Happy New Year!

How better to ring in the new year than with my 200th post! 2009 was a pretty rough year all around. We lost Josh and we'll probably never know why, and my Uncle Jesse went to the Rainbow Bridge unexpectedly. Also this year many of my kuvasz friends lost loved ones, so we kuvs had to be strong for our people.

I've been cooped up at home with my humans this weekend and it's been boooooring. Momma walked me a few minutes after midnight on Jan. 1 and there were all these weird people out. We live near where the ball dropped and so there were lots of loud drunk people. I'm a one-dog temperance society. 'nuff said.

I did have some fun this year, and after lots of pestering Momma finally made a movie of one of my more fun days in 2009 - I got to wrassle with my girlfriend Lexi while my Auntie Pita was visiting. Enjoy. And yes, I like me some dominant grrlz! (P.S. some of this video is PG-2 so you might want to screen it first for your puppies.)

Biggie's Etiquette Column, Issue 1

Dear Random People I Met on My Walk Home From Day Care Last Night:

Momma has been all over me about good manners when I am out greeting my public. Well, it's about time I set some ground rules about how my public meets me.

First of all, it's not polite to stare. I know, I am supremely fluffycurly and gorgeous and it's hard not to stare, but if you stare and I can't see your hands, or you're carrying something or running toward me, or all of the above, I am going to stand my ground and make YOU move.

Also Very Important: NO TOUCHING THE BIGGIE unless Momma says so! I know I am irresistible and at the perfect height for petting and everyone just wants to touch the fur, but it's not polite to touch without asking. Seriously, how would you like it if some random stranger grabbed YOUR butt on the subway? Will you be offended if I grab your butt back?

If you want to pet me, just ask Momma first. But don't startle her or jump out at her because then I will have to Lock and Load for Protection. Keep your hands where I can see 'em, especially if they have treats. Momma always has treats with her, so she will give you one to give me. And I'll even work for them. But not if you scare her.

(P.S. Shouting from across the street, "LOOK AT THAT POLAR BEAR!!!" and making barking and howling noises and then following us down the street, continuing to bark and howl, does not constitute proper "asking." You are ridiculous and drunk and I will not acknowledge your presence. Similarly, reaching out with your hand as you are running toward me and screeching in a high pitch, "OOOOO WOOK AT DA COOOOTIEE ADORABLE PUPPYDOG WOO WOO ARE SO KEY-OOOOOT!!!" is ridiculous. Only Momma talks to me like that and only when there is no one else around to hear.)

Corollary: If Momma says NO you cannot pet me, LISTEN TO HER! She knows best, and even if I'm giving you my dazzling kuvasz smile, I may be smiling because I'm thinking about how high I can make you jump if I snap at you.

And if you have a dog, WATCH 'em. Don't just stare at me. If your dog is giving off mean signals and they're running the entire length of their Flexi-lead, I might have to take matters into my own paws (and mouth) and remind 'em of their manners.

Thank you, and let me know if you have other etiquette issues you would like me to address.

Prom King Opens Manchester Dog Park, Part 2

Biggie's Momma here. We pretty much had a great time at the new run, which is about 4 times the size of Biggie's runs in the city. And with poop bag dispensers! And big wastebaskets! And soon benches and running water! And grass!

They even had a sweet ribbon cutting ceremony and a blessing (see above). It was supposed to be a solemn occasion, one for reflecting on dogs less fortunate than ours, etc., etc. Except - we had THIS going on in the background through the entire blessing:

And without Biggie to censor his pictures and edit the posts, I extracted a frame from the video that shows Biggie in a more goofy and less-regal light as he tries to get the dogs to play with him. Prom King, indeed - Court Jester is more like it. His body language is pretty easy to read. 

Prom King Opens Manchester Dog Park, Part I

Hi everyone. I hope you all had as good a weekend as I did, but I'm pretty sure you didn't. Cuz not everyone can be a Prom King like me. Yesterday I did a little jailbreak in Brrr Mont and went to visit my yellow lab girlfriend, Charlie, and her Boy. Then today, oh, the GLORY! First, it started snowing, and then I went to the Grand Opening of the Manchester Dog Park. It is actually big enough for me to get some real speed, and best of all, I found some new girlfriends. Here you see the 3 of us, Ella the Great Dane, and a Golden Girl whose name I forgot. As you can see, they can't get enough of me as I patrol the boundaries and tell everydog who's here. 


Ella is the first girl who is actually bigger than me; she weighs in around 125 pounds. And she's a few months older. So I had to get her interested and impressed by my stick dancing skillz:


Once I had her properly interested, she stayed close by my Prom King Handsomeness. Who wouldn't want to be right next to me anyway?


I was especially enamored of her one ear turned inside out from all our wrestling. As you can see, I like to keep her all to myself. She's mine!



Oh yeah, there were other dogs and people there too. Lots of big dogs, though none quite as big and majestic as Ella and me. A few Golden Girls, a whole lotta Labs and Lab mixes, and a few humans with treats were also there to pay tribute to me. Oh yeah, and pictures with Santa. If Momma can figure out how to get them she will post them some day. 

If you want more pictures of glorious ME, don't forget to get your 2009 Kuvasz Calendar. The money goes to kuvasz rescue which is a worthy cause.

PeePee Ess: Mango, maybe we could meet here and play when you go to camp next summer?!

Dog Park RoolZ and RegoolashunZ

While I am at camp, I thought I would have Momma do a post about polite rules for the dog park because my BrrMont dog park may be opening up soon (!!!!) and because she and some of her friends (both real life and dogblog) have had some interesting WTF incidents lately.

Meanwhile I will work on some more haikuvasz as I contemplate the great outdoors here at camp.

