Atlanta Steeplechase

Stephen has wanted to attend the Atlanta Steeplechase for a long time, but the event often conflicts with my favorite dog show, Perry. However, this year's steeplechase fell on the weekend after Perry and I did not have a dog to compete anyway. So at last, Stephen and I attended the Atlanta Steeplechase on his 32nd birthday. Happy Birthday, Snookums!

There were lots of crazy hats..... heavy enough to break necks by the end of the day!
There were actual working foxhounds.
These foxhounds belong to Bear Creek Hounds of Moreland, Georgia and are recognized by the Masters of Foxhounds Association of America.

There was a Frisbee dog competition on the infield.

And then there were horses. This one came in last, but he sure is handsome! And you know I love the lucky number 3.
Sizing up the other competitors.......
Okay. Maybe not, but this is the one that got away........ but was quickly captured.

There were five races over hurdles.

And then a shower for the horses.

We had a fabulous day!

Leaping Lizards

Impulsive

Riley's off leash control was also tested at the farm. Unlike Reagan, Riley is extremely impulsive. Although Riley is unlikely to be frightened by a loud noise, she has an extremely sensitive prey drive and does not hesitate to act on it. At one point, she even leaped in the air and grabbed a leaf hanging from a low tree branch.

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE prey drive, but at some point I do prefer food drive to be the primary ruler. I am quite used to dealing with the visual stimulation around greyhounds, but paired with Riley's nose and you have a hunting machine on your hands.

Sunday started with a 30 minute walk around my sister's neighborhood. I figured I better walk the dogs while I can with the threat of rain on the way. When we arrived at the farm