Welcome to Guardian Angel Shepherds! Join us on our journey of breeding, training and caring for our four legged family. Be prepared to laugh, and sometimes cry, with us. You never know what's going to happen next when you live with a pack of German Shepherds! And oh my! The puppies are SO CUTE!
Sunday 30 December 2012
Monday 17 December 2012
Puppies!
Wednesday 12 December 2012
Indy's Crew
I know this looks upside down. Sorry about that. I was standing behind her when I took the picture.
Can you imagine all those little squirmy things inside her stomach! Poor Indy! All pups and Mom are continuing to do well, however I have decided to bottle feed as a supplement to what Indy is producing. After all, there's only 8 "spigots"! It will take a lot of stress off Indy if I help her out. It takes 1 hour 45 minutes to feed them all! Part of the reason for that length of time is because they all have to be burped after eating! Did you know that? And most of them don't particularly like it so it's like burping a gyroscope!
Sorry about the dirty pads. It is impossible to keep things clean at this point. Indy has a large amount of discharge at this point so all I can do is change pads every hour or so. 4 pads X 1 hour. That works out to 96 pads a day! I don't actually change them every hour at night. Midnight is my last hourly change, then 4:00AM, then 7:00AM, then hourly again. That still works out to roughly 80 pads a day. That's a lot of laundry!
10 PUPPIES! Can you believe it!!
No pictures or details for you yet. I've been up almost 24 hours. Mom and pups are doing well. Me? I think I've been hit by a freight train... but I'm happy. All is well at Guardian Angel Shepherds. I'll update everyone soon.
Tuesday 4 December 2012
Thankfully, with death comes life.
After Diesel's death a few weeks ago, things have been pretty down around here. The dogs pack howl more often, looking for their canine pack leader I go through fits of being sad, or being mad. It strikes me most at bedtime. That's when I give the dogs their vitamens, put them outside individually to do their business, and put all the dogs in their seperate beds. Diesel's bed was at the end of my bed. Now there's an expanse of floor I hadn't noticed before. I can't bear to have somebody else there yet. It's too soon.
But, with death comes life. I'm very happy to tell you that Indy is going to have a litter of pups! The father is Merlin and we're all very excited. The breeding didn't go as expected (there was no tie) so it's hard to give an exact date when the pups are due. Should be somewhere around December 15th. It will be a busy Christmas! I have a couple of spots available on the waiting list, so if the timing is right for you, now's the time to get your deposit in!
So when I get sad about my missing friend, I bury my head in Indy's belly. And it doesn't take long before I can feel wiggling beneath my face. And I start to smile.
But, with death comes life. I'm very happy to tell you that Indy is going to have a litter of pups! The father is Merlin and we're all very excited. The breeding didn't go as expected (there was no tie) so it's hard to give an exact date when the pups are due. Should be somewhere around December 15th. It will be a busy Christmas! I have a couple of spots available on the waiting list, so if the timing is right for you, now's the time to get your deposit in!
So when I get sad about my missing friend, I bury my head in Indy's belly. And it doesn't take long before I can feel wiggling beneath my face. And I start to smile.
Major Communications Problems
A quick post before I'm off to classes! I have been having major communcations problems since the middle of October. My hard drive died on my old computer. I had backed everything up so wasn't horribly upset. What I didn't realize was how much time it took to start up a new computer! All the software, programs, etc all needed to be loaded onto the new machine. I just managed to get it all up and running a few days ago and was starting to answer emails back dated to October! And guess what! My hard drive on my new computer is faulty and I have to start all over again! I am majorly PO'd! It's not like I have a lot of free time for this stuff! So here I go again! They are sending me a new hard drive to install myself. Oh the joys of technology!
Also, my Telus answering machine is telling me I have messages, but it won't play them. Telus swears it's working fine and that all these calls people have decided not to leave messages. I've had about 3 messages get through in all of November!!
So my point is, please keep trying if you have been trying to reach me! Don't give up on me! It's this stupid technology!!
k9trainer@dogwhisperer.ca (403)556-3635
Also, my Telus answering machine is telling me I have messages, but it won't play them. Telus swears it's working fine and that all these calls people have decided not to leave messages. I've had about 3 messages get through in all of November!!
So my point is, please keep trying if you have been trying to reach me! Don't give up on me! It's this stupid technology!!
k9trainer@dogwhisperer.ca (403)556-3635
Tuesday 20 November 2012
Tears Around The World
It is with great sadness I have to tell you that my beautiful Diesel is no longer with us. He went to a better place on November 6, 2012. It has taken this long before I could write about it.
Diesel was ever the escape artist. He was never happy when he had barriers. It's not that he wanted to go anywhere, he just didn't like looking through things. He ate himself out of more crates than I can count, but then would lie inside them after they were destroyed. He would jump out over the 6 foot chainlink but then survey his domain just 10 feet away from where he had just escaped. It was the principle of the thing I guess.
On November 4th, he decided to play Houdini Hound again and went out over the chainlink. I saw him lying out in the snow surveying, as usual. Not in the yard where he had TWO 4x8 foot dog houses with decks he could survey from! No, he was lying in the cold snow. I called him in and things were relatively normal that day except that I could see he was stiff from him escape manouver. But that was to be expected. After all, he was 9 1/2 years old and a little over weight. The following day, he had not recovered from his jump but didn't look any worse. He looked a little stiff going up and down the stairs but certainly not anything I was overly worried about. I did decide however, that if he was still stiff the next day, I'd take him to the vet. The next morning came and he didn't want to get up from the foot of the bed. For Diesel not to want to move, I knew it was serious. Next stop, the vet. With some coaxing, he got up and he seemed to get a little better after he'd moved around a little. He wanted to go outside with Isis to go pee, so I let them both out.
I proceeded to get my purse, keys, etc to get ready for the trip to the vet. When I had everything ready, I called the dogs in. Isis came, but no Diesel. I called again, but no sign of him. I went out into the yard and there he was, just lying there looking at me. I went over to give him a hand getting up. I was shocked to find out that he had no use of his back legs.