------------------------------------------------------------

The basic rules at any public NYC dog park: 

• Dogs may not be left unattended.
• The dog run is NOT a playground. Children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult and should be closely supervised.
• Entry and use of the dog run is at your own risk.
• Skateboards, bicycles, scooters and strollers must be left outside the dog run.
• Clean up after your dog. Animal waste must be promptly removed and properly disposed of.
• Dogs must be licensed and have all shots and tags.
• Not Permitted
  --Spike or Pinch Collars
  --Aggressive Dogs
  --Female dogs in heat
  --Food and glass bottles
  

The private runs in the city - where you pay an annual fee and provide proof of vaccinations and a dog license in exchange for a key to the run - are usually a little cleaner and well-maintained. The one we use, for example, has a little rain shelter, some tables, chairs and benches, more trees, and two hoses). They can sometimes be a little more restrictive, too - again, requiring proof of license and shots, though the public runs sometimes get spot-checked by NYC Parks people. 

But in both private and public runs, there are strange, STRANGE dog owners and dysfunctional, poorly socialized dogs. WTFs abound. Here are some additional unspoken rules/thoughts we wish people would keep in mind at the dog run: 

Monitor your dog's activity.

If you're reading the paper or talking on the phone, chances are you won't see your dog going poop (or eating poop, or stepping in poop) off on the other side of the run. You also won't see if your dog's being aggressive to another dog, jumping on people or getting pushed around by another dog. Rough play can quickly cross the line to aggression, and being a strong leader for your dog means being able to intervene immediately whether your dog is the victim or the aggressor. Also, if you have a dog who tends to run into people, you owe to the other dog owners to at least give a holler if your dog is careening into them from behind. No one likes being knocked over by a dog. 

Learn to read dog body language

Dogs have a huge range of vocal and non-vocal communication. I studied animal behavior in graduate school, so I love watching dogs at play and trying to figure out what they're saying to each other - but you don't need an advanced degree to follow basic dog body language. Before an incident the dogs are usually exchanging a series of escalating signals, and a lot of incidents could be avoided if the humans had noticed these signals earlier. Tail Talk is a great book that shows you what to look for in clear pictures of puppies and adults of many breeds. 

Socialize your dog / Let your dog socialize

If your dog has issues around people or other dogs, you might want to work up to the dog run slowly rather than dragging a fearful dog in. Walk him around the outside and let him see the dogs playing, and let him sniff a little first, if your dog is not comfortable going into the run. Or start by going when the run only has 1 or 2 other friendly dogs in it. By the same token, DON'T keep your dog leashed in the run (unless he's on a time out) and DON'T carry your dog in the run. Many dogs are more fearful when they're on a leash. If you carry a dog in over other dogs' heads, some of them perceive that as a dominant gesture, and they will jump up on you and the dog. 

Another pet peeve of mine is when dog owners come in and sit on a bench and make their dogs sit next to them or on their laps and don't let them play. Again, this seems to happen a lot with the little dogs, and it teaches little dogs to be afraid of bigger dogs. Let your dog meet, greet, sniff and play with dogs of all sizes - big dogs will learn to be careful where they put their paws, and little ones will learn how to play. Confident little pups know just how to let everyone know they're there!

Size isn't everything

See above - it drives me nuts when I come into the run and some wee dog owners pick up their little purse pooches and huffily walk out of the run. They never even give Biggie a chance to show how gentle he is with little dogs! Sometimes age and energy level are a better guide to how your dogs will get along, and sometimes some dogs just hit it off while others don't. And even so, sometimes some dogs will not get along the first time they meet, and then fall in love the second or third time. You can't always force it, and you can't always generalize by breed (unless your dog had a really bad experience with a particular breed the first time she met them). 

Dogs are not people

Repeat after me: Dogs are not people! They WILL smell each other's butts. And poop. And pee. They WILL hump each other. Not all humping is sexual or dominant, sometimes it's playing. Talking to your dog in a reproachful tone of voice or telling them they are supposed to "share" won't get you anywhere. Most of the time the dogs work out their issues on their own, sometimes after some snarling and posturing, but other times they don't. You can't force your dog to play nice with another dog she hates, though you sometimes can manage behavior so they can peacefully coexist in the run. We've even worked out a detente with R-----, the intact yellow lab. Biggie doesn't really like intact males, and had gone after R----- twice (no injuries, though some flying fur and loud crying by R-----), but once it became clear that R----- was not going to challenge Biggie for status,* everything worked out magically: thye sniff each other cordially and then play with their friends. They won't play with each other (yet), but they're comfortable enough to play while the other one is in the run. You can't impose your view of the dog hierarchy on the dogs themselves - and a dominant dog is not a bully (though there were times with R----- that I was embarrassed with Biggie) - usually once they work out who fits where, everybody is happier. More problems tend to happen when you have 2 or more dogs that think they are alpha. 

Sometimes dogs do things to each other that humans find appalling, like licking each other in unmentionable places. Try not to project a human sensibility onto it. If they're getting along and there's no health or safety risk, let them do what dogs do. Biggie got his head peed on when he was a puppy and following another male just a little too close. He's also come home with giant pawprints on his head from playing really rough. And Lexi, his boxer girlfriend, humps him ALL the time. She's the only one who gets away with it. And this, with his girlfriend Zola - if they were kids I'd have told him he was being too rough on her, but she didn't seem to mind at all (note that she's stepping on his foot, so it's not clear who's got the upper paw here):

*R-----'s mom dropped some treats on the ground by accident. R----- was about to go for them but Biggie just walked in, sniffed, and ate them all while R----- just stood there. That was actually the turning point. If R-----'s mom had been like "Those are R-----'s treats!" and picked them up and given them to R-----, it would have been a bad scene. But in this instance letting the dogs be dogs meant letting the dominant dog do what dominant dogs do.

WTF: The Prequel

Taking a cue from the 4B's, I'm putting some happy pictures while I tell you about some really stupid and annoying people Momma and I met last night at the dog run. You can see what this dog run looks like here. As you can see, my posse of big dogs can get pretty physical when we play. These are the rules that are also posted at the dog run: 

Rules & Regulations:

• Dogs may not be left unattended.
  
