A Lab’s Life

Wow.  We got lucky this week–not just because my daughter was born (both mom and new baby Hannah are doing great!), but also because we got a chance to see a little history we never thought we’d see as AJ’s adopted family.  We got him last year at seven months of age, so we missed out on some of the “early (dog) years” that make having a puppy so great.  Anita, one of AJ’s saviors, found the picture below lurking in her hard drive and sent it up for us to enjoy.  So, enjoy!  My guess is he’s a month or two here.

Today A.J. is helping his neighbor and her Jack Russell, Morgan, find *GOOD* homes for three of the five pups Morgan had about seven weeks ago. I posted a couple of shots of the “kids” last week but some of the people who said they’d take dogs have pulled out. Initially there was only one left–now just two are spoken for, leaving three in search of families.

Believe me when I say these dogs have been hand-raised in what can only be described as the best possible circumstances. The sire was picked after an exhaustive search, and both mother and father are pure Jack. I’ve also been asked to make special note that these are “Irish” Jacks, which were designed “to be intelligent and tenacious in the field, yet be able to settle once back at home, on the farm” My understanding is other Jack breeds are more aggressive, so these guys are better suited for families who don’t live on big farms, which I assume covers most people reading this.

The resulting pups are just beautiful and already socialized well with other dogs and people (especially kids). The whole neighborhood has helped raise these little guys–they’re all males–and kids have been their constant companions. A.J. has become an “uncle,” and since he’d like to see the last three find great homes the graciously offered to model with the dogs so readers can get a sense of scale.  All of the dogs have already had their first round of shots. (click on the pictures for blow-ups) & sorry about the pic quality–taken with my phone’s camera.

Going price for these guys is $950.00, but I’m told that’s a super fair price for pure Irish Jacks. This post is probably most relevant to dog lovers here in New England, but my neighbor will happily take inquiries from elsewhere. For more details please leave contact info in the comments section–they’re moderated so I’ll keep the info private.

Thanks, and if the three of you who read this know of anyone else looking for a furry new family member, please past this post along.

- A.J.’s dad

A.J.’s neighbor and best dog friend “Morgan” the Jack Russell recently had a litter of five pups. They’ve been sequestered away until this week when they had their last round of shots so now they’re allowed into the yard. A.J., who’s just 1.5 years old and 100 lbs has never met “puppies” before.

He was dismissive at first, more content to go and sniff around the woodpile than suffer the indignities of having Jack pups crawl all over him. Eventually, though, he warmed up to “Moose” below.

In this shot A.J. snorts like someone asked him to eat cold kibble.

I’m still weighing whether or not I should part with $16 for this e-book called E-mails from Shilo.  A dog’s quest to figure out most everything.

I’m a sucker for adding the “human” element into dog communication.

This quote from the ebook is great, too:

A woman reorganizing the files in her computer comes across a folder she doesn’t recognize – and discovers nearly two years’ worth of emails written by her four-year-old golden retriever, Shilo, to her sister’s Bichon Frise!

Thanks to appscout for the find

The headline isn’t that unusual; it’s a matter of fact that many dog breeds are great at flushing out game, so why not pests?

This story caught my eye because A.J.’s dog neighbor is a Jack Russell who just had a litter of five males. They’re five weeks old and great little dogs–not one runt in the litter. All but one of them are spoken for, so as of tonight there’s one left if anyone in the MA area is interested in a pure Jack pup. I believe the going price is $850. They have rounder (rather than the pointy) faces, like the pups in this picture:

Anyhow, the Jack’s mom is a security manager for Mass General Hospital. She just attended an industry conference where the owner of a well-known security company, after hearing she had a litter of new Jacks, approached her and asked to buy two of them on the spot. He said, as this story details, that he uses the dogs for ridding hotels of bedbugs!

Apparently the U.S. had a big problem with bedbugs not so long ago. After years of paying attention to the problem it had gone away. More recently the critters have come back and are becoming an issue again for hotels in NYC.

Luckily A.J. only brings the odd tick into the house, and they’re easy to spot against his fur.

And I offer as proof:

I was clicking through some of A.J.’s pictures to find something for the blog and stumbled on the shot below.  It’s the picture our adoption coordinator took of us with A.J. just after I signed his papers.  Anyone who’s done me the favor of reading this blog to get my traffic stats up (thanks mom!) knows about A.J.’s adoption story…shortly after getting our house the 11 year-old “she pup” (Ashley) in the picture below made me make good on my promise to get a dog.

So, we checked out a number of adoption agencies and settled on Patriot Lab Rescue because of it’s phenomenal reputation.  After a screening process we drove to New Hampshire where A.J. had arrived after a long drive on the adoption bus from Alabama, where he was found.

The “official” adoption date is May 21.  What a great year this has been with “The Jay” as he’s become known around the neighborhood.