Luckily Mark was still here and he was able to carry him and put him in the back of my Jeep. The rest, you can figure out. The keyboard is soaked by my tears and I just don't want to keep typing. We did not do an autopsy so don't have a definite cause, however, I believe he must have twisted, or turned or landed wrong going over the fence and caused severe trauma to his spine. The vet couldn't believe he had been walking around the previous 2 days. But that was Diesel. The toughest dog in the world. Just like his father, Justice, before him. Pain was not in their vocabulary.
Damn! I can't even see the screen anymore. Some of you have asked if they could do anything for me. Yes, you can make a small donation to your local rescue or humane society in Diesel's name.
After my heart has healed a little more, I will make up a slide show of my best Diesel pictures and put them on the blog for everyone.
Diesel was ever the escape artist. He was never happy when he had barriers. It's not that he wanted to go anywhere, he just didn't like looking through things. He ate himself out of more crates than I can count, but then would lie inside them after they were destroyed. He would jump out over the 6 foot chainlink but then survey his domain just 10 feet away from where he had just escaped. It was the principle of the thing I guess.
On November 4th, he decided to play Houdini Hound again and went out over the chainlink. I saw him lying out in the snow surveying, as usual. Not in the yard where he had TWO 4x8 foot dog houses with decks he could survey from! No, he was lying in the cold snow. I called him in and things were relatively normal that day except that I could see he was stiff from him escape manouver. But that was to be expected. After all, he was 9 1/2 years old and a little over weight. The following day, he had not recovered from his jump but didn't look any worse. He looked a little stiff going up and down the stairs but certainly not anything I was overly worried about. I did decide however, that if he was still stiff the next day, I'd take him to the vet. The next morning came and he didn't want to get up from the foot of the bed. For Diesel not to want to move, I knew it was serious. Next stop, the vet. With some coaxing, he got up and he seemed to get a little better after he'd moved around a little. He wanted to go outside with Isis to go pee, so I let them both out.
I proceeded to get my purse, keys, etc to get ready for the trip to the vet. When I had everything ready, I called the dogs in. Isis came, but no Diesel. I called again, but no sign of him. I went out into the yard and there he was, just lying there looking at me. I went over to give him a hand getting up. I was shocked to find out that he had no use of his back legs.
Luckily Mark was still here and he was able to carry him and put him in the back of my Jeep. The rest, you can figure out. The keyboard is soaked by my tears and I just don't want to keep typing. We did not do an autopsy so don't have a definite cause, however, I believe he must have twisted, or turned or landed wrong going over the fence and caused severe trauma to his spine. The vet couldn't believe he had been walking around the previous 2 days. But that was Diesel. The toughest dog in the world. Just like his father, Justice, before him. Pain was not in their vocabulary.
After my heart has healed a little more, I will make up a slide show of my best Diesel pictures and put them on the blog for everyone.
Tuesday 18 September 2012
A little privacy please!!
Saturday 8 September 2012
It Makes Me Sad...
It makes me sad to see what has happened to the German Shepherd breed. I just received an email from someone who was looking for a puppy from German lines. I had to tell her that I didn't feel German lines fit into my breeding program anymore. Isn't that sad. Instead of explaining why, I'll show you in pictures instead. Seiger is the title give by the SV (German Shepherd Club of Germany). Seiger is the ultimate world champion male German Shepherd. Siegeren is the female version. A picture is worth a thousand words!
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| Sieger 1926 |
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| Guardian Angel's Diesel (retired stud) |
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| Seiger 2010 & 2011 |
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| First Sieger 1899 |
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| 1907 |
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| Guardian Angel's Isis (Czech Import) |
Tuesday 14 August 2012
A Day Off!
Things have been busy here at Guardian Angel Shepherds. When you have 11 Shepherds to feed, exercise, train and generally care for, it keeps me from boredom! I do take a day off here and there but it always includes a minimum of 2 of my 4 legged family. The pictures below are of Merlin and Cruz ejoying a day at the beach. Just me and my dogs. What a peaceful, wonderful time we had. We ventured into Kananaskis country without having a particular destination. When I saw the lake appear before us, I knew that was where we were going to stop.
It's pretty hard to play fetch in the water while on leash (even a long one) so we did the best we could. Kananaskis has an on-leash policy and we follow that 100% of the time. Unlike SOME people!! (Sorry, before I digress further...)
I thought taking an older dog with a younger dog would help with learning the swimming process. Merlin is the older, Cruz the younger. Turns out, it was the other way around! Apparently Merlin's younger life in Czechoslovakia did not include swimming! Cruz on the other hand, jumped right in! I kept the throws close to shore but she did actually swim a time or two. Merlin, wasn't so keen. As soon as the water touched his belly, that was it.
We walked on the beach and found a spring. It's so amazing to see water just bubbling out of the ground all by itself. We are so used to pipes, and tanks and all the fancy things that go along with our water systems that you forget there are miraculous things where water just appears! It was very cool. The dogs didn't seem to care much though. 8-)
We spent the whole day there, enjoying the solitude at times and people watching at others. What a great way to recharge your batteries.
It's pretty hard to play fetch in the water while on leash (even a long one) so we did the best we could. Kananaskis has an on-leash policy and we follow that 100% of the time. Unlike SOME people!! (Sorry, before I digress further...)
I thought taking an older dog with a younger dog would help with learning the swimming process. Merlin is the older, Cruz the younger. Turns out, it was the other way around! Apparently Merlin's younger life in Czechoslovakia did not include swimming! Cruz on the other hand, jumped right in! I kept the throws close to shore but she did actually swim a time or two. Merlin, wasn't so keen. As soon as the water touched his belly, that was it.
We walked on the beach and found a spring. It's so amazing to see water just bubbling out of the ground all by itself. We are so used to pipes, and tanks and all the fancy things that go along with our water systems that you forget there are miraculous things where water just appears! It was very cool. The dogs didn't seem to care much though. 8-)
Monday 16 July 2012
Cara is in Colorado! At last!
I can't believe that it's been over a month since I last posted! Good grief! Lots of things are (and have been) happening here. The most exciting is that Cara, aka Zara, is in Colorado living the good life! What a ridiculous amount of work to get her there though!
The worst problem was that US customs in Denver would not accept her after 3:30PM. And there were no flights from Calgary to Denver that got in before 3:30! They wanted me to ship her to Toronto, have her stay the night in a kennel there, then catch a flight from Toronto to Denver. It would mean she would be in transport for 24 hours!! NOT!! It's just over 3 hours from Calgary to Denver!