• The dog run is NOT a playground. Children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult and should be closely supervised.
  
• Entry and use of the dog run is at your own risk.
  
• Skateboards, bicycles, scooters and strollers must be left outside the dog run.
  
• Clean up after your dog. Animal waste must be promptly removed and properly disposed of.
  
• Dogs must be licensed and have all shots and tags.
  

Should be pretty clear, right? Well... I was playing guarding the people in the dog run and the other dog, a young, little black lab. Since it was quiet and there wasn't much going on, Momma was on the phone, and the little black lab's dad was on his phone too. Suddenly, a kid on a SCOOTER came zipping down the boardwalk along the fence, so I told Momma he was there and I barked and barked and ran along the fence with him. He looked like he was 6 or 7. Then, he started coming IN the first gate to the run, on his scooter. Momma grabbed my collar and got off the phone, pronto.

Momma started asking questions right away: 

Momma: Where are your parents? Do you have a dog? Don't bring your scooter in here.

Li'l WTF: I want to come play with the dogs!!!!

Momma: Where's your dog? Do you have a grownup with you? DO NOT bring your scooter in here! 

Li'l WTF: Why not?

Momma: Did you just hear my dog barking at you? He does NOT like scooters.

Big WTF (outside the dog run): I'm his dad. He wants to come in and play with the dogs. 

(Li'l WTF starts opening the 2nd gate, but has thankfully left his scooter in the vestibule.)

Momma: This is a DOG RUN, not a playground. You can't just send your little kid in here to play with the dogs.

Big WTF: But he loves dogs, and he can't have one at home because his mom's allergic.

Momma: Do you see the rules posted on the door? They're there for a reason. These dogs aren't here for your kid to play with. People are not supposed to come in here without a dog, and kids are NOT allowed in here alone.

Big WTF: Oh, I'm watching him. 

(During this time, Li'l WTF has been "playing", by which I mean taunting, the little black lab, whose dad is still on his phone. The little black lab is maybe 40-50 lbs, and starts jumping on Li'l WTF out of excitement. At this point, Li'l WTF starts screaming and runs to Momma and grabs her leg, and finally little black lab's dad comes over and pulls his dog off Li'l WTF who is still screaming and hanging onto Momma's leg while I am standing on the other side of her leg while she holds my collar. These people are WEIRD and very, very stupid.)

Momma: Oh you are? How are you "watching" him now?

Other Dog Dad ("introducing" his dog to Li'l WTF): She's very friendly, there's nothing to worry about. Look, she's very nice. 

Momma: The dog run is for DOGS. It's not safe for small children.  Take your kid to a playground!

Momma was so exasperated she put me on the leash and walked me out and around the park for a bit. Then she saw the Li'l WTF leave, so we started going back to the run, when who do we run into AGAIN but Li'l WTF on his scooter coming straight for us! Big WTF was nowhere in sight. Li'l WTF was hollering and making an awful racket on his scooter, and I could feel Momma's angry feeling rising again. She put her hand up like the stay command and she started yelling at him and she was all like, WHAT did I just tell you and YOU LEAVE US ALONE and I TOLD you not to bother us and you are going to get attacked by a dog someday if you keep it up and GO AWAY NOW!

And then she started walking away and he still tried to follow us on the scooter and Momma turned and yelled STOP FOLLOWING US and LEAVE US ALONE and then Big WTF saw us and he finally started calling his pipsqueak kid and left us alone. And the we went back to the dog run and played. The End.

Momma's note: Biggie was actually angelic through the whole episode even though I was secretly hoping that he would go cujo on the kid just to put the fear in him. But through it all he never growled, pulled or even twitched. This dumbass kid was so little he was pretty much eye-to-eye with Biggie.  (dragging soapbox again) Biggie probably would have been fine and gentle with the kid but I just didn't want to reward Li'l WTF for his complete stupidity. What kid runs into a dog run to "play" with a dog that moments before was barking furiously at him on the other side of a fence? And what dumbass oblivious parent lets his kid do this, thinking that sitting on the other side of two latched gates is somehow "watching" his child? I don't know which pisses me off more. I had visions of this kid growing up to be the type who taunts a dog who is tied up or on the other side of the fence and then is outraged when the dog gets aggressive in response. WTFs start early.

(Little black lab's dad doesn't score any points with me either. He didn't notice when the kid came into the run (at first I thought it was his kid), then didn't come over to supervise his dog playing with Li'l WTF. Then, when Li'l WTF is running away from his dog, he's slow to get to the dog and THEN, despite the words I am having with Big WTF, does not question why the kid is in the run alone and does not teach the kid how to approach a dog. Although, granted, that's not really his job; it's the job of the WTF on the other side of the fence.)

Parents: whether you have a dog or not, make sure your child knows a) good manners upon approaching any dog, and b) that NO means NO. Provoking, taunting, teasing, poking, hitting, and grabbing are NEVER allowed. Every dog, no matter how friendly and calm, no matter how big or small, can be pushed beyond its limits. EVERY dog-child interaction must be closely supervised. A dog bite can happen in an instant, and it is not always the dog's fault. 

More reasons weekends are better

As if all that unbridled play and humping and general dog-piling with dogs my own size half my size weren't enough, I also got to spend some time this weekend with one of my favorite little buddies, Bowie the Maltese. Bowie prefers I play gently with him, because otherwise he gets caught underpaw and then he makes a lot of squeaky noises sort of like my plushy toys at home.

First, Bowie got my Achilles heel and took me down.

Ouch, Bowie! Quit throwing your weight around ... all 7 pounds of it!

"MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! I have conquered The Big One! I plant my paw on his ear to show my superiority!"

"ummm. Biggie, now can you please stop mugging for the camera? Try to look seriously dominated by me, ok?"

"Fine. If you're going to ignore me, then I will just have to push you around like a tugboat." 

"Hmmm. Doesn't seem to be working..."

