Snow Day!!!

Its funny. People often ask me what I do with the boys when we get so much snow or if the weather is freezing out. I give them the "are you kidding me look"?!!? What do I do with them?!! How bout me!!? I put every piece of Under Armour on that I own in the hopes that I can stay as warm as I would like so that they can have some fun in the snow...while I would much prefer to wait for some fun in the sun!

Winter is often hard for many dog owners. While a lot of your pups who are not snow dogs enjoy it, you need to pay careful attention so that they aren't outside too long. Just like humans your furbabies can get hypothermia as well. Do you know what the signs and symptoms are??

Hypothermia symptoms vary with the level of severity. Mild hypothermia is evident through weakness, shivering, and lack of mental alertness. Moderate hypothermia reveals characteristics such as muscle stiffness, low blood pressure, a stupor-like state, and shallow, slow breathing. Characteristics of severe hypothermia are fixed and dilated pupils, inaudible heartbeat, difficulty breathing, and coma.

That can be found on PetMD as well as the symptoms for frostbite...Yes! Many of your dogs can get frostbite just like us. We've all experienced the frozen paws at one point or another. My min pin used to get them all the time and Cullan the grouchy sister gets them too on the days that the ground is bitterly cold. Unlike the boys, she enjoys just looking at the snow from her nice warm bed, though she will get the energy to play in it for short bursts.

So what do you do when you do have cold weather loving dogs who are addicted to the dreaded white stuff? You find creative ways to play inside. Keep in mind, while you might be happy curled up on the couch with a fire and a movie, your furry buddy, especially a puppy is going to want to play at some point, in doors or out. Tug of war and tossing a ball are quick and easy games to tire them out. If you have a long hall way put some things that they have to jump over like pillows, for a little added work to getting that ball. Playing hide and seek is a great way too and not only works them physically but practices commands as well as provides mental stimulation as they try to find you or your children.

What about those of you that have a small apartment like I do and maybe one or more dogs? Puzzles are a great thing. We have a variety of them with varying degrees of difficulty. Some release treats easier and are designed for younger or less motivated dogs, while others require quite a bit of thinking and work to release the treat. (To find puzzles just type in "dog puzzles" at Amazon.com) We also play "get it", "go get_____" or "go find it" as it reinforces their ability to fetch certain items for their handlers, but can also be a fun game. I will also hide some of their favorite toys around the house and tell them to "go find it" and of course, there are always chew toys! Cullan and Scouty Scout love to chew while Gunnar now enjoys it because he is not to be left out, but he much prefer batting tennis balls around the house and throwing them as far under the couch as he possibly can. Forgot to stock up on toys before that 2" unexpectedly turned into 12"??! TRAIN! Work with your dogs on different obedience tasks. This may not seem like it is going to tire them out, but it will. If they know their basic obedience on the first command, then work on teaching them a new trick...if they learn fast teach them two. Every dog owner should plan to invest at least 15 minutes a day in training their dog, if they are puppies this is significantly more, but the day you commit to that puppy, you have an obligation to it to give it the training that it needs to be the dog that you want...and that friends, family and neighbors like.

(As you can see, they are clearly lacking toys after a generous donation)

These are just to name a few, but I do encourage you to spend a few minutes with your pup in the snow and if they can...let them bounce and hop their way through the deep stuff. That is best and fastest way to tire them out, but please, please remember to watch your dog carefully and be mindful of how long they have been outside. Some of the smaller dogs like Cullan could never withstand being outside while I brushed off and shoveled out, while a lab or retriever may be able to. Each of your pups are different, just like your children. They all require different things but at the end of the day, they want your love and they want your guidance!

Until next time, stay warm....especially if you own a snow dog!!

Choosing your newest family member

The snow is coming down steady outside and we are expecting 7"+ here in central MA today. The boys are sound asleep, Scout at my feet and Gunnar on the couch next to me with the "princess" still in bed. While there is much that I could write about with our current happenings (and I will dedicate posts to those), I thought that I would start back at the beginning with choosing the boys as many people often ask how or why we chose them, or what they should consider when getting their new member.

Gunnars Marine, Tom, has always dreamed of owning a husky for as long as he could remember, and while I have always loved the breed too, I had never considered owning one as I was never in a position to adequately care for one. For starters, I was in school, be it high school or college, and then there was post college with multiple jobs to pay back the dreaded student loans, of which I am STILL paying back! My living situation would not have made for a happy husky, hence, the grouchy puggle sister, Cullan. Back to the boys, Tom desperately wanted a husky, yet needed a service dog, so in doing more in depth research about breed and about Malamutes as well, we found that what we truly wanted was a combination of both. The smaller body, incredible intelligence and steallar blue eyes of a siberian husky, but the laid back and calm temperament of a malamute as well as its strength.