So, my loving husband came up with a wonderful plan. He said, why don't we drive her across the border and send her from Montana! Good idea! I started making arrangements and trying to figure out where we could send her from, and what time she'd arrive at. I finally had it all figured out when I realized our passports had expired!! So! Off to the passport office to apply for express passports! It cost extra money but at least we could keep everything on schedule.
I still had to get Cara to the vet for her rabies shot and a health certificate before we could take her across the border. I had that scheduled for Thursday and we were leaving Friday morning early. Then comes the bad news. We can't ship her to Denver due to the heat wave. There was an embargo on pets. AND... the US airlines won't accept a health certificate from a Canadian vet, it has to be a US vet!!! Are you kidding me!! We are leaving Friday. It takes 11 hours to get to the destination and she has to be at the airport at 4:30 in the morning! How on earth are we going to get her to a US vet? and where can we ship her to if not Denver?? Since I had so many things on my plate, I asked Cara's new owner to figure out the flight plan. She figured out we could fly her to Salt Lake City which was a 7 hour drive for her to pick her up. I figured out we could call vets along the route once we crossed the border and see if we could get an appointment as we drove! Cara's new owner was also able to find us a vet 35 miles south of the border that was willing to write a health certificate and quickly send us on our way. I couldn't believe how many things could possibly go wrong with trying to get this dog to Colorado. I have shipped many dogs to the States before. I took the dog/puppy to the vet... took the puppy to the airport and said a tearful goodbye. All this rigamaroll was ridiculous! It seemed that absolutely everything was not working out. It was one of those things where you wonder whether you're supposed to be doing it or not? Was someone trying to tell me something?? It ended up being one of those challenges for me. The kind that you said "I don't care how long or how hard this is, I'm going to do it anyway!"
When we got to the border, I was so worried that I might have forgotten papers, or didn't know I was supposed to do something that I didn't do, that I couldn't even talk properly to the border control officer. He asked where I was going and why. I said something like "We're on our way to Great Falls, no Billings, no Great Falls to put this dog on a plane to Denver, no Salt Lake City." And why are you doing that? "Because that's where her owner is" Well why do you have her dog? "Well she's, actually my dog but she's going to be her dog" So you sell dogs? Yes. When did you sell this dog? "In May". So she isn't your dog then? "Well, she is, well I guess she isn't now, but she was my dog" So you're taking somebody else's dog over the border? No, well, yes, but she used to be, oh never mind! I'm nervous and can't talk!! You're nervous? Why are you nervous? "Because you're making me nervous!!" He smiled and waved us on. Oh good grief!!! As we entered Montana, I breathed a huge sigh of relief.
We found the vet after about 3 phone calls. Turns out they were in the industrial section of the town. (Who puts a vet in an industrial section?) Cara received a clean bill of health from the vet and we were on the road again. She was a trooper the whole way down and she behaved herself admirably at the hotel and everywhere else we went. I'm often grabbed in a parking lot because of all the advertising on my Jeep. This happened many time while I had Cara with me. Often times the conversations would last up to a half hour in length. She was such a good puppy. Instead of getting antsy and becoming a pest, she would first sit, then eventually lie down and go to sleep!
Up at 3:30AM to get her to the airport! We arrived in lots of time but do you think she'd go pee? Of course not. It didn't matter how I explained it to her, she just wasn't having anything to do with it. So, off she went. In the crate that had to have metal screws instead of plastic, absorbent bedding but not shavings, a water dish with water in it, a food dish that wasn't allowed to have food in it and toys that were not bones, or edible in any way. (And that's a whole other story!) I cried like a baby most of the day. I was expecting to hear that she arrived safe and sound around 9:00AM. By 11:00AM I still hadn't heard anything. I was going crazy. I finally called and found out she had made it safe and sound and the owner had left a message on both my home and cell phones. I think I probably turned off roaming and one too many other things on my phone so Telus wouldn't charge me absorbatent amounts of money while I was in the US. The call and message never did come through on my cell phone but there was a happy message on my home phone when I got back.
I've had many updates since she's been gone and Susan is extremely happy with her. I've asked for a picture or two so I can update this blog.
After we dropped Cara at the airport, we went back to the hotel for a nap! It had been a very hectic week getting everything ready to go. After that well deserved nap, we spent the next day and a half visiting the sites. Including the First People's Buffalo Jump where Mark was almost bitten by a rattle snake! And that's another story...
The worst problem was that US customs in Denver would not accept her after 3:30PM. And there were no flights from Calgary to Denver that got in before 3:30! They wanted me to ship her to Toronto, have her stay the night in a kennel there, then catch a flight from Toronto to Denver. It would mean she would be in transport for 24 hours!! NOT!! It's just over 3 hours from Calgary to Denver!
So, my loving husband came up with a wonderful plan. He said, why don't we drive her across the border and send her from Montana! Good idea! I started making arrangements and trying to figure out where we could send her from, and what time she'd arrive at. I finally had it all figured out when I realized our passports had expired!! So! Off to the passport office to apply for express passports! It cost extra money but at least we could keep everything on schedule.
I still had to get Cara to the vet for her rabies shot and a health certificate before we could take her across the border. I had that scheduled for Thursday and we were leaving Friday morning early. Then comes the bad news. We can't ship her to Denver due to the heat wave. There was an embargo on pets. AND... the US airlines won't accept a health certificate from a Canadian vet, it has to be a US vet!!! Are you kidding me!! We are leaving Friday. It takes 11 hours to get to the destination and she has to be at the airport at 4:30 in the morning! How on earth are we going to get her to a US vet? and where can we ship her to if not Denver?? Since I had so many things on my plate, I asked Cara's new owner to figure out the flight plan. She figured out we could fly her to Salt Lake City which was a 7 hour drive for her to pick her up. I figured out we could call vets along the route once we crossed the border and see if we could get an appointment as we drove! Cara's new owner was also able to find us a vet 35 miles south of the border that was willing to write a health certificate and quickly send us on our way. I couldn't believe how many things could possibly go wrong with trying to get this dog to Colorado. I have shipped many dogs to the States before. I took the dog/puppy to the vet... took the puppy to the airport and said a tearful goodbye. All this rigamaroll was ridiculous! It seemed that absolutely everything was not working out. It was one of those things where you wonder whether you're supposed to be doing it or not? Was someone trying to tell me something?? It ended up being one of those challenges for me. The kind that you said "I don't care how long or how hard this is, I'm going to do it anyway!"