I had a great time with Bowie. We tried out some Howl-o-ween costumes too. I am considering being a dalmatian, while Bowie seems to be considering a disguise as a shih-tzu. It's amazing what a little slobber and dust can do!

Timber!!!!

Ho hum. I hate Mondays, because I have to come down from weekends like this last one. I made new friends with a rescued white Siberian husky named Timber. Timber's been with his forever home for about 2 weeks now. The last time I saw him at the dog run he had only been rescued for 2 days and we didn't get along so great. I was all like, Hey buddy, why so tense? Dontcha wanna play? And he was like, Play? Who has time to play? I don't know what to do with all these dogs because if some food shows up who's going to get to eat it, so I better act real tough.

I could definitely see where he might be worried about that 'cuz he's only 42 pounds and he's a year old! This time, though, we became great buddies right away, and this young girl boxer wanted to get in on the act too. I think she has a crush on Timber.

Timber and Lexie decided that since together they might add up to one of me, they would gang up on me.

Hey! Easy on the Biggie butt!

I love it when they chew on my ears. They are helping me with my polar bear costume.
Hot video action - watch for a tumBiggieweed through the middle of the video, and some more surprise friends at the end. This big white dog doesn't discriminate. If you'll play with me, I will play with you.

Teaching a kuvasz not to guard - is it possible?

"He doesn't look like much of a guard dog."

People, a good guard dog is not a dog who is aggressive and mean to everyone; they are not "fighting" dogs, and they are not necessarily dogs that will attack on command! If I had a dollar for every time someone said that over the past 14 months, we would actually have enough money to pay for Biggie's dinners for a month. We also call him Digital Dog, because he is either the sweetest, happiest, playful oaf, gentle with puppies, kittens, babies and rabbits, or else he is going Cujo - all 100+ pounds of him lunging at the end of the leash or standing over 6 feet tall up against a fence, sound and fury signifying a guarding instinct that has been shaped by hundreds of years of breeding. Remember that puppy aptitude test? Biggie was the fat lazy one who was just as happy sneaking off to a corner to nap while his littermates played.

At "his" dog runs, Biggie has decided he must guard everyone in the run from anything that he deems threatening. This includes Port Authority and construction workers, to homeless people dragging carts along the sidewalk, to bicyclists, male joggers and rollerbladers. The problem with just ignoring it is that the behavior gets positively reinforced: he barks, they leave (eventually), he thinks he's chased them away. Negative reinforcement, by saying "eh!" or "no" doesn't work either; these dogs were bred to ward off wolves and many were killed defending their homes to the death from the Nazis, so an "eh" or "no" isn't going to stop a full-on guarding behavior.

BUT... a combination of a strong leader acknowledging the threat, plus a lot of positive reinforcement, does work:

ACKNOWLEDGING THE THREAT:

We start with a calm but authoritative "leave it" or "it's fine" (as in "I hear it, thanks for telling us it's there, now I'm in control of the situation and I deem it NOT to be a threat"). For minor threats, this works really well - he stands and gives his thousand-yard stare, but doesn't escalate to going Cujo. He just watches. This allows him to guard, but teaches him that he can guard quietly, thus keeping us in good standing with the neighbors.

If he's standing quietly and just watching, I'll place a calm hand on his shoulders or pet him, which helps to reinforce the quiet guarding. And as long as he's being quiet, he gets petted and praised.

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT and DISTRACTION+REWARD:

Biscuits are the American Express Card for kuvasz walking. When I see a potential Cujo trigger approaching, I walk up and say hello in a cheery voice and start shoving little pieces of biscuit in Biggie's mouth. [**DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME IF YOUR DOG DOESN'T HAVE GOOD BITE INHIBITION!!!**] Saying hello shows him that I think this person is not a threat, and it's hard for Biggie to bark if he's munching on a biscuit. The idea, of course, is that eventually he associates the trigger with a positive event (biscuits), and rather than barking, will look to me for a treat instead.

When he is able to look at the "threat" without barking and then looks to me, he is ready for the last step, which is to sit for the treat. If I can cut through the guarding instinct to the point that he can listen to a sit command given once, then he clearly doesn't think this "threat" is much of a threat any more. At this point, the next time he sees this type of "threat," he may break away from his playing to run up to the fence to look at the person, but just as soon will run off and resume his play after he's had a good look.

Here he is taking a good look at 8 months - still not something you'd want to tangle with:

Knocked Momma Down... With a Feather!!!

Hi everyone. 10 years to the day after Momma first got admitted to practice her work, I got admitted after doing some work too.

The picture above is after Momma picked herself up off the ground. Doesn't she look like she won the lottery? Well, she sort of did, because I passed my Canine Good Citizen test on the very first try! No practice, no pre-test cramming, no studying. The last class I had was a year ago when I was 4 months old. Momma was in disbelief.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the CGC test, there are 10 stations that you have to pass with an evaluator. You can use verbal and hand commands, but you can't use any treats or food, you can only reward with praise:

1. Accepting a friendly stranger.

Oh hi. Momma told me to sit. So I will smell you from afar. You smell like dogs. When are you going to start the test?

2. Sitting politely for petting.

You smell like dogs. And you know how to pet us. Hi my name is Biggie what's yours? Ok, I guess I'll let you pet the top of my head.

3. Appearance and grooming.

My fur is deep. The dirt is ground in after 4 days at camp. As long as you just pet me on the surface I don't feel too dirty. Yeah, brushing is fine. I'll just stand here and drool at the hamburger stand back there. You want to grab my paws? ummm... I dunno. Well, ... I guess so... cuz you smell like a nice dog lady.

4. Loose lead walking.

Piece of cake! I had to walk in an L and back while the crowd watching me get tested admired my grace and beauty and bigness. Yo - catch you in the dog run later.

5. Walking through a crowd.

Duh, how do you think I got here?? (see picture -->)

6. Sit and Down on command and Staying in place.

Sitting is easy, but you want me to do WHAT? Aw Mom, there's hundreds of people watching and you want me to be all submissive? I don't wanna.