Was this even possible? Certainly there had to be mixes out there somewhere? But we wanted a puppy as I have never trained a service dog, so I wanted to start with the dog as early as I could. We dug a little deeper and alas, "Alusky", a term for a "designer breed" of Siberian Husky/Alaskan Malamute, though many also refer to them as Alaskan Huskies. The search was on and within 30 minutes we found that beautiful face above. Amazing markings, stunning blue eyes, she was remarkably beautiful and she melted our hearts, but there was one problem. She was a SHE. Of the many common mistakes dog owners make, is not taking into consideration the other pets they already have in their home. Cullan was a 6 year old alpha female and there was no way that she was letting another woman in the house! As much as we fell in love with Lavern for her looks and her description, there was no way that we could bring her home knowing that the puppy would predominately live with me and with Cullan. With a few more clicks, we discovered that Lavern had two brothers! Lenny and Squiggy.

They were adorable and their descriptions incredible, but the ad was a few days old and were we truly committed to making this decision at this moment. There is no going back once you make it, though for many that might not be true. I texted the number, fingers crossed that the boys were still available and praying that Lenny was. Sure enough, ONLY the BOYS were available!! Yes!!! Because we wanted Lenny with the half brown and half blue eye! We scheduled a time to talk with Deb, their breeder at Rosekroh Siberian Husky/Alaskan Malamutes and had a long list of questions to ask before we made the final decision to bring GUNNAR home!! What kind of questions, the history of the mom and dad, their personalities, how they interacted with people, kids, different animals, their health history and then most importantly about our Gunnar. Since Deb is in Missouri and we are in Mass, we needed to ask what this little boy was like, how he interacted, what his activity level was, how he did with his litter mates and with other dogs. Even though he was a puppy and young, this was important to know because it was going to set the stage for how he could become as an adult. Now equally important in our conversation with Deb, she had questions for us, to ensure that we could properly care for one of her babies, and to be sure that we had done our research. An hour long phone call and several texts later, preparations for Gunnar to come home were being made! We had found Toms dog, and we had found the puppy that I would devote my time to training. That chill little guy in the background of the photo was coming home to us!

Now when it came to Scout, there was lots of back and forth of should or shouldn't I. Deb had been posting all of these adorable puppies throughout the last year that I just wanted to bring right home and keep them all, but Gunnar wasn't quite a year yet and his training time was getting longer and longer....until one day when a photo of Little Foot appeared in my "stalker feed" (thats what I call my facebook news feed :-) ). Something about that little boy, he HAD to come home!! Even though his description said "he is the sweetest" but was followed by runt that made no difference. I want our dogs to stay on the smaller size because they are not being used as balance, and smaller is more ideal for service work. Little Foot had to come home and start his training, but how? A year later and we are still fundraising to purchase the LiveLife Center and I am still without a paycheck and personally funding Gunnar and his expenses such as the vet and daycare with many of you donating the treats and our incredible friends at Gibsons Natural Pets donating his food. So how on earth could we get Little Foot home as I was ready and able to take on the training of two dogs, with three in the home. A fundraiser! Thats how! Many contributed with one angel in IL donating more than half of the expenses needed to fund his first 18 months and again Deb was sending  us a puppy!! Only this time, by fluke, Deb would be landing at Logan just hours before Scout would be, and I was going to meet this incredible lady, she was going to get to meet one of her babies all grown up and after a 14 hour day, Scout was going to have a familiar face!

So there you have it! That is how Gunnar and Scout came home and the start of this incredible journey!! Now to share some things that you should consider before bringing home your next family member as there is truly a lot more to consider than just the appearance of the dog.

While we all desire to have a cute and gorgeous dog, you cannot simply choose a dog based on what they look like or what they will look like. Many people we encounter tell us how much they want a husky and that after meeting the boys, they desire to go out and get their own. Firstly, Gunnar and Scout are as good as they are because their training is constant no matter where they are. If I choose to bring Scout to dinner with us, I am choosing have my meal interrupted and possibly faced with having to leave if his behavior is not what it should be in public. By that, I mean, if he can't stay settled and needs to be corrected more than 2 times in a restaurant or if he barks once, then into the car he goes! No exceptions. It is very important to set the expectations for your dog and not make exceptions, especially for puppies. The rules are the rules and they are looking for you to keep them in their boundaries.

