Check out my freind’s new Dog Health Site!

Dog Health Facts 

Wally and I had our last class of Level II Obedience this morning. It has been a wonderful class as there were only two of us (Wally and Bella) and it has been like getting a private lesson each week from our trainer, Jeff Yoon of The Canine Coach here in Minneapolis.

Today we were working on having our dogs stay, walking away, calling them and then having them sit or lie down half way through the recall. We had playing cards laid out on the floor to give us our targets for the sits and downs. Wally was a champ!!

Then Jeff began scattering the entire deck of cards, face up, all over the training room floor. Gina (Bella’s mom) and I looked at each other, wondering what in the world Jeff could be up to! That is when Jeff announced we were going to play a card game…with our dogs! The first round went like this: Black was a sit and Red was a down. The dog’s butt had to be on the card for it to count as a sit and their front paws or legs had to be on the card to qualify as a down. 30 seconds…GO!! Well, Wally won that round with us holding four cards.

On to round Two! In this round, rules were the same with one twist – their body had to be going in the same direction as the card! One minute…GO!! We won again, this time with six cards!!

Wally, my man! You are a true Card Shark!!!

Yeah, Baby!!

Discovering Labradoodles

As I watched the Sporting Group segment of the Westminster Dog Show last week, I was struck by how many of the breed descriptions included lineage details that went something like this, “And here is the X Breed. The X Breed was developed by breeding the Y Breed and the Z Breed along with other breeds to achieve the X Breed’s (insert a particular physical or behavioral characteristic) giving us the breed we know and love today.”

In my mind and musings, this begs the question: What is the difference between these AKC breeds and our purpose bred doodles? Time?

The first archaeological evidence of selective breeding occurred around 7,000 BC in early Mesopotamia. The Mesopotamia’s recognized the Arabian Desert wolf as an impressive hunter, since it was lighter and swifter than its relatives. So over time, and with selective breeding, the Mesopotamians developed from this animal the first example of a purebred dog. That dog still exists today and is known as the Saluki or Persian Greyhound.

Now let’s fast forward to the present day, because all you need to do is stroll down any street to see all of the different breeds created to fill a special need for humans.

The Labradoodle, the first dog to be labeled a ‘Designer Dog,’ was developed in the late 1980’s to fill a void in human/dog world, an allergy friendly guide dog.

Their development was not some chic attempt to create a ‘designer dog.’ They were developed as a specialized service dog, because that type of dog didn’t currently exist. The development of the Labradoodle, and later the Goldendoodle (a golden retriever /poodle hybrid), allowed people needing a service dog, but who suffered from dog allergies, to finally get the help they needed to make life more manageable.

Like the breeds showcased at Westminster, only a few of our doodles do the work for which they were originally developed. Most are loving, allergy friendly companion dogs, not active service dogs. But wait! Wasn’t the development of an allergy friendly companion dog also one of the original goals?

In our modern, sometimes disconnected, society more and more people are turning to their dogs to fill an emotional gap in their life. Some of those dogs, in particular the doodles, have been specifically bred to fill yet another human need, that of companionship.

And isn’t molding dogs to fulfill a human need what man has been doing for thousands of years?

Here is my crew – Best in Show, each one of them!! (Okay, so it is only my show, but I still think they are the best!)

Discovering Labradoodles

Two weeks ago Wally joined his Goldendoodle cousin Lili at a dog park in Bloomington. It was Wally’s first time at a dog park and I am happy to report he did great! He came when he was called every time and was a perfect gentleman with all the other dogs. there were a couple of people he was a bit cautious around, but all in all he did really well. My brother-in-law was great and took the two pups all around the huge park, which was pretty icy, while my sister-in-law and I wandered in the safer zones. When it was time to leave, Wally wasn’t too keen on the idea, but it was sooo cold and the humans did not have the benefit of fur coats! The wee man proceeded to completely pass out on the way home! If we can get the weather to go above zero, we will definitely be going to the park again!

Here are a few pictures of Wally and Lili’s big adventure!

Discovering Labradoodles 

Paw Prints in the Snow
Where would my dogs really like to go
Are they happy?
Are they sad?
Is the fence meant to keep them safe
A prison from which they can’t escape

Paw Prints in the Snow
Do they long for spring
For green grass and long walks
The things that make a dog’s soul sing

Or are they happy to just be here
Curled by the warm fire

Protected from the cold
Dreaming of their hearts desire
Chasing rabbits, maybe squirrels
Running free in that other world

Are they happy when they play inside their fence
Safe.
Making paw prints in the snow

Discovering Labradoodles

Just a footnote to my story about Jenni & Sonagh.