Don't wanna!

There's all these people behind me and someone's grilling burgers back there and there is a siren going off and there is a very pretty labragal over there I want to impress and there's a little girl terrier over there. Hi I'm Biggie wanna be my girlfriends? I. Don't. Wanna. Down.

It is unseemly. Unbecoming of someone as majestic as I.

...

Momma, are you still breathing? Sigh. Ok. For you I will do it, but I'm going to pretend I meant to lie down to look at this bug on the ground.

...

You're welcome Momma. You can breathe again.

Sit-stay? You got it. Anything so I don't have to Down in front of all these people again.

7. Coming when called.

You're kidding, right? Ok. Hold on. Meditating and looking for that labragal again. Sheesh. 10 feet isn't that far away. Why do I have to go all the way over there? I can watch you just fine from here. Ok, ok. I'm coming. Must. Stand. Up. Don't get your panties in a knot, Momma, I'm coming. One. Foot. In. Front. Of. The. Other. Hey, no one said this was a time trial! I'll come when I'm ready.

8. Reaction to another dog.

Oh hi, met you earlier while we were waiting to go into the test. I know, they are making us do some strange things and we're not even getting paid for it. What. Ever. I know, my Momma is weirdly excited too.

9. Reaction to distraction.

Momma, this whole park is ONE GIANT DISTRACTION! (see picture above, click to enlarge) Do you seriously think I'm going to notice when the nice dog lady raps her pen on her clipboard and then drops it in front of me? She smells nice but she's really clumsy. I've seen her drop it like 10 times already!

10. Supervised separation.

Ok I will sit-stay with the nice dog lady even though she said something about maybe I will rip her shoulder out. How many times do I have to tell you I did NOT have anything to do with Momma's 2 shoulder splurgeries? If I'd been there to protect her maybe she wouldn't have gotten hurt in the first place. Don't worry nice dog lady, I will sit right next to you and make everyone look at us. Aren't I handsome? I'm so proud to be here, thank you, thank you, yes. Thank you all for coming to admire my amazing fluffness with your humans.

... Momma's being so silly - she's going behind that big tree. Momma, I know you're there. Maybe if I stare really hard at the tree I can make Momma come out again.

... Hey Momma! I know magic! I used my amazing mind powers to make you come all the way back from the tree!

Wow, Momma, you're really excited! Thanks for the huggins, I love you too.

George: Thank you for the Golden Paw Award! You must have ESP because you gave it to me the day after I passed my test!

Diary of a Kenneled Kuv (Day 1)

Monday 

Boo! Suck. It's Monday. Hit the snooze, Momma. It's still dark out.

What? Why am I getting dinner before my walkies? Mmm. Smells good. But the only time I ever get dinner before my walkies is if something really really exciting happens. 

oo oo oo too excited to eat 

huh? Momma's taking me to the dog run

Wow!!! Auntie Fran who lives across the hall is here and she's petting me!!! AWESOME!!!!  

What??? Aw shucks I just got here Momma. Why do we have to leave now? And why are you running?? At least I got to make a poopy and check pee mail. 

...

...

Who is this man and car here? oo oo oo smells interesting in here. 

Hey. Man is coming over to Momma and talking to her. She smells excited. Or nervous or something. But Momma told me to sit. I don't know, I think Man is making Momma nervous. But she gave him treats to give me. MMM TREAT! But she wants me to sit but I really want to guard her. OH NO HE'S REACHING OVER THE TOP OF MY HEAD AND PETTING ME ON THE TOP OF THE HEAD AND I DO NOT LIKE THAT! GRRRRRR GRRRRR GRRRR MOMMA LET ME GET HIM PLEASE, STOP MAKING ME SIT. GRRRR GRRRR.  WAIT! MAN STILL HAS TREATS IN HIS HAND!!! HE'S BEEN HOLDING OUT ON ME!! IF I KEEP MY BUTT ON THE GROUND I --- JUST --- MIGHT --- REACH --- AHA!!! IF I GRAB FOR THEM HE GETS SCARED AND DROPS THE TREAT ON THE GROUND. 

Momma! Why can't I eat the treats? He dropped them on the ground for me. :(

Hm. interesting. Man is moving crates out of back of car, something about crate is "too small." Too small for what?  Hey look more treats in the car! what a coincidence. It smells like lots of -- hey, hi doggies! I didn't see you in that crate. hi!!!!! I'm Biggie who are you wanna play?? oh boy this toy smells really good. What, Momma you want me to go where??

--hey, Man is lifting me up?! Momma doesn't smell scared. ok I'll go check it out for just a minute, ok? 

oof! how --? what the ?? huh? MommaI'malittlesmooshedinhere.

Mommaareyoucomingtoo?arewegoingtoBrrrMont?Momma? 

...

...

...

ok. This barn smells like doggies. Oh look I have my own dog run! And it goes outside! and then it goes into an even bigger dog run!

What do you mean I'm supposed to stay inside right now? I want out! There's too many things to smell!

Hm. Lets see this door can't be too hard. Maybe if I pull it this way... and then do this... and... Excellent! outside in my little private run! 

Oh HIIIIII!!! I'm Biggie who are you? Hi Carol you smell like doggies so you must be ok will you pet me? Where's my Momma? Ahhhh. I like your petting. Hi Lucca you are little but you sure are cute, let's play chase in the big dog run! hmmm? What's this fencing here? Maybe if I pull it I can get out and go look for Momma. She must be around here somewhere. Huh? what? Treats? Play? Dinner? Food? Ok, I'll open the fence later. 

...

...

Dinner! Yeah! Chicken?check. Veggies?check. Yogurt?check. Salmon oil?check. Tastes like Momma's cooking. Momma where are you? Maybe tomorrow I'll make a hole in the big fence and check out the sheepies and look for Momma. But right now, I think. I. Am. Tired. Maybe. Just.