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| On our way! |
When we got to the border, I was so worried that I might have forgotten papers, or didn't know I was supposed to do something that I didn't do, that I couldn't even talk properly to the border control officer. He asked where I was going and why. I said something like "We're on our way to Great Falls, no Billings, no Great Falls to put this dog on a plane to Denver, no Salt Lake City." And why are you doing that? "Because that's where her owner is" Well why do you have her dog? "Well she's, actually my dog but she's going to be her dog" So you sell dogs? Yes. When did you sell this dog? "In May". So she isn't your dog then? "Well, she is, well I guess she isn't now, but she was my dog" So you're taking somebody else's dog over the border? No, well, yes, but she used to be, oh never mind! I'm nervous and can't talk!! You're nervous? Why are you nervous? "Because you're making me nervous!!" He smiled and waved us on. Oh good grief!!! As we entered Montana, I breathed a huge sigh of relief.
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| Stopping for a lunch and pee break |
We found the vet after about 3 phone calls. Turns out they were in the industrial section of the town. (Who puts a vet in an industrial section?) Cara received a clean bill of health from the vet and we were on the road again. She was a trooper the whole way down and she behaved herself admirably at the hotel and everywhere else we went. I'm often grabbed in a parking lot because of all the advertising on my Jeep. This happened many time while I had Cara with me. Often times the conversations would last up to a half hour in length. She was such a good puppy. Instead of getting antsy and becoming a pest, she would first sit, then eventually lie down and go to sleep!
Up at 3:30AM to get her to the airport! We arrived in lots of time but do you think she'd go pee? Of course not. It didn't matter how I explained it to her, she just wasn't having anything to do with it. So, off she went. In the crate that had to have metal screws instead of plastic, absorbent bedding but not shavings, a water dish with water in it, a food dish that wasn't allowed to have food in it and toys that were not bones, or edible in any way. (And that's a whole other story!) I cried like a baby most of the day. I was expecting to hear that she arrived safe and sound around 9:00AM. By 11:00AM I still hadn't heard anything. I was going crazy. I finally called and found out she had made it safe and sound and the owner had left a message on both my home and cell phones. I think I probably turned off roaming and one too many other things on my phone so Telus wouldn't charge me absorbatent amounts of money while I was in the US. The call and message never did come through on my cell phone but there was a happy message on my home phone when I got back.
I've had many updates since she's been gone and Susan is extremely happy with her. I've asked for a picture or two so I can update this blog.
After we dropped Cara at the airport, we went back to the hotel for a nap! It had been a very hectic week getting everything ready to go. After that well deserved nap, we spent the next day and a half visiting the sites. Including the First People's Buffalo Jump where Mark was almost bitten by a rattle snake! And that's another story...
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| JUST before the rattle! |
Tuesday 12 June 2012
Monday 11 June 2012
Jack just turned 4!
Jack's birthday has just come and gone. I can't believe he's 4 years old already. Seems like no more than two years since he was here!
He still acts like a pup. But a pup with manners! The best of both worlds! He plays with Cruz, all day long. They chase each other around and around until I'm exhausted!
Jack is still looking for his new forever home. These are the things I now know about Jack. The good and the bad.
We'll start with the "bad" because there's really not much and it's really not BAD.
Jack is nice to cats who stay still but he'll chase cats that run.
Jack was raised with an 8 year old and a 12 year old but gets excited around small screaming children. This can be fixed with some exposure.
Jack received all his shots until his 3rd birthday. After receiving those innoculations, his immune system crashed. It is recommended that he never be given anymore shots. The only remnants of his ordeal is that he developed food allergies. He has been given both raw food and Acana kibble without grains and done fine on both. Apparently chicken is a no-no as well. So no grains, and no chicken. Sounds easy enough.
Now! All the good things about Jack!
He doesn't jump on people. He doesn't jump on the back door. He doesn't beg at the table. He doesn't pull on the leash. He doesn't pee in the house. He doesn't bark incessantly. He doesn't get up on the furniture.
He does come when he's called. He does obey all basic commands. He does bark when people arrive. He does greet people in a friendly manner. He does settle down in the house. He does enjoy his meals. He does like treats. He does like water. He does like cats that don't run. He does like other dogs.
He is absolutely gorgeous. The pictures do not do him justice. The red in his coat is just stunning and it is all through it. I've never seen one of my dogs with his coloring. He is very unique.
Jack is very gentle. He is easily trained and not a dominant dog. He just doesn't have a mean bone in his body. He has the same temperament as his brother who belongs to my daughter's family. You couldn't ask for a better dog. Any one who gets him will be very lucky.
I have uploaded a video of him on You Tube here. http://youtu.be/vY-A8rvVY08
Jack is not a rescue looking for a home. He is being sold as a trained dog. His price is $1000. The price will go up $1500/month for every month of professional training he gets, to a maximum of $5000. His original purchase price at 8 weeks olds was $2300.
If you are interested in Jack, you can contact me at 403-556-3635 or k9trainer@dogwhispherer.ca
He still acts like a pup. But a pup with manners! The best of both worlds! He plays with Cruz, all day long. They chase each other around and around until I'm exhausted!
Jack is still looking for his new forever home. These are the things I now know about Jack. The good and the bad.
We'll start with the "bad" because there's really not much and it's really not BAD.
Jack is nice to cats who stay still but he'll chase cats that run.
Jack was raised with an 8 year old and a 12 year old but gets excited around small screaming children. This can be fixed with some exposure.
Jack received all his shots until his 3rd birthday. After receiving those innoculations, his immune system crashed. It is recommended that he never be given anymore shots. The only remnants of his ordeal is that he developed food allergies. He has been given both raw food and Acana kibble without grains and done fine on both. Apparently chicken is a no-no as well. So no grains, and no chicken. Sounds easy enough.
Now! All the good things about Jack!
