Training Day Tuesday

Last night we embarked on a new adventure. My husband and I took Nala to a group class for training your favorite canine for the AKC Canine Good Citizen certificate and learning the ropes to be a therapy dog. Joana the instructor and owner of Sit and Stay gave the class at a local VFW. She is a great instructor and gave out lots of interesting information. She certainly could give Caesar Milan a run for his money! We started off by walking the dogs in a circle and then having them.....you guessed it, sit and stay. Nala was pretty good at doing this. She mastered the sit and stay quickly, but as the evening wore on she started getting stressed You could tell after about 30 minutes she was looking all around and was not into it anymore. When we started the exercise to make her sit then come and it was hard for to focus and she just wouldn't do it.  At the end of the session, Joana pointed out that Nala was one of two stressed dogs in the group, the other being a female Golden Retriever. I know she can be a nervous Nellie now and then. Maybe it was a bit over whelming for the first time being in that situation. There were at least 10 dogs with their respective humans there, a good sized crowd. There was also another bulldog named Alfred who was just 10 months old who sat next to us. He was interested in sniffing Nala more so than the other dogs. Birds of a feather I suppose. 

Joana emphasized that we must train our dogs in every environment. At the park, in the yard etc. not just the class room, and that good behavior must always be rewarded. She does not believe in tugging at the leash to correct behavior. Her mantra is "Don't correct, redirect!"

We will keep working on what we learned at class and maybe next week she will be more comfortable there. Until then...sit and behave!

 Below is a bit of video of last night.

Simply Sunday and That's Quite a Tale!

The weekend has flown by and here it is Sunday evening and I am already dreading the Monday morning blues! Oh well that' life and unless I win the lottery I have to go in tomorrow!

I was perusing a English Bulldog forum and I came across a section on cleaning wrinkles, ears and tails. In the piece they showed the different types of tails bulldogs have. I thought I would share them with you.

There is the straight tail or the spike tail which hangs straight down and looks like a spike, which is the only type tail allowed for show dogs in Britain. Then there is the cork screw tail which is acceptable for show here in the states and I think is the cutest kind of tail on a bullie. Ozzie had a very handsome corkscrew tail that never had any issues.These two types of tails are considered standard. Now if you have a bullie with a gay tail, it does not indicate sexual preference one way or another but it simply means that the tail stands straight out and flails gayly as they run and play. The tight cork screw tail is problematic and prone to infections while the inverted tail has a pocket and actually grows inward to the dogs bum.

Now I am not sure what kind of tail Nala has. It's so small that it looks like a bunny's tail. I guess it sits in more towards her rump? Could it be considered inverted? I should of asked the vet when we were there last, but I didn't think of it. Well whatever it is classified as I think it's darn cute.

"Hey! What are you doing back there?!"

"Ok, now that's better!"

To those who lost their lives and all who were injured by the terrorist in Boston this past week, my sincerest prayers and thoughts are with them and their families! God bless the USA and all those folks all over the world that just desire peace. Goodness will prevail! 
Have a good week and keep the faith!

Simply Saturday and a Bulldog Belly Laugh

I have to share this website with you all. Another bulldog blogger colleague of mine came across it. It's totally hilarious! Text from the dog is all about a guy's bulldog that sends him.... well you guess it. I think we can all relate to some of the sentiments in these texts. Nala would text me but we don't have a good text plan at the moment.

"I prefer Skype myself!"

Finally Friday and Fetch This!

"This is one of my favorite toys!" "Huh, what do you mean it's just a stick?!"

TGIF everyone!

Simply Sunday and Raisin in the Sun

The other morning I saw Nala march down stairs to watch Grand-paw eat his breakfast and hopefully get a piece of something-something. This is now part of her AM routine. When she came back up with Grand-paw right behind her, I asked him if she was successful. "I gave her a bit of my toast!" "Whoa! Didn't you make raisin bread toast!" I asked in a panic. "No, I had whole wheat and I know better!" he calmly replied. I often give the run down on what not to feed a dog list, just in case anyone in this household forgets! Grapes and raisins are a no-no! It is not understood why some dogs show no signs after eating them and others become very sick. Vomiting and diarrhea can be symptoms with the worst scenario; renal failure. I was reading an article in the paper, (that grand-paw brought to my attention) how if you suspect your dog of consuming grape/raisin you should err on the side of caution and bring them to your vet. They would induce vomiting to get them out of your pups system and then put them on IV fluids for 24-48 hours while monitoring their kidney values. Now the best thing to do is not to leave these fruits of the vine anywhere near your dog. Below is a link from the ASPCA of people foods you should never give your pets.

Okay I got my PSA out of my system for the moment! Hope all of you have a great week ahead!

Peace to all!

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/people-foods.aspx

"Hmm, did someone say "dinner"!

Finally Friday!

"

"Okay, let's get this party started!"

So glad it's Friday! Even with the rain!

Simpy Sunday and Nala Speaks!

Happy Spring all! Finally, some nicer weather is reaching our area though the heat still comes on in the house each morning, to let us know its chilly out there, we are slowly getting warmer!

Yesterday we went to a local groomer/dog supply store and bought a bag of Fromm's dog food. Janis, one of the volunteers at the MABR-bulldog rescue and Nala's foster mom recommended it. She feeds it to her pack of bullies and is very pleased with the nutritional value it provides and her bullies love the taste.  We purchased the Surf and Turf entree, grain free. The kibbles are small in size, actually just right for Nala. So I mixed some together with her original food, Eukanuba, and she ate a bit of it this morning. She is a fussy princess when it comes to food! Shh, I think I hear her at her bowl eating some more! Looks like this will be her new food going forward......I guess....lets see its only breakfast yet!

Okay, here is Nala's YouTube debut! It features her doing her bulldog speak. It can be a little whinny at times but its really cute!

Here is wishing all a great week ahead and peace to the world at large!