A

little

nap

Out-of-Doghouse Auto-Reply: Update on Issues

When we left our favorite authority-challenging, city-dwelling goofball of a kuvasz, we were all dealing with the emotional trauma of paying NYC $$$$ for Biggie to be left in a basement alone to potty. ("It puts the lotion in the basket! It puts the lotion in the basket!") We haven't talked to the manager of the facility yet, and I haven't gotten a response to my email last week, but that is just as well, since I don't really know what I would say to these people.

In the week since we've all been back to our usual NYC/VT routine, Biggie has pooped inside once in VT and peed at least 2x here in NYC. All when I left and did not shut him up in the bedroom, where he usually sleeps. On top of that, ANY time I left the apartment other than my usual leave-for-work routine, he would whimper, squeak, cry and yelp for about half an hour after I left. Even if P-Daddy was home. Just pitiful to hear a 100-lb "puppy" crying like a baby. (on the other hand, when I left for work he would not be thrilled, but he knew the drill and wouldn't cry.)

We were also considering a kitten, and the day after I put up the kitten poll, our upstairs neighbors just happened to mention that they'd adopted a stray kitten in July that they couldn't keep because their cat, Min, chased him all over the place and beat up on him. Min and Milo's kids were distraught over the whole situation, so they were trying to place the kitten in our building so the kids could still visit him.

And, P-Daddy in a fit of pup responsibility decided to do Biggie's heartworm and Frontline while I was still out of town. Except he read "between the shoulder blades" as "back of the neck," and now the back of Biggie's neck is a big crusty, scabby mess o' skin reaction.

So, lots of stuff going on at Biggie Momma's House. But -

Biggie is currently on hiatus as he is investigating a new kennel. Preliminary reports appear positive. The kitten search is also on hold, since Min and Milo may be working toward a detente after Min saw that Biggie and Milo may be making friends. Cautious optimism is the mood around here. Biggie will report on his issues when he returns.

Should Biggie get a kitten? (NEW POLL)

(For those of you with really bad eyesight or dirty monitors, that's an Italian Greyhound, not a kitten, being chased by Biggie. But it was the closest I could find.)

We have a mouse problem. They are getting bolder and bolder. Biggie clumsily chases the mice across the hardwood floor ... when he wakes up enough to notice them. He's also lonely during the day, so we've been thinking about another pet/playmate for him.

He's gentle and curious (but respectful) with full grown cats and other animals, and he liked Peter the bunny rabbit, so we think he might like an animal playmate. We've had full grown dogs and a cat before, but we had the cat first, and he was full grown by the time we got the pups, so we're wondering how a young dog + kitten might work?

Clarification: We have been talking about a puppy/kitten for several months, but haven't started thinking seriously about it until recently. Biggie does have a strong prey drive, but it's mainly to chase.

Please vote to the right and comment!

Biggietude: 98-pound weakling takes control

So yesterday was our big meeting with the trainer to see if Biggie can continue to go to day care. For those of you joining our program in progress, I found out a couple of weeks ago that the Biggietude had been having incidents at day care - lunging on his relief walks, barking and nipping and showing classic signs of leash aggression - but no one told us about it until they decided that he was suspended from day care. Which means that he can still come to day care, but they will not do pickup or dropoff, nor will they take him for relief walks during the day. Which sort of defeats the purpose of day care and worse yet, boarding, because if they won't walk him, Biggie can't pee or poo during the day.

I've been talking to the day care people about ways to resolve this, since Biggie has been really terrific with us, and we thought his leash reactivity was pretty much resolved. The upshot is just as I thought when we first heard of the problem: Biggie's been getting his kuvasz on in a big way at day care. He's figured out who he can boss and who he can't. At 15 months he's like a gangly teenage boy who's adult-size but a bundle of childish, undirected energy insde. He jumps on the guys who work at day care, trying to get them to wrestle with them. Never mind that he is NOT ALLOWED to put his paws on ANYTHING or ANYONE but the floor when he is with us; at day care he's figured out that the handlers will good-naturedly push him away and sometimes pet and wrestle a little with him. Which only reinforces it, of course. 

We also watched out of sight while one of the handlers walked him up and down the block in front of the day care.  He walked pretty nicely and went poop at the curb, the handler picked it up and then a bike whizzed by on the street. A little silent lunge, but not anything different from any other dog, and with one tug the handler got his attention back and they walked on, around the corner, and started coming back. A woman with 2 kids, one of them on a scooter and the other running wildly on the sidewalk, were heading straight for them. Behind them, another mom with a baby stroller. The trainer and I watched from our hiding place, and she stepped out to tell the handler to move Biggie all the way to the edge of the sidewalk. We needn't have worried - he saw them but did no more than turn his head and look at them with mild interest. 

The trainer's assessment of Biggie? Very good impulse control, attentive to the handler, and well-behaved on the leash. He's not actually showing leash aggression, but rather the handlers need to be more attuned to his arousal levels and know how to manage it by removing him from the situation. The other thing we found, from talking with the people at the day care, is that over the last few months, when no one told us about it, Biggie has been slowly making his way up the people hierarchy. He doesn't hurt anyone, he just plays with the people like other dogs and treats them like part of the pack that he has decided he will lead and guard. We learned that he barked at and then jumped on one of the workers there, and knocked him down and pinned him. He didn't bite, he didn't lick him to death, he didn't growl, just pinned him. I don't doubt that Biggie would protect this person to the death if he needed to, but as between the two of them, it is pretty clear who is the boss, and it's not the human. We've got a bit of work to do, but more with the walkers and handlers at day care than with Biggie. 

Biggie is being a classic kuvasz, fearless but cautious, with a very strong prey drive, even compared to his littermates, an independent and slightly aloof demeanor, and NO sensitivity to pain. All of these make him hard to control in an uncontrollable environment like the city.  The aspects that make him better suited for city living despite his kuvaszness are his friendliness (for a kuvasz), his ability to accept a dominant leader (for a kuvasz), and his very strong food drive. This last has done us well for teaching him lots of tricks, and the trainer remarked that Biggie's tendency to "offer" behavior is a classic sign that he's been well-trained with positive reinforcement, because dogs that have been trained with negative stimuli ("no" or punishment) won't offer behavior. For them, it's all about avoiding the negative stimulus. 