He doesn't jump on people. He doesn't jump on the back door. He doesn't beg at the table. He doesn't pull on the leash. He doesn't pee in the house. He doesn't bark incessantly. He doesn't get up on the furniture.
He does come when he's called. He does obey all basic commands. He does bark when people arrive. He does greet people in a friendly manner. He does settle down in the house. He does enjoy his meals. He does like treats. He does like water. He does like cats that don't run. He does like other dogs.
He is absolutely gorgeous. The pictures do not do him justice. The red in his coat is just stunning and it is all through it. I've never seen one of my dogs with his coloring. He is very unique.
Jack is very gentle. He is easily trained and not a dominant dog. He just doesn't have a mean bone in his body. He has the same temperament as his brother who belongs to my daughter's family. You couldn't ask for a better dog. Any one who gets him will be very lucky.
I have uploaded a video of him on You Tube here. http://youtu.be/vY-A8rvVY08
Jack is not a rescue looking for a home. He is being sold as a trained dog. His price is $1000. The price will go up $1500/month for every month of professional training he gets, to a maximum of $5000. His original purchase price at 8 weeks olds was $2300.
If you are interested in Jack, you can contact me at 403-556-3635 or k9trainer@dogwhispherer.ca
Monday 4 June 2012
SCAM KIJIJI AD USING MY PHOTO!!!!
SCAM Halifax Kijiji Ad
Many thanks to Petrina for telling me about this ad!! They even have names for all the puppies!!! How scarey it is to see things like this. This picture is about 15 years old! Most of those puppies have gone on to better places. I can't believe people. This is why I spend more time with dogs than people.
Thanks again Petrina! If it wasn't for you, I'd have never known.
Many thanks to Petrina for telling me about this ad!! They even have names for all the puppies!!! How scarey it is to see things like this. This picture is about 15 years old! Most of those puppies have gone on to better places. I can't believe people. This is why I spend more time with dogs than people.
Thanks again Petrina! If it wasn't for you, I'd have never known.
Thursday 31 May 2012
This Beautiful Boy Needs A New Home
It breaks my heart to have to tell you that the owner of this beautiful boy is sick and unable to care for the dog. His name is Jack and it is tearing apart the family to have to give him up. He is a Guardian Angel Shepherd born to Timber & Indy in the summer of 2008. He is described to me as a "beautiful, sweet, gentle boy". He will be arriving here tomorrow. If you, or anyone you know is interested in an adult, trained German Shepherd, please contact me at k9trainer@dogwhisperer.ca
Monday 28 May 2012
Zara has a new home!
Thursday 17 May 2012
This is Miss Zara having an enjoyable day. She is still looking for her forever home. First we went to the playground. I was so proud of her to walk on the swinging bridge!! After that, we went to Pet Planet where she found two new playmates. A Lab cross and an Irish Wolfhound. What fun! We also met several new people and found out that some of them had yummy treats!
Thursday 10 May 2012
Your Puppies Ears
Your puppies ears are made out of cartilage. The cartilage becomes stronger when your dog is consuming enough calcium. At the age of 4-6 months, your puppy is needing large amounts of calcium. Not only for their ears but also for the permanent teeth they are growing under the surface of their gums. It is very important that the pup receives enough calcium to grow both teeth and ears. If not, the ears will take the hit!
Your puppies are starting into their teething stage. They will loose their baby teeth as the permanent teeth grow. This can be quite a painful time for your puppy. Often times the pain of teething will cause the puppies ears to droop. I suggest you give your puppies raw, frozen, knuckle bones to chew. This helps in 3 ways. 1. It adds extra calcium to their diet, 2. It strengthens the muscles that support the ears, and 3. It provides a cool sensation on their sore teeth.
If your puppies ears have been up and are now down, this is caused by teething. The ears that have been up already will come back up again once they are feeling better. If, however, your puppy's
ear(s) have not been up, you need to sit up and take notice. You do not need to do anything at this point but if at 5 months there are no signs the ear(s) are coming up, you need to call me. There are several reasons why a dog's ears will not stand. Not enough calcium, people rubbing them frequently which causes the cartilage to soften (think leather), and playing with other dogs who grab at the puppy's ears.
So keep an eye on those ears everyone! Oh ya! And either no tug of war while their teething or at the least, very GENTLE tug of war!
Bye for now!
Monday 30 April 2012
Monday 16 April 2012
Internet is down 8-(
My Internet has been down for days! I'll answer emails as soon as possible.
Sent via my IPhone.
Sent via my IPhone.
Wednesday 11 April 2012
Ian Dunbar & Me!!
For those of you who are dog lovers and have delved into the world of training (not necessarily professional), you probably know who Dr. Ian Dunbar is. For those of you who don't, Ian Dunbar has been one of my mentors for a very long time. Probably over 30 years! I've based my Puppy Kindergarten course on his teachings from 10 years ago. It still is a "state of the art" program. Proven consistently better than all the other programs out there. Ian Dunbar is definitely one of my dog training Heros!
I was incredibly lucky to be able to sit in on a seminar he was giving in Calgary these past few days. April 6-7-8 to be exact. Not one of those events where there are thousands of seats sold, which Dr. Dunbar is quite capable of filling. No, it was only open to 100 people. It was a very intimate seminar with lots of one on one time. It was very surreal for me. It would be like going to a cocktail party with Angelina Jolie or (fill in the star of your choice!). I've been listening to him on radio shows and watching him on videos for so many years, it was hard to believe he was there in real life. Finally those little nagging questions I've had were all answered! Nothing major. I've understood his formula for training for many years. But it was the little things. "Why did you change the variable ration schedule to the variable interval schedule part way through the puppy push up learning chain?" Now I know! It's these small things that make such a difference when you are teaching your dog. I've been teaching that method for all these years, but now I understand it FULLY! (Didn't know dog training was so technical, did ya!) Although it can sound like gobble-dee-gook, it makes total sense if you look at it through the eyes of a dog. It's been my job to be the "go between". I translate all the scientific jargon to pet owners so they can have success with training their dog.
