Safety First

I've realized lately that lots of our training, and lots of our equipment, has to do with safety.

Elka is on a collar and leash when we go outside, to make sure she's safe. She can't decide to run into the road, or chase something and get off our property, anything like that. On our walks, she's on a harness and collar, with liberty's attachment to make sure more than one thing will have to fail to put her in danger; not that I'm sure she'd just hare off somewhere the instant she had a chance, but better safe than sorry. See, there it is again.

In the car, she has a harness which hooks to the built-in child seat anchor vehicles have. In the case of an accident, it will hopefully protect her, and also the humans in the car, preventing the 75 pound dog in the back seat from becoming a missile within the vehicle. It also keeps her from just jumping out when a door is opened, so her exit can be controlled to a safe place and situation.

Product Review: Primal Beef Liver Munchies

These Primal Beef Liver Munchies were on the list of treats to try out from Chewy.com, and while I'd heard of Primal as a brand before, we hadn't tried it yet. It's just the kind of treat I like getting for Elka, single ingredient, and the beef was raised in the United States and the treats were made in the USA as well (see on the bag)! They're grain free and gluten free which concerns me less, but can be very important for dogs with food allergies.

A new Elka-ism

Every once in awhile, the quirks of this dog just amuse me to no end. To some degree, I'm sure I'm "that" dog owner, you know, the one who thinks her dog is the only one ever to do such a thing. But, this is why I blog, so there (or dlog [portmanteau of dog + blog], as my fiancé would have me say). I have a new one to share.

Chelsea at Illinois Doberman Rescue Plus

I saw this all-natural girl on the Illinois Doberman Rescue Plus Facebook page and had to share! She just blew my mind.

Chelsea is 2 years old, natural ears and tail, black and tan. She was picked up as an underweight stray, and she's blind. But everything about Chelsea is what I love about the Doberman breed! Remember BRAINS and beauty!

(picture from Chelsea's page on the IDR website)

Product Review: Benny Bully's dog treats

I was approached by a rep at Benny Bully's dog treats to do a review of their products. Single (or limited) ingredient freeze dried treats? Check. Made in the USA and/or Canada? Check. I was excited enough for both Elka and I (she can't read packages, obviously. She just wants you to hand over the beef liver)!

We received the Liver Chops and the Liver Plus (in banana) and we could not have been happier with them.

(picture from Benny Bully's site. Photobucket is being unkind to me)

Miscues (or Missed Cues?)

The other night, Elka asked to go out, so I sent her to the back door. We have a routine, she sits and waits, and I either snap the leash on and have her wait some more, or I let her blast out the back door. I thought maybe I'd seen a deer or something out back, so I wanted her to wait after the leash was on. Typically, we hold up a finger, like "wait a minute", for signal purposes. I held out my palm instead.

(just a picture of Elka sitting, not from "The event")

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July!

Elka is not a dog bothered by fireworks (she'll lie to me about having to go out so she can try to see them. Protip: we can't see them from our house), but I get that a lot of dogs are. I'm surprised Elka isn't, really. This dog used to be afraid of plastic bags, and depending, they can still make her skittery.  But she wants to watch thunderstorms and fireworks. Sure, Elka. It's just how she keeps us on our toes, with no way to tell what she'll love and what she'll hate sometimes.

But what does a leash really mean?

This bit of mischief does not involve Elka, as I was work.

Somebody came into the library and said there was a brown dog running around in the park with no owners in sight.

So I grabbed my phone and went outside, figuring I could assess whether the dog was approachable and then either catch the dog and call the owner (provided said dog was tagged appropriately) or call the police to come and do their dog wardeny things.

Springtime? Is that you? Come closer so I can see.

We had two (!) days in a row that were sunny and warm. Maybe we're over the hump?

Of course, I was at work for one of these days. But the next, Elka and I went on a nice long jaunt to soak in the sun.

All my Elka stories are new again (plus a new one)

I make the joke, somewhat seriously, that I started this blog to give the people around me a break from dog things.