I knew when we were getting a kuvasz that we were going to be challenged. Working with Biggie is an exercise in patience and creativity (how can I teach him what I want him to do?), but it is so rewarding. I love you, you big oafy polar bear.

Vet Visit (1-year checkup)

When I turned 1 in May, my Momma was so excited about my milestone that she called the vet to schedule my 1-year visit. "Um, noooo, you need to come in for his 1-year BOOSTERS," they said.  Ohhhhh... Silly Momma! Who makes shots that last 9-10 months?

Sheesh.

So on my 14-1/2 month birdday (the more birddays the better, in my opinion) Momma walked me about 5 miles all around the city to go to day care and the vet! The vet was a little scary but I was a brave boy and rode on a table that went up and down and then on the way home we met a nice policeman who gave me his whole bottle of water and then I got home and I was a hot smelly mess. 

The End.

Momma's side of the story:

The Biggietude has been overwhelming the walkers at day care. We had an experimental half day at day care as I took him in and out to go to the vet nearby and then home. It was an exhausting day for both of us. We spoke to the manager about using a Gentle Leader and/or a muzzle and working with the walkers there so hopefully we will be working this out soon!  I went back to being much more consistent about rewarding good behavior and using a command like "leave it" for potentially difficult situations, such as noisy carts, stumbling homeless people, or bikes or scooters on the sidewalk. He walked beautifully through almost 5 miles of crowded sidewalks, people, bikes, dogs, cars, trucks. 

BUT- I think in addition to not having strong leadership when he's being walked, he is territorial about the kennel. He went ballistic at a male yellow lab walking by who was probably also giving him the eye. A lot of sound and fury (from both dogs, but really mostly from Biggie), which stopped as soon as we got away from the kennel. Then, he was attentive about other dogs but not so nuts about them. We have been able to teach him that our building elevator and lobby are not to be guarded and he is accepting of that, so hopefully with some work he will learn.

Biggie did great at the vet, seeing dogs and cats at pretty close quarters. He made friends with the vet's cat, who decided to take a nap on the bench above where Biggie was lying. He really shone while we were in the waiting room. Curious but calm with cats and dogs that came in, Biggie just sat or lay quietly and attentively while they cried or scrabbled around to get away. He welcomed any attention and petting and sat politely while we talked about kuvasz. 

He was a little hesitant to get up on the scale/table since he is not allowed on any furniture at home - this is where his show siblings have the edge on us! He got his rabies but is getting the distemper/parvo etc. titer to check his levels before deciding whether he needs another vaccination. I'm happy about this option of not over-vaccinating him, which is not an option we had 17 years ago with our old dog, Boo. 

The vet really examined his hips and knees thoroughly since he'd had crackly hips in November and a fuzzy xray that seemed to show dysplasia. The vet said his hips felt fine and if anything there might be a little looseness in his knees, but even that was barely noticeable. So - his hips seem to be ok! We will keep up with the cosequin, though. Biggie did so well being on the mobile table so even though his hind end stumbled off as they were lowering it, he didn't thrash at all and they caught him and stuck his butt back on. He stood quietly for the blood draws and the shots, the only sign that he even felt it was that he closed his eyes a bit. Otherwise, no twitch, no noise, nothing. Hooray for my big brave boy. 

And big he is, though probably not as big as he would be on a kibble diet: 98.5 lbs. 

On the walk home in rush hour traffic, we met a policeman who insisted on pouring his whole water bottle for Biggie to drink from his hands, and as we passed people in the crosswalks, many people would drift their hands over to pet Biggie on his back or rump as they walked by. I'm not a huge fan of this but by the time I noticed it the people were usually past us, and Biggie seemed to like the attention, so I let it go. 

Canine Bad Mediocre Citizen

The Biggie Momma here. Biggie's been mostly a g'boy lately, but each time we think he's ready for a Canine Good Citizen test, he reverts to doing something he KNOWS he's not supposed to do, though it usually comes from his kuvasz instinct. At the same time, he is progressing nicely with some other skills that I would not have expected of him (like being a good quiet boy in a hotel room in DC). One step forward, two steps back...

KUVASZ IN THE CITY
In some respects, teaching a kuvasz just to live in the city (especially our neighborhood - full of WTFs) requires skills far beyond the CGC. It is, and always will be, a struggle between what is expected of a dog, especially a large one, in a very close urban setting, and the kuvasz temperament (See here, here and here for more on the kuvasz temperament...) Every walk is an adventure, or a learning opportunity, or both.

It's a 2-mile round trip to a public dog run we've been going to since the closer, private run has been closed for unspecified "work." Yesterday morning is an example of the highs and lows that come on a morning outing. It started out auspiciously enough... At the industrial kitchen next door, there was an older man hosing down the sidewalk. He saw us come out of the building and turned the hose away, and as we walked past, asked "What kind of dog is that?" Biggie seemed relaxed, so we stopped to chat a bit, and he seemed curious about the guy but didn't a) bark at him or b) immediately ram his nose into the crotch, the two most common reactions he has to strangers. When the guy held out his hand, he went to sniff it and then went to get petted. After brief conversation, we moved on to a guy at the butcher/sausage maker next door, taking delivery of giant barrels of pork pieces, who asked, "Did you know when you got him that he was going to be so big? I remember last summer he was sooooo little!" We chatted very briefly, and Biggie just stood there, and we've just aced 2 CGC tasks: Accepting a Friendly Stranger and Sitting/Standing Politely for Petting.



Actually three more tests are no-brainers for Biggie: Appearance and Grooming (Biggie loves having his face brushed and his ears cleaned with a cool wet cloth), Walking on a Loose Lead and Walking Through a Crowd.