One of the things that Dr. Dunbar is so emphatic about is early learning for puppies. On the first day of the seminar, it was really cool to find out I was already doing all the things he was teaching about. It was called:
I have been doing, for years, what he's teaching now. Of course I can't take credit for the program, it was borrowed from the Service Dog Program. I will take credit, for seeing these things are needed way ahead of 99.9% of other breeders. I attribute that to my education in being a trainer AND a breeder. I have the best of both worlds! So now that I've patted myself sufficiently well on the the back, I have a picture to show you. It's still surreal to me...
To find out more about Dr. Ian Dunbar, please go to http://www.dogstardaily.com/ He also stressed that breeders download his book "After You Get Your Puppy" and give it to all their puppy owners. So here it is. After You Get Your Puppy Courtesy of Dr. Ian Dunbar and Guardian Angel Shepherds. Now it's 156 pages long and I haven't read it. If you find things in there that you don't agree with or are confusing, let me know. Enjoy!
I was incredibly lucky to be able to sit in on a seminar he was giving in Calgary these past few days. April 6-7-8 to be exact. Not one of those events where there are thousands of seats sold, which Dr. Dunbar is quite capable of filling. No, it was only open to 100 people. It was a very intimate seminar with lots of one on one time. It was very surreal for me. It would be like going to a cocktail party with Angelina Jolie or (fill in the star of your choice!). I've been listening to him on radio shows and watching him on videos for so many years, it was hard to believe he was there in real life. Finally those little nagging questions I've had were all answered! Nothing major. I've understood his formula for training for many years. But it was the little things. "Why did you change the variable ration schedule to the variable interval schedule part way through the puppy push up learning chain?" Now I know! It's these small things that make such a difference when you are teaching your dog. I've been teaching that method for all these years, but now I understand it FULLY! (Didn't know dog training was so technical, did ya!) Although it can sound like gobble-dee-gook, it makes total sense if you look at it through the eyes of a dog. It's been my job to be the "go between". I translate all the scientific jargon to pet owners so they can have success with training their dog.
One of the things that Dr. Dunbar is so emphatic about is early learning for puppies. On the first day of the seminar, it was really cool to find out I was already doing all the things he was teaching about. It was called:
Wasting Puppyhood — Shelter Dog Manufacturing
How to prevent the many behavior, temperament and training problems that are caused primarily in puppyhood yet are seldom manifested until adolescence and adulthood — housesoiling, destructive chewing, excessive barking, separation anxiety, fearfulness, dog-human and dog-dog aggression, hyperactivity, lack of attention and lack of compliance
I have been doing, for years, what he's teaching now. Of course I can't take credit for the program, it was borrowed from the Service Dog Program. I will take credit, for seeing these things are needed way ahead of 99.9% of other breeders. I attribute that to my education in being a trainer AND a breeder. I have the best of both worlds! So now that I've patted myself sufficiently well on the the back, I have a picture to show you. It's still surreal to me...
 |
| Dr. Ian Dunbar & Me! |
Thursday 5 April 2012
Here's an email I received from one of my puppy owners:
Hey Mary Ann,
Thank God for the wonderful re-call you
imprinted in the puppies!!!!!
Dugan and I went for our first walk around
the block tonight. We’ve been going up and down our street – but tonight was
our first foray beyond those limits. Everything was going fine until Dugan
stopped dead in his tracks and wouldn’t move. I stood there trying to figure
out what he was so scared of because there weren’t any cars or people or dogs or
anything around except the sidewalk we were on and a house........and a fire
hydrant! He was staring straight at the hydrant with complete fear and although
I’d never seen that before, I recognized the fear. I quickly started going back
over in my mind everything I’d read about what to do when you see that fear
response, but while I was trying to remember what to do (because I knew this was
critical) Dugan bolted and managed to pull the lead out of my hands and he
started running down the sidewalk away from me. My heart stopped and then I
took off after him, but he’s really fast and there was no way I was going to
catch him. So I kept calling his name and started running the other way, but I
could see that wasn’t going to work. Thank God I had the presence of mind to
drop to my hands and knees and start playfully calling, “Puppy, Puppy, Puppy” –
he stopped, I called puppy puppy puppy again, and he came running to me. I
nearly started crying I was so relieved, and I’m soooooo happy that the response
is so deeply imprinted in him that he turned around and came back to me even in
his state of panic (and mine). We’ve been practicing it, because we took your
warning seriously – and it worked exactly at the time we needed it – so thank
you.
We did manage to get past the hydrant. I
just waited until he had scoped it out and moved forward gently. By the time we
passed it he was fine, no fear for him, although my heart was still beating so
fast I could feel it. The rest of the walk was fine. We will be going by that
hydrant again tomorrow, but this time I will make sure I have the lead wrapped
several times around my hand and now I’m ready for other fear
responses.
I hope all is well with you, and thanks
again,
Monday 2 April 2012
Thursday 29 March 2012
Thanks for your support!
I want to thank everyone that wrote and told me how wonderful my video on puppy biting was. Seems I wasn't as bad as I thought! So thanks for supporting me and my video experiment.
I just wanted to let you know that I will be away Friday-Sunday at a seminar. I won't have time to return phone calls or emails but I promise I'll get on it first thing Monday.
Have a good weekend everyone!
I just wanted to let you know that I will be away Friday-Sunday at a seminar. I won't have time to return phone calls or emails but I promise I'll get on it first thing Monday.
Have a good weekend everyone!
Wednesday 28 March 2012
What's with the horse videos?
My niece is looking to a buy a new horse and it just so happens that the place she's looking at, that sells Canadian horses, is just a 1/2 hour from me. And she lives 8 hours by plane away from here. I told her I'd go look at a few horses for her and send her the videos. It was just easier to put them up on YT than to email them all. So that's what's with the horse videos!
Off to teach my class at the college! Hope you're having a good day!
Off to teach my class at the college! Hope you're having a good day!
Tuesday 27 March 2012
I had a concern from a new puppy owner that his puppy wasn't eating very much. The pups are going to take up to two weeks to adjust to their new surroundings. It will probably be much faster than that but you need to give them lots of time. I have been adding hot water to the pup's meals about 10 minutes before giving it to them. They seem to enjoy it a lot better. So give that a try and I'm sure your pup will eat a lot more.My email has been giving me problems the last 2.5 days. The server is full but I can't figure out how to take the old messages off. For now, I've increased my data to unlimited so it's back up and working. I can only imagine the price that will be! Unfortunately I can't contact the support team by phone, only by email. Which didn't help me because I couldn't get email!!! Good grief. Anyways, for those of you who emailed me and didn't receive an answer, that's why. Please email again and I promise to get back to you ASAP.