I’ve got them laying around and I’m bored with the T.V. right now.  So, it’s time to type.  Without any more hesitation, I present these training tips for your reading pleasure (good luck, and the first two are probably the most important):

• Be cheerful when practicing with your dog
• Keep your training sessions short: 5-10 minutes several times a day
• Practice in different locations in your home, the den, the kitchen, the living room and the back yard.  dogs do not generalize, we need to make sure they can work with us no matter which room we are in.
• Play with your dog (this is hugely important, too).
• CONSISTENCY! Whatever you are working on with your dog, be consistent with them
• Make sure you praise your dog for coming to you (duh), give them a treat, and celebrate with them.  COMING TO YOU IS THE BEST THING THEY CAN DO ALL DAY
• Call your dog for positive reasons only.  If you need to cut their nails, give a bath or give a pill, go to them
• PLAY WITH YOUR DOG!
• Use your most excited, happy voice when calling your dog.  As I mentioned before-no one likes to come to an angry voice.
• Praise your dog for sharing what they have in their mouth, trade the dirty sock for a cookie, talk “silly” to help them share.  Give them a toy to replace whatever they had in their mouth.
• Keep your dog on leash during their training to help them be successful
• PLAY WITH YOUR DOG!
• Give your dog a “spot” in the rooms that you frequent.  A towel, rug or dog bed that they can go to in the den, the office or kitchen
• Discipline can happen only when you catch your dog in the act of an unacceptable behavior!
• Play a clicker game, teach a new trick instead of going for a walk when it’s too cold or hot outside
• PLAYING with your dog helps to create a special bond between you

After getting A.J. as a seven month-old pup it was our first priority to get a really good recall “installed.” A solid recall, or getting the dog back to you upon the first command, can literally mean life or death for the dog if, for instance, he’s after a squirrel going across the road.

Here and there I’ll share some lessons A.J. and I have learned along the way which we think are worth sharing.

RECALL

A.J…..COME! Actually, we use “HERE!” because “COME” didn’t seem to get a response, which is an interesting aside. A.J. was a rescue so it’s possible he learned to ignore “COME” at a point before we had him. So, simply repeating a word the dog ignores makes that specific word even more meaningless to the dog. If you’re in a similar situation simply change the command word to one s/he has never heard before and USE IT SPARINGLY–I mean, ONLY WHEN REALLY NECESSARY. Your chances of installing that command will dramatically increase.

The key is teaching your dog the excitement and reward of the recall to create a sturdy foundation. In a very controlled environment (preferably fenced in), call your dog with a very happy/excited/playful voice to come away from other family members, favorite toys or barking/looking out the window. With their favorite treats, praise and reward them for coming to you. If your dog cannon come away from the distraction, lure them away from the distraction, praise as they come THEN reward. Once your dog can respond quickly to these distractions you are ready to move on.

With a long lead (30 foot leash or rope) take your dog outside, preferably in a fenced area. Keeping the end of the leash attached to you, let your dog wander about five feet from you and then call them. Treat for coming. If they can’t come, lure, praise as they come, then reward. Practice the five foot distance for *several days*. Once your dog responds quickly from five feet, allow them to wander 10 feet and call them. Treat and praise for coming. If they can’t come from 10 feet, review the five foot distance several times and then try the 10 foot distance again. Increase the distance every couple of days, but practice all distances each time. For instance, you have worked your dog up to 25 feet, now mix up the distances that you call your dog from. once from 25 feet, next from five feet, again from five feet, next from 20 feet (etc.). Each time your dog responds quickly, praise and treat!

Now add more distractions. With the same long lead, move outside of the fenced area. Practice the short recalls as you wander through the new area with your dog. Kids playing in the next yard, other dogs, squirrels, brooks and ponds are all great distractions to work through. Vary the distances you call your dog from and always treat, and praise for a good response. Practice the recall while your dog is greeting a new person or an old friend. Practice the recall while your dog is is playing with other dogs.

Each time you take your dog to a new place for training recalls *lower* your criteria. First play with your dog in any new environment to relax them and get their focus on you. Start off with short recalls, working up in distance by small increments. Always remember to treat and praise. Let your buddy know that coming to you is the BEST thing they can ever do.

Remember - Use your “happy” voice when calling your dog. No one likes to come to an angry voice and since dogs have NO IDEA what you’re actually saying, hearing a happy tone provides them with their signals. Until your dog is consistently coming when called, only use the “COME” command WHEN YOU KNOW THEY’LL BE SUCCESSFUL. For instance, if your dog is busy chasing something or digging a hole, they may not be ready yet to respond to the “COME.” Use something to entice your dog away from what they’re doing–shake a cookie jar, show the leash, squeak a toy, or go to them with the treat and lure them away.

Special thanks to  for today’s tip!

A.J.’s just gotten the hang of Twitter, but saw Centernetworks’ call for a break, which sounds real good.

Here’s A.J., as normally found around 6:00 a.m. Special thanks to Stephen the Dog who, after we read this post inspired the quick camera work which caught A.J. in preparation for a “sudden gravity reversal.”