It Ain't Easy to Bathe This Dog

Bathing a dog should be easy, especially a 12-pound pup like Prince Alvin. Dogs like water - right? Spray his coat with some warm water, work in puppy shampoo, rinse, and dry.

Alvin had other thoughts about bathing yesterday. It didn't help that he was on the deck free to escape at any time. Thinking it would create less of a mess, I had him outside on a sunny day so he could air dry in the sun. Bad idea! Ever chase a wet, soappy dog bent on escape?

Luckily, I managed to catch him and rinse off the soap. He whimpered pitifully while I dried him off. The next time I'll take the advice I found in an article about bathing a dog who hates baths.

This bathing episode resulted in a clean but tramatized pup. Based on Alvin's past behavior, it'll require a lot of TLC the next time I give him a bath!

Puppy Socialization

Alvin Playing with Snowy, a Westie

All pups learn basic socialization (pack) skills when they're with their mother and the rest of her litter. But what happens after the pup leaves the litter? If there are no other dogs in the house, how will the pup learn how to interact with dogs?

We think it's important for Alvin to be with other dogs so we visit friends and family who have animals. On the July 4th weekend, he hung out with two groups of dogs. First, he played with Artie, a Wheaton Terrier and Lexie, a Carin Terrier. Artie's one of those laid back dogs who had no problem with Alvin's puppy playing. But Lexie is the lead dog so once she established who was boss, she tolerated Alvin. And she clearly outscored Alvin in the ball retrieval game. He just could not compete with her.

Next we picniced with friends who have three Westies and several cats. The leader of these Westies is a male, Scooter. He met Alvin at the front gate growling and did not stop until the ceremonial smelling of rear ends was complete. Even then he barely tolerated the pup. And the Prince decided he'd retaliate by barking at Scooter. Today we needed to supervise their interactions closely.

On the other hand, Alvin was able to play most of the day with the two Westie females Snowy and Zoey. He also met a cat for what must have been the first time. He growled at Oreo for quite a while, but nothing more.

What's interesting about these multi dog interactions is the clear dominance of one dog in a pack and the way the dominant dog interacts with a visitor (intruder). I guess that's what happens in a human group situation - a leader eventually emerges. Sometimes the human leaders are just as obvious as Lexie and Scooter!

I'm wondering if dog parks provide additional opportunity for positive socialization. Please comment if you believe there are any benefits to visiting dog parks.

Designer Dogs from a Historical Perspective

I literally stumbled on an article written in the NY Times (February 7, 2007) about the history of designer dogs. It's a long article, but worth reading if you want to know about the origin of this class of canines. The author, JON MOOALLEM, makes some important points such as the following:

"what we label a dog — how we brand it — doesn’t necessarily have much bearing on its quality. Ultimately, the value of any dog, purebred or hybrid, is bound up in the priorities of the people stewarding it through the hazards of nature and nurture. " My point exactly - I wish I had written this statement!

Should you choose to find out more about the class of dogs we call "designer" or "hybrid," this article is an excellent starting point.

Click here to read The Modern Kennel Conundrum by Jon Mooallen.

For those of you who aren't sure about the meaning of conundrum, here's the dictionary.com definition:
1. a riddle, the answer to which involves a pun or play on words, as What is black and white and read all over? A newspaper.
2. anything that puzzles.