nancy Kay

A Different Way To Spay by Dr. Nancy Kay

A New and Safer Way to Spay-Whole Dog Journal

Basically, the advantages of the OVE, ovary only spay, are it is a shorter, less invasive surgery with less time under sedation, it is overall less traumatic to the body, which can translate to less pain and a faster recovery time.  Jenn's vet Dr. Brady had done the OVE and said it was a good option for Jet.

Jet had to spend the night at Dr. Brady's clinic and came home the next day looking like this:

Jenn started treating her immediately with the homeopathic remedies Arnica and Hypericum Perforatum for pain, inflammation, and to help clear the body of the aftereffects of sedation. Jet spent several days basically sleeping and resting, our house has never been so quiet.


Dr. Brady used a special surgical tape on Jet's incision, which kept Jet from trying to fiddle with it.  Here's her small incision after one week, completely healed. 

 So Jet didn't have to wear the dreaded cone like I did when I got neutered:

I did not like that cone!  So Jet pretty much had it easy all around.  She was back to herself within a few days.  We still had to keep her activity limited, no running around, only leash walks for 10 whole days.  But overall, Jenn sees that the OVE, ovaries only spay, is a great option for pet owners. 

I have a tumor in my mouth!

Jenn took me into see Dr. Brady for my annual wellness exam and they found something scary!  Dr. Brady noticed a tumor/growth on the side of my tooth that looked abnormal.  It looked like this:

 

See that marble looking thing?   Eww!  Dr. Brady said that I needed surgery to remove the growth and then they had to send the tissue to a lab to make sure that is wasn't anything to worry about.   I wasn't worried, but poor Jenn was a mess.  First off, Jenn felt really bad that she hadn't noticed the growth.  She usually checks my mouth regularly, but she hadn't seen it. 

So I had to have a brief surgery to get the growth cut out.  After the surgery, my mouth looked like this:

The real bummer was having to eat soft food for a week. You know how I like to chew bones. 

Anyway, the test results came back yesterday, and there was nothing in the tissue to worry about.  The growth is called a Fibromatous Epulis, which is a common, non-cancerous tumor that some dogs get.  No one knows why an Epulis starts to form and it can grow and envelope a tooth or part of the mouth like this:

 

Yikes!!  The best treatment is surgery to remove it.  Lots of types of cancer can look like an Epulis, so it is important to get a proper diagnosis.  Most Epulis types do not return after surgery.  That's a relief. 

Jenn said she's not taking any chances, so she's giving me a homeopathic remedy called Calcarea Fluorica which is recommended for non-cancerous, epulis by one of Jenn's favorite books Homeopathic Remedies for Dogs by Geoffrey Llewellyn.

And, Jenn said she is never going to forget to check my mouth regularly to make sure the epulis doesn't come back.  So, it is a really important thing to regularly (weekly or more) check your dog's mouth and bring anything abnormal to your vet's attention.  It could save their life!!