Some of the dogs running and playing at day care

LJT Training will not be running the day care at lucky stars.  We are in the process of transferring the program to the management at the kennel.  I am still visiting the dogs on Thursdays when I come in to train as they are like family.  I always said I wanted hundreds of dogs when I grew up and it turns out all of the day care pooches are like my own.

It is sad to move on unfortunately life happens.  The dogs are in a good place the staff are doing a great job caring for them. I will be available to help out as needed.

Buck is in most of the photos because he is the "official" tester dog for any new dogs coming into the DDC.  (The rule is if I’m not comfortable letting my dog play with a pup I’m not going to make a clients.)

Above Amber is a little afraid of the dogs, notice the other pups are ignoring her but their body is relaxed, the fur is down, the tail half down, the ears down not making direct eye contact.  Eventially she warmed up and now even instigates play.

Here Buck has direct eye contact, his tail is up, his ears are a little back, it is hard to see but his lips are drawn back and up into a dog smile, his body is a little curved toward the dog.  The hair up along his back philo erection tells us he is aroused (often people think it is a sign of aggression) In fact his front end is on the way down he pounced into a play bow and took off running with his new buddy Bruiser right behind.  Even the play is kind of a test depending on if he plays but keeps me between him and the new dog or if he runs off and has a good time with the new guy.

This dog has Buck feeling a little uncomfortable.  Notice his body is curved away, he has a big submissive smile on his face, his ears are pulled back, and the body leans away from the new dog, his tail is down but still waiving, His hair is up along his back side.  (If you could see the other dog he is all forward ears pulled up, looking intently at Buck, also hair up along the back.)  He is not neccarly a bad dog or an aggressive dog and the moment could pass, but the difference in greeting behavior is apparent between the different dogs. 

Particularly for folks bringing dogs to dog parks and meeting strange dogs in the public, know your dog and be able to determine what he is telling you.   

Manage the dogs and the cat keep them separate unless they are supervised at all times. This actually is kind of a household rule, River lives in a crate unless we are home then he is free to roam the house. However originally he was in the crate or baby gated into the kitchen that allowed us to ensure his safety while he and the dogs sorted out their relationships. Chewy was introduced to a head halter before introducing her to the cat so that she was comfortable in the equipment before we added the excitement of the cat. The head halter provided a measure of insurance so that she did not grab or chase the kitty. Later he instigated chase me games but this was after she learned his rules.

 T  The first dog he met was Torrie, Torie is the leader of the pack, She has plenty of prey drive but treated him like a new puppy sniffing and finally bathing him from top to bottom. The fact that he was a kitten and apparently loved the mothering probably helped. I introduced every single dog one on one to the kitten then waited until they were all comfortable with him and vise versa before adding two, then three, then four…. He came into the house in August and did not get turned loose with the dogs until December. Ursa and Aron are the most difficult since they tend to have a relatively uninhibited bite while playing. So, they are not even allowed to chase the cat in “fun.” Interestingly you can tell by the cats behavior he will play back and forth with the GSD and maul the beagle relentlessly, yet hides quietly on top of the couch or table under it when Aron and Ursa are around and getting frisky. I think rigid household rules are important and they don’t necessarily have to be “fair”I expected Xena to be the tough one but after several minutes of intense focus and nose to nose with the cat she relaxed licked his face and has ignored him ever since. Unless she is searching for him in training then he is the greatest thing out there.

By Christmas River was pretty much a part of the family and right there wanting to know what “Santa” brought him.