Half a block later, we are on the sidewalk and there is a man approaching us. He is pretty nondescript, maybe he walks with a little limp, but really he's not anything that would normally set him off. He certainly doesn't look domicile-challenged or likely to make WTF remarks. But Biggie gets The Stance - his ears go forward, he gets tall, all while walking on a loose lead toward the guy. As we get to about 8 feet away he lunges and growls/barks, but since I'm ready for it (and he happens to be walking next to me in good "heel" position), he gets pulled around by his collar and shoved off the sidewalk by my left knee, and pushed into a sit by a suddenly dominant Biggie Momma. The leash goes onto the Gentle Leader, and he doesn't get to resume his walk until I say so. After that, the remainder of the walk to the run proceeds uneventfully - Biggie walks politely past loud, exhaust-spewing buses, trucks and cars, some off-duty cops outside the stationhouse who call out, "Hello, Wolf!" as we walk by, a doorman who shouts, "How's my boy?" (Who are these people? We walk by most days but we have not stopped to talk to any of these folks before). Biggie smiles and trots by with just a turn of his head to acknowledge all his fans, and we finally get to the dog run, where there are a few dogs already in the run.


Biggie runs in and...


immediately aggresses on an intact* male yellow lab about his age and half his size. The lab is yelping and jumping on his owner to get away from Biggie, who is double his size, and making a big show of teeth but otherwise not hurting the lab. I am silently shouting to the dog, just lie down submissively and he'll stop! while racing in, chasing and grabbing him by the collar and wrestling him away from the appalled onlookers. The intact male's owner says in an aggrieved tone as I take Biggie out of the dog run, We were leaving anyway. I think of creative uses of the English language but hold my tongue - one thing I've learned is that it's always the bigger dog's fault, and I'm not going to convince this woman otherwise.



*people, there is a reason why most dog runs have rules like "no intact males and no females in heat"...



So Biggie gets a time out from the dog run. We go to the benches outside where he has to lie down and I stand with my back to him. After a few minutes, so Biggie doesn't think he successfully chased the lab away, we go back.


A few minutes later, when most of the other dog owners have left because the 'aggressive' dog is back, a WTF walks by the outside of the dog run wheeling a bike with clanking chains on it. Biggie goes up to the fence and starts barking at him, I take Biggie by the collar and start walking him away. The guy calls after me,


"yeah, that's right. You better make him F--ing stop because I got a gun and I'll shoot him and then I will stab him so he better stop barking because I'm gonna stab him and stab him if he don't stop...(etc) I HATE DOGS!"


I don't know why, but this bit is the last straw. "IF YOU HATE DOGS THEN DON'T HANG OUT AT THE DOG RUN!!!"


Of course, once I react to the guy Biggie gets protective too, and he turns and starts barking again. WTF goes, "What, he doesn't like black people?"


And I don't know why -- I guess I was trying to show I'm not racist, though why I even care what the WTF thinks, is beyond me, since he's going to think what he's going to think -- but instead of saying "No, he just doesn't like YOU," I said, "He doesn't like bikes."


WTF proceeds to sit down at a bench with his back to the dog run, and once he stops yelling at us, Biggie ignores him.


On the way home, we walked nicely with his friend Puccini and his dad, past a group of 6 police horses walking slowly past (Biggie sees them but acts as if it's the most ordinary thing in the world), stopping on traffic islands with morning rush hour traffic and bicycles whizzing in front and behind him, and greeting another dog friend and her mom calmly.


Sigh. We have to work on the approaching joggers, greeting a friendly stranger with dog. Someday...

Beach time!

I don't have quite the beach that Nanook and Pooka have. In fact, I've never been to an ocean beach. But don't be calling the Humane Society for me or anything. We have a rocky dirt "beach" in Vermont where I like to play and wade and drink (see below), and I'm taking my people there for 4th of July.

I will swim a little, but only to go out and make sure my peeps are ok. I would much rather they stay in shallow water where I can keep an eye on them. Someone needs to keep bringing home the bacon (and salmon, my new favorite food). I much prefer to wade and run around and stick my entire head in the water. 

Lots of people come, of all sizes. I like to lifeguard them too. Here I am helping a particularly small person to shallower water by giving her a ride on my nose:


The best thing about the beach is the dogs and people who come. Unlike NYC, there are lots of people who know (and like!) big dogs and my peeps are a lot more relaxed around them. I'm also a shameless beggar for treats. 

 

If there's a chance for more treats, I will accompany people on a walk around the pond to make sure they are ok. And monitor their treat levels. Even if they have a dog with them already, sometimes some people deserve some extra special Biggie attention. If they fell in deep water with all those treats, it would be unsafe for them (the people and the treats).  Then P-Daddy has to walk around the other way and meet us to bring me back to where we're hanging out. 

And there are lots and lots of dogs. Here I am making sure Sharky, this baby girl lab, doesn't get in over her head. (Biggie, she already swims better than you and she's 6-1/2 weeks old!) Isn't she cute? 

I also had a tremendous time playing with Tongo, an 8-month old German Shepherd boy. We can be Addled Less Sense together, though you can see from the video that he still has a lot of energy, that little boy! Obviously, I have calmed down SO much since in comparison, since I am already 13 months old.

I hope you all have a really FUN 4th of July, and may your humans be clumsy flipping burgers on the grill!

New Friend: Peter the Pez Dispenser

I went to the dog run the other day and Daisy brought along a new friend!

This puppy seemed a little shy and quiet (and small!) so I let him have some space. 

Though my curiosity got the better of me and decided to sneak up on this strange puppy. His name is Peter. 

TURNS OUT HE'S NOT A PUPPY AT ALL!

He seemed nice enough even though he didn't really play with me. He did let me come up to sniff him. He didn't seem to mind, and he even let me stick my big nose right into his fur. 

A little poke here, a little poke there, he would occasionally move around as he munched on leaves, and leave little treats each time I poked him a little.

Voila! My own Pez dispenser!

I sure hope Peter comes to the dog run again soon.