Monday 26 March 2012
Meet "Baloo"aka Mr. Red! He looks quite content with his new playmate Mr. Bear. In reality, he has a bigger friend who's name is "Ursus". I think Ursus & Baloo will be best friends!
I've put up a video about how to discourage puppy biting. It's just me, talking to the camera. It was an experiment. My conclusion was, I won't be doing that again! It took about 6 takes and it's really boring to watch! That's what experiments are for I guess! The idea was to start making short clips to help people with their day to day lives with their k9 partners. If I'm going to do that, it's going to have to be a whole lot more interesting! Practice makes perfect I guess! Please send suggestions and comments!
Wednesday 21 March 2012
Crate training your new puppy
With the puppies going home, I'm getting lots of questions about crate training. Most people are "for" crate training but there are a few that are defintely against!
I'm not going to spend a lot of time trying to get people to change their mind. What I am going to do is list all the positives about crates. The people who are against crates seem to think of them as cages. That is extremely far from the truth. Dogs think of them more like dens!
Your puppy has been introduce to sleeping in a crate from the time he was 5 weeks old. The only difference between your house and mine, is your pup is alone in the crate. He had littermates here.
I suggest introducing your puppy to a stuffed chew toy (e.g. kong) outside of the crate. Make sure it is an especially good treat he's trying for. Once he really catches on, show him the toy, throw it in the crate, and shut the door. With your puppy on the OUTSIDE. When he starts whining and digging at the door to get his treat, let him in. Close the door behind him but stay near him. After 20-30 seconds of him chewing his treat, open the door and take away the chew toy and let him come out. Do this 2 or 3 times, then take the toy away for practice at a later time. Each time you practice, give the puppy longer and longer to chew the toy inside the crate. Pretty soon he will associate the crate with something incredibly delicious! Save that favourite chew toy for times when you must contain him in the crate. Pretty soon he'll be wishing you'd go somewhere so he can go in his crate!
Good luck!
 |
| As I was typing this, I noticed I had only one dog at my feet instead of three. I snuck into the crate area and snapped this picture. You'll notice that right outside his crate is a soft cedar bed. Instead he chose to sleep inside the crate with the door open. It gives them the feeling of security, not imprisonment. |
l. Housebreaking - an invaluable tool
when the pup has to be left alone for a few hours. Dogs will rarely soil their beds.
2. Prevents chewing - supply your dog with
a stuffed chew toy or equivalent while in his crate and you know that is all that will
be devoured when you come back. Not your
couch.
3. Safe transportation - a crate keeps
your dog where he belongs in your vehicle.
Safe for you and him. It also
keeps most of the hair off the seats (which he won't be chewing). It also prevents him from jumping into the front seat unexpectedly possibly cause an accident.
4. Hotels - if you plan on taking your pet
on holidays with you often hotels will accept dogs in crates but will not
accept others. Think of the damage one
dog could do in a strange, unoccupied hotel room while you are out for dinner.
5. Air travel - if you need to take you
dog on an airplane (holidays, moving, breeding, shows) think how much happier
he'll be in his familiar bed.
6. Confinement - if necessary to restrict
movement for veterinary purposes (eg. to allow a fracture to heal). He is already used to his crate and won't
fret.
Your puppy has been introduce to sleeping in a crate from the time he was 5 weeks old. The only difference between your house and mine, is your pup is alone in the crate. He had littermates here.
I suggest introducing your puppy to a stuffed chew toy (e.g. kong) outside of the crate. Make sure it is an especially good treat he's trying for. Once he really catches on, show him the toy, throw it in the crate, and shut the door. With your puppy on the OUTSIDE. When he starts whining and digging at the door to get his treat, let him in. Close the door behind him but stay near him. After 20-30 seconds of him chewing his treat, open the door and take away the chew toy and let him come out. Do this 2 or 3 times, then take the toy away for practice at a later time. Each time you practice, give the puppy longer and longer to chew the toy inside the crate. Pretty soon he will associate the crate with something incredibly delicious! Save that favourite chew toy for times when you must contain him in the crate. Pretty soon he'll be wishing you'd go somewhere so he can go in his crate!
Good luck!
Tuesday 20 March 2012
New Videos on You Tube
New videos posted to You Tube! Search You Tube for "k9trainergsd" for my channel!
Monday 19 March 2012
Things to bring when you pick up your puppy.
Just a quick note: Things to bring
1. A clean up bag for the car, which includes paper towels, a garbage bag, a towel or blanket and a moisture barrier (eg. garbage bag) to put on your lap. Your puppy WILL get car sick. Be prepared!
2. A blanket that we can rub on Indy and the other littermates. This should be put in with the puppy at bedtime so he/she doesn't feel quite so alone.
3. Three names. The name you want to call your puppy and two back up names. This is for registration purposes. It's possible that the name you picked has already been registered to another dog so the CKC will use your next favourite, or possibly, your next favourite. This has no bearing on what you call your dog on a day to day basis. E.g. Merlin's registered name is CCK9 Lucky.
The first pup has gone off to her new home. 8-( I'm always sad, and almost always cry once they're gone. I know they are going to a wonderful home but it's still hard to say goodbye. Everybody has to promise they will send updates and lots of pictures!! I LOVE getting pictures of my babies!
TTFN
1. A clean up bag for the car, which includes paper towels, a garbage bag, a towel or blanket and a moisture barrier (eg. garbage bag) to put on your lap. Your puppy WILL get car sick. Be prepared!
2. A blanket that we can rub on Indy and the other littermates. This should be put in with the puppy at bedtime so he/she doesn't feel quite so alone.
3. Three names. The name you want to call your puppy and two back up names. This is for registration purposes. It's possible that the name you picked has already been registered to another dog so the CKC will use your next favourite, or possibly, your next favourite. This has no bearing on what you call your dog on a day to day basis. E.g. Merlin's registered name is CCK9 Lucky.
The first pup has gone off to her new home. 8-( I'm always sad, and almost always cry once they're gone. I know they are going to a wonderful home but it's still hard to say goodbye. Everybody has to promise they will send updates and lots of pictures!! I LOVE getting pictures of my babies!