I can talk about different dog topics, from breeds to training to health, longer than most people I know. It's one reason the Internet is such a great place. There's a message board for that. Or Twitter or Facebook, or another blog. I've spent a lot of time on Doberman Talk, and learned quite a lot. Learned enough that I'm able to give some of that knowledge back when new members come aboard.

"That dog sure is spoiled!"

I don't get a comment like that a lot, once in awhile, in casual conversation, somebody refers to Elka as "spoiled". Arguably, that's a pretty rude thing to say, but she's just a dog, right?

Anyway. Is Elka spoiled? I think it's kind of in the eye of the beholder.

Holding her Licker

Elka licks. It's a thing she does.

She licks people who let her (and sneaks it in sometimes on those who do not), she licks her toys, she licks herself. Occasionally I've had to utter the improbably phrases "Elka, don't lick the floor" and "Elka, don't lick the couch."

With a tongue like that, you might as well use it, I guess.

Intersex Aggression in Dobermans

A big huge flag in the Doberman community is when a male puppy is sold to people with another male dog in the household already. Why?

Well, the stories say that Dobermans can be same sex aggressive. Two males, two females, there is a chance that when the second dog reaches sexual maturity (or both dogs, if you're making the equally dubious choice to raise them together), there is a chance that the dogs will become aggressive to members of the same sex and want to fight.

This is problematic, as we do not typically want dogs to fight. Not unless you're a scumbag.

Never Stop Training

Yesterday, Patricia McConnell posted "Gotta Love That Recall" on her blog, and while I read and recommend her as often as I can, I also noticed the specific phrase which I've poached for the title of this post: Never stop training.

I'd been thinking about this lately, in fact, when a certain long nosed miss started nosing up to peoples' plates in a manner she had not otherwise displayed. I may or may not have been mostly unbothered by this, for it was rarely, if ever, my plate she was getting too close to. This is Elka, who I can leave in the car with McDonald's or other takeout and she will not touch is. Elka, who has been in a room with a coffee table full of nachos and dip and even pigs in a blanket and not touched a thing. Elka, who dropped a turkey sandwich she had in her mouth when I said "drop it", and left along a dropped tupperware of taco meat when I said "leave it".

(forgive the old picture, I don't have a new one of her lurking in the "safe range" of food that is not hers)

Blitz, with Distinguished Doberman Rescue, in Parsipanny NJ

Blitz is an adorable red boy who was pulled from a shelter in Georgia by DAN into a foster with Distinguished Doberman Rescue. He's 10 months old, natural eared, and with a docked tail.

(picture from DDR, inc web site)

His Distinguished Doberman Rescue foster mama says Blitz is:

Good with other dogs
Will do best with children over 10
Cats unknown

A family with good Doberman skills is preferred, somebody who can set rules and boundaries, and teach Blitz all of what life has to offer. At 10 months, he's sure to be a handful (what puppy isn't, really?) but also at that age where he can just learn so much.

If you or somebody you know is interested in adopting Blitz and feels they meet these criteria, here is the link to DDR, inc's application process.

TailSpin Dog Lotto! (and giveaway)

Working in partnership with the Dog Saving Network, the Chicago based pet company Bumperpet  is holding a monthly lottery in which a shelter dog spins the wheel for the winners! You visit the link, and pick three numbers between 1 and 20 (the next drawing is July 1). 3 correct numbers is the grand prize, but the runner up (2 correct numbers) doesn't go away empty handed either!

For your edification (because I didn't know either), the Dog Saving Network is a positive reinforcement based training organization (and a 501(c)3 not-for-profit). Their goal is to help reduce the number of healthy dogs euthanized in this country every year; the statistic we often see bandied about is that behavioral issues are a top reason for dogs being surrendered to shelters. The Dog Saving Network would like to turn that around. The dogs they use in shows are rescued and have been clicker trained to perform their game show tricks.


So, not only do you have a chance to win a lottery, but one lucky Elka Almanac reader will win a t-shirt from Bumperpet.com. Their dog breed t-shirts are really neat (and include Doberman! Is it necessary to emphasize how much this thrills me?); each shirt is a silhouette of a different dog, with words spelling out the qualities. If you're not really a "dog breed" person, there's also a "cat" t-shirt and a "dog" t-shirt! They have a lot of other neat products as well, so even if you don't want to enter the giveaway, you should really check them out. Then can even do a personalized shirt from a picture (not part of the giveaway)!