Now, when you start choosing your dog, you need to consider many things:
MOST IMPORTANT*** Can you dedicate the time to train this dog? If you are going to have a dog, you have an obligation to its training and if you can't spend at least 15 minutes three times a day then you should not be bringing home a puppy. Owning a dog is similar to having a child. They are looking for you to teach, train and raise them into the adults you want them to become. 
-First, can you care for this animal for the next 16 years? Some breeds can live to 16 or older and they rely on YOU to take care of them.
-How much time are you able to spend with the dog? Some dogs need someone at home with them more often than not, while others like my Cullan can be home for 12 hours without a potty break, and be thrilled when I crash on the couch with her in my lap.
-What is your living situation? Do you have a house/apartment? Is it big enough to accommodate the breed you have? Now contrary to what so many adoption agencies might say, if you are an active person or an active family, you can have a larger dog in a smaller space so long as you are getting out every day and giving it appropriate exercise. Just be sure there is plenty of room for those nasty days that you are stuck inside. I have three dogs at the moment, two of which huskies in a one bedroom apartment which many people would think is crazy. However, these boys go to the park every day, they get a walk at night with Cullan and they are mentally challenged throughout the day. On rainy days it can be a bit cozy, but there is enough room to keep them entertained, exercised and happy.
-Your activity level? If you are couch potato then a high energy dog like a husky is not for you, likewise, if you are an avid runner and on the go, a low energy dog like a bull dog is not for you no matter how adorable.
-Your family situation...do you have children? Do you plan to have children? Then you need a breed that is great with children, not only so that your children are kept safe and so they do not grow up with a fear or dislike of dogs, but so that your dog is safe, and that you are not putting it into a situation that it will fail.
-Environment? Are you in the city, the country or the suburbs. Now most all dogs can adapt to their environment, the question is can you give them what they need if you are asking them to adapt to what you need. The boys are not city dogs, these are working dogs, that are born and bred to run and love the outdoors and love to hike. While they can function in a city and enjoy it for a day, I would need to find a wide open field for them each day if I lived in the city with them. I would need to be able to make the time to take them for a hike or take them to a park.
-Who is going to be responsible for the dogs training? One of the most overlooked things by families is the dogs training and establishing WHO is going to be responsible for it BEFORE the dog comes home. While many want this to be a family affair and it can be, there has to be one person who is in charge, dogs need a clearly defined "pack leader" and while everyone can help. There has to be one person who assumes the overall responsibility for the training.
PARENTS!! REALITY! If you choose to get a puppy for your children YOU will be doing the training!! Yes, the kids can take the puppy out and help with feeding and assist in training, but you will be doing the training. Keep in mind this not only means training the puppy but teaching your children how to work with and interact with the puppy.
-Rescue or purchase? Everyone has a different opinion. While we greatly support rescuing animals, a rescue is not always best for every person or every need. There are many loving and incredible animals in shelters across this country looking for their forever home, some coming from loving homes and forced into shelters because their loving families had no choice, however, there are some that come with some issues. You need to decide why you are getting a dog, what you are expecting from that dog, what its purpose will be and what you can handle. I chose to go to a breeder for the boys so I knew exactly what I was getting, especially because of their breed and that they will become service dogs.

-If you choose to go to a breeder, do your research, there are a number of breeders out there, some are in it for the money, some make a ton of claims that are false, but there are also a number of them that are incredible and have a genuine love of the breed that they are working with. Ask questions, ask to speak with other customers, see if you can see older dogs. Before I had even spoken with Deb, I had gone through her facebook page, looked at all the comments from other people who had purchased from her. They had incredible reviews of not only Deb, but the dogs that they had purchased. She appeared to stay in touch with many through her page and upon starting to work with her and talking to her, I could tell instantly that she loves all her puppies. She has a genuine love, and shes not selling them to make a quick dollar. Each family is asked a series of questions, and if she doesn't feel they are a good fit for one of her puppies, or that they can't adequately care for one of these dogs, they are told so. She wants to ensure that her dogs not only go to a loving home, but go to a home that can care for their needs for years to come and that perspective owners know what they are getting into so that they aren't bringing the puppy back or surrendering it to a shelter in a year because its too much for them. We keep in touch and I wouldn't go anywhere else for our dogs, and as time goes on and our veterans look for labs or others, I won't work with a breeder that does not show the same passion as she does. You need to feel comfortable with the person you are purchasing from and you need to be responsible for doing your research.
-Another question we get asked often from first time owners is "why is the rescue or breeder demanding I have a fenced in yard?" Our lives are busy, we often don't even devote the necessary time for ourselves let alone a dog, and it is easy to get caught up with life and maybe not give your pet the amount of attention it needs. Dogs need exercise and they need it daily...even the lazy ones need a few minutes every day. Many breeders and rescues require a fenced in yard or ask for it because they know, on days where life is too much, many owners will just open up the door, send the dog out for an hour while they continue about their routine. I personally do not agree with this, because there are many active owners that could provide incredible homes without a fenced in yard or huge house because they are able to take the dog else where to exercise. However, know that the rescues or breeders are not doing this to be mean or unfair, they are trying to do what is best for the dog and ensure that it will get the exercise that it needs while being kept safe as well.