TTFN
Sunday 18 March 2012
Miss White has her ears up!
Oh my gosh! This is the cutest thing! Check it out! It's not just footage of Miss White; I think I have a little bit of everybody. Enjoy!
http://youtu.be/m1qy4EEMUQk
http://youtu.be/m1qy4EEMUQk
Thursday 15 March 2012
Shots & Microchips
Poor puppies had a tough day. Not only were they poked once, but twice! I feel badly for the poor little guys but it's in their best interest.
The microchips are registered to the new owners and provides a lifetime recovery system. The chips can be read throughout North America so even if your dog gets lost while on vacation in the States, they will still be able to locate the owner. But it's up to the owner to remember to update the information. If you move, or change your phone number, they won't be able to contact you. As long as you remember to keep things current, your dog will find it's way home!
That's what saved Goliath's life. The microship was traced back to my kennel and I was able to save him from euthanasia. He's such a sweet boy. It would have been a horrific mistake to have him killed. The poor guy was just scared half to death. I'd growl in those circumstanes too! He doesn't have a mean bone in his body. He's just a 110 pound couch potato! Nobody told him he's not a lap dog!
So the pups have had their shots and been microchipped. One chip actually broke while it was being implanted so I'll have to get another one. But that pup isn't going home for a few weeks so I have lots of time to get a new one. I've never seen one break before. I didn't even know it was possible. I guess you learn something new every day.
It was a big day for them, and for me. TTFN
The microchips are registered to the new owners and provides a lifetime recovery system. The chips can be read throughout North America so even if your dog gets lost while on vacation in the States, they will still be able to locate the owner. But it's up to the owner to remember to update the information. If you move, or change your phone number, they won't be able to contact you. As long as you remember to keep things current, your dog will find it's way home!
That's what saved Goliath's life. The microship was traced back to my kennel and I was able to save him from euthanasia. He's such a sweet boy. It would have been a horrific mistake to have him killed. The poor guy was just scared half to death. I'd growl in those circumstanes too! He doesn't have a mean bone in his body. He's just a 110 pound couch potato! Nobody told him he's not a lap dog!
So the pups have had their shots and been microchipped. One chip actually broke while it was being implanted so I'll have to get another one. But that pup isn't going home for a few weeks so I have lots of time to get a new one. I've never seen one break before. I didn't even know it was possible. I guess you learn something new every day.
It was a big day for them, and for me. TTFN
Wednesday 14 March 2012
Change of Puppy food!
Turns out Indy was allergic to something new they put in the Royal Canin Large breed puppy food. I've had to take them all off the Royal Canin and have transferred them over to Acana Large breed puppy. If you've already bought Royal Canin, don't worry. I'd prefer them to be on the Royal Canin so you can transfer them over when you get down on the Acana.
So, they will all need ACANA LARGE BREED PUPPY to start. I leave it up to you whether you want to change them over to Royal Canin or another brand that you like.
So, they will all need ACANA LARGE BREED PUPPY to start. I leave it up to you whether you want to change them over to Royal Canin or another brand that you like.
Tuesday 13 March 2012
The Results Are In!
Here's the best matches for both people and puppy!
Beth gets Miss Yellow
Phil & Judy get Miss White
Trudy & Allan get Mr. Red
Barb gets Mr. Blue
Michael gets Mr. Green
Jodie gets Miss Pink
I have gone over these picks many, many times. I know some of you where hoping for a different pup than I have chosen for you but the best match is what I have provided for you.
Congratulations everyone! You have just found your perfect K9 partner!!
PS. Please make an appointment with me for pick up if you have not already. The pups can go home as of March 16th. All pups must be paid for in full before leaving either via email money transfer or certified cheque or money order.
Beth gets Miss Yellow
Phil & Judy get Miss White
Trudy & Allan get Mr. Red
Barb gets Mr. Blue
Michael gets Mr. Green
Jodie gets Miss Pink
I have gone over these picks many, many times. I know some of you where hoping for a different pup than I have chosen for you but the best match is what I have provided for you.
Congratulations everyone! You have just found your perfect K9 partner!!
PS. Please make an appointment with me for pick up if you have not already. The pups can go home as of March 16th. All pups must be paid for in full before leaving either via email money transfer or certified cheque or money order.
Sunday 11 March 2012
Puppy Aptitude Test
The puppy aptitude test was developed by Jack & Wendy Volhard in 2001. It helps determine the puppy's strengths and weaknesses. Yes, weaknesses. Although we all want the perfect puppy, it very seldom happens. Most times you need to be able to give up something to get something. If you want a male, black and tan, medium energy, highly social, guard type dog, you're not alone! There might be one of those in a litter but there might not be. Maybe it describes one pup to a tee but it's a female. Or maybe it's black. Or maybe it's highly social but you have to give up some of the guard traits. Sure it will stand and bark but maybe she won't bite. "Guard" means different things to different people.
So yesterday was the puppy aptitude test. There was a few minor surprises but it pretty much went the way I thought it would. I know my Alpha, my social butterfly and my pouter. It wasn't a surprise. It will take me a few days to interpret the results and match up the people. This is a very stressful time for me. I need to determine priorities of traits because as I said above, most times you have to give up something for something else.
If you'd like to add anything to your questionnaires, now's the time to do it. Or even if you just want to reiterate what are the most important traits. Do it now. Email me at k9trainer@dogwhisperer.ca
Ta ta for now!
So yesterday was the puppy aptitude test. There was a few minor surprises but it pretty much went the way I thought it would. I know my Alpha, my social butterfly and my pouter. It wasn't a surprise. It will take me a few days to interpret the results and match up the people. This is a very stressful time for me. I need to determine priorities of traits because as I said above, most times you have to give up something for something else.
If you'd like to add anything to your questionnaires, now's the time to do it. Or even if you just want to reiterate what are the most important traits. Do it now. Email me at k9trainer@dogwhisperer.ca
Thursday 8 March 2012
Saturday 3 March 2012
I think if I'm reincarnated as a dog, I'd like to come back as a Guardian Angel Shepherd! It's a tough life but someone has to do it! This is Isis catching a few zzzz's in between babysitting the puppies.
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