So, to enter the giveaway here (to enter the TailSpin Lotto, go to http://www.bumperpet.com/lotto): in the comments, tell me about a trick you taught your dog (or cat!) to perform. Please make sure you're either signed in, or include your name; I cannot give awards to anonymous entrants! The winner will be chosen, as always, by Elkacopter. Giveaway is open from today, which is Tuesday, June 25 2013 until 11:59 P.M. (Eastern) on Sunday, June 30 2013. Good luck, everybody! I look forward to reading your answers.

The ONE thing

I see this topic a lot on dog message boards. I figured I'd ask it here, because after all, you guys are my "dog people" too!

What is the ONE thing you wish you knew before you brought your dog home?

I of course can't limit it to one. But I've got a solid five, anyway.

Dogs and Babies

I got the New York Times "dogs" article alert and sighed when I saw the title: "The Dog Bit Me". Oh boy. I read it anyway, of course. I wanted to know how bad it ended up for the parties involved. For those of you whose stomachs dropped with mine, the kid was bitten, but not "mauled" or disfigured. The dog was also fine; already, in fact, in residence with the grandparents, but this was a family visit.

I might as well share it too: Doberman Playing with Baby

Obviously, I feel the Doberman needs all the good press it can get. Well, within reason. I don't want a breed popularity explosion like the Dalmatian or the Chihuahua did after certain movies came out.

But, this has (or is perhaps in the process of?) gone viral and it's worth discussing.

Sponsored Post: Harmful Training Devices

Harmful Training Devices: What to watch out for

The evolution of dog training has gained serious pace over the last decade- and largely for the better. However, there are still innumerous products on the market which promote punishment as a route to obedience. There is much debate as to whether or not these products have any useful place in modern dog training practices. Nonetheless huge numbers of these training aids are still sold each year- and the majority to the general dog owning public, who have no formal schooling in using such devices. Here we look at some of those products involved in this debate.

Prong Collars

Prong collars are made up of interlocking links which support blunt, and sometimes not so blunt, prongs. When tightened these prongs pinch at the dog’s skin. These devices are fearsome looking things- yet despite their aggressive appearance many dog training professionals support their use.

Advocates insist that the pinch is no worse than the pulling or jerking which others forms of obedience training rely upon and unrestrained use of the much less aggressive looking choke chain can actually be much more damaging. Designed for use on large dogs there have been reports of severe damage caused to smaller dogs which have been erroneously fitted with them. This only serves to highlight the fact that this type of training aid should not be readily available to the general public.

Choke Collars

A ‘choker’ as it is often known, is the most commonly used of the punitive training aids. Chokers consist of two loops of chain, one slips around the dog’s neck whilst the other is used to tighten the first, and hence help instruct the dog. Many responsible dog owners use them and would be appalled to see them categorized as a harmful training device and this is where the debate becomes much more complex. Whilst the argument against prong and electronic collars seems clear cut, the restraint offered by a choke chain is seen as wholly acceptable by many.

It is our belief that chokers are not necessary- and whilst not as harmful as the other devices they should also be avoided. If you look at the dog collars at dogscorner.co.uk you will not find any of these chokers for sale. The simple fact is that non-punitive training is more effective.

Electronic Collars

There are three main types of electronic dog collars: sonic, spray and electronic. Sonic collars emit a high pitch sound which dogs find discomforting, spray collars emit either water or bespoke solutions into the dogs face and electronic collars deliver a shock. Especially cruel are citronella collars, the substance emitted causes prolonged distress as the scent remains after the initial spray.

Once again some dog training professionals stand by the use of electronic collars as a valid means of instilling obedience. Whilst this point remains open to debate, what is clear is that such devices should not be available for purchase by the general public. Without formal training it is quite possible that these devices can cause serious discomfort for any dogs on which they are used.

This article was written by Richard Howe, a life long dog owner with an interest in all things animal, on behalf of Dogs Corner. You can buy everything you need for your dog from toys to dog beds with Dogs Corner. One thing they will never sell are punitive training aids.