Now that I have written you a mini novel, please remember that this is based on my experience and some of it my personal opinion. Owning a dog is a big commitment and it is a life decision that should not be made because you fall in love with a cute puppy...that cute puppy is a living animal that grows up and is dependent on you. Dogs provide unconditional love, they are the best medication and if you can care for the breed you choose, they will be one of the biggest blessings in your life. The only thing harder than walking away from a cute puppy that you really want to take home, is becoming attached to that cute puppy and having to give it up.

I am off to enjoy a fire, some hot chocolate and looking at the falling snow, before I am freezing for hours in it once the boys wake up and are ready to play in it! Yup, in owning and training snow dogs, I have volunteered myself to spend countless hours freezing in the cold for their enjoyment :-)

Welcome!

Welcome everyone! 

After all of your comments on Gunnars page last night it would be quite hard to deny starting something up, that is not from "Gunnars" perspective and allows me to go into a little more detail on things. I am very thankful that many of you expressed concerns about whether or not I would have time for this, and while I do have a lot going on, the boys go to daycare two days a week now at Gibsons which has freed up my time a bit. With Scout deciding to wake up early some days, I have a bit of time early on around oh lets say 3 or 4 am where I will be able to write. You'll find probably one blog a week maybe more if I have time, and some will vary in length.

So as I sit here enjoying my quiet time at Barnes and Noble and we start down this road of blogging, I want to remind everyone that not only was I not an English major, but that I am certified dog trainer and I have not gone to school for training dogs. Other than my own personal dogs, I started "training" when we got Gunnar after long hours of researching with books, the internet and speaking with many trainers. Gunnar came into my life because a very good friend is in need of a service dog, and I am fortunate enough to have a job where my focus on his training can be incorporated into my work with Valiant Veterans. I must admit when I read "I really have always dreamed of a husky" my eyes bugged out of my head a bit. I have heard all the horror stories, seen all the photos and watched all the YouTube videos, but I have also read enough to know that with the right love, patience and training they will provide unconditional love and loyalty with a deeper bond than most breeds, something that many of our returning veterans are in need of. The information that I share here is based on my experience with these boys, the dogs that I have owned and the loads of information that I have read and learned from other trainers.

After reading countless books, spending a mind numbing amount of hours on the internet and in conversation with other husky owners and trainers, the decision was made and we set off to find Gunnar, which happened in just hours. We fell in love with him and quickly made the call to Rosekroh Siberian Huskies/Alaskan Malamutes and began bombarding Deb with all kinds of questions about his parents and the process of Gunnar coming home began!
I must admit, when he got here, I thought all you husky owners were crazy. How on earth could you ever describe these dogs as crazy, hyper, maniacs that did nothing but sing to you and beg for your food. That wasn't Gunnar! You all must be nuts! However, as you will read throughout these posts, I have quickly learned that while yes, Gunnar has been incredibly trained, he was also born to be a service dog. Little Scouty Scout on the other hand, that boy would be everything that you all describe and more if you let him.

The most important thing for those of you with dogs, no matter the breed is CONSISTENCY!! It is key. If you don't want them on the couch, don't ever let them on the couch, not even once. What you say goes and thats it, however, much like raising a child, you can't just say "no" or "leave it" and expect the puppy or dog to naturally figure out what you want it to do, instead you have to teach it what you would rather it do. (I don't have kids, so why am I relating this to raising children? I spent 6 years in childcare primarily with toddlers! No you must really think I am a gluten for punishment!) Scout would have most certainly destroyed my house by now if I had not taken the time with him. Contrary to Gunnar, that boys mouth was all over everything the moment he walked in the door. From fingers, carpets, door jams, couches, footstools, headboards, bathtubs, toilets and anything else you can possibly think of, that tiny mouth was on it and while he was told "leave it" and removed from the item all together and given a chew toy instead.

A teething puppy needs to chew and most dogs like to chew, many will chew on whatever they can get their mouths on unless you teach them what they can and can't have. So the next time you see your puppy or your dog headed towards something you don't want them eating quickly re-direct them to something that they can have. Its important to remember that when you have a puppy, your eyes need to be on them at all times, it only takes a second for them to get into something that could potentially harm them. Catching them before they get to an object and replacing it with a toy is a lot more ideal and can save you quite a bit in furniture replacement :-)

Looking forward to sharing lots more soon and answering some of the many questions that you have!