Jenni’s older sister Elli brought Sonagh back home at about 8:00 PM last Saturday night.

Sonagh had dinner with the family and stayed by Jenni’s side until she left to go out with friends. It seems that after an afternoon of Canine Therapy, Jenni was feeling well enough to actually go out with friends that evening! Yeah Sonagh!

Once Jenni left, I would have expected Sonagh to just hang out with the rest of the family as she has known them her whole life and enjoys them. However, Elli told me that shortly after Jenni left (and Sonagh had made sure there were no crumbs under the dining table) Sonagh went over and lay down by the front door. Apparently her job was done and she was ready to go home.

I am so proud of my girl and so grateful that she could be such a comfort to my dear young friend.

Discovering Labradoodles

Over the years I have been witness to and experienced the overwhelming grief that a death can bring to those left behind. I have also seen and experienced how the comfort of a dog can help the long, slow healing process.

Jenni has been our neighbor for the past 12 years and we have watched her grow from a little girl into a lovely young woman. She has taken care of all of our critters off and on over the years, most recently this past August while we were away for ten days. We were delighted when, last year, she introduced us to her fiancé, Richard. Richard was a kind, steady, delightful young man and the perfect counterbalance to Jenni’s vivacious personality. They were to be married this April.

In early December, Richard was tragically killed in an automobile accident. Not knowing what else to offer in the way of comfort, I told Jenni she could take one of the older dogs if she needed comforting, but didn’t want to be around people. After all the funeral arrangements had been made and she could finally be at home, she came and took Sadie for the night. The next day she told me it helped immeasurably. Sadie is 90 pounds of comfort and compassion, her lab/golden mix giving her an intuitiveness that can sometimes be spooky. It was a good choice.

Fast forward to today. Early this afternoon I got a call from Jenni asking if she could borrow one of the girls. I knew instantly she was having one of those terrible days that take you by surprise. Grief is a funny thing. Once you are past the first wave, you begin the arduous task of creating a new normal for your life. And you can be going along, sad but otherwise okay, and get blindsided with a wave of gut wrenching grief that seems to come out of nowhere. This is what has hit dear Jenni today.

When Jenni came over, I assumed Sadie would be her comforter. What happened next shocked me and is a bit hard to explain, but I will try.

Because my dogs have all known Jenni their entire lives, they all adore her, hence the chaos when she came through the door. Now, my older two, Sadie and Sonagh, do not jump on people. Ever. (Wally, the puppy…well, we are till working on the jumping thing.) I couldn’t believe it when Sonagh jumped up on Jenni and niffled her ear! (She is almost as tall as Jenni!) For the next ten minutes while Jenni and I talked, Sonagh was completely focused on her. Like a laser beam! This is very uncharacteristic of Sonagh. She usually greets guests, gets her pats, then wanders off. I told Jenni that I had thought Sadie would be the dog to go with her, however, it looked like Sonagh had chosen herself as Jenni’s comforter today. Sonagh didn’t even move when I opened the closet to get out some dog food for Jenni to take! LOL! Most days all you have to do is walk past that closet and Sonagh is there, hoping it might be dinner time. Even as I got her leash and collar ready, she stayed calm and focused on Jenni. Leashes and collars create anticipation and hence excitement in our house and, as expected, Wally and Sadie started prancing about…but Sonagh, again completely out of character, just stayed by Jenni’s side, calm as could be.

As I watched them leave, Sonagh ambled alongside of Jenni, none of her usually ‘leading the parade’ behavior. Again, completely focused on Jenni.

I spoke to Jenni’s mother, Marilyn, a little while ago to make sure Sonagh was settling in okay. Marilyn said Sonagh had come downstairs to greet her when she came home, but when she turned around after hanging up her coat, Sonagh was already back upstairs in Jenni’s bedroom. As we spoke, Sonagh was laying outside the bathroom door waiting for Jenni to get out of the shower.

It is odd not having Sonagh here and I look forward to her returning later tonight or tomorrow morning. But I know my lovely chocolate girl is giving Jenni the comfort she needs during this intensely sad time.

Jenni just called to tell me that Sonagh is snuggled up with her on the bed. She was calling to say thank you. She is already sounding better.

Dogs are such a blessing. They can heal the soul in ways no human can.

Discovering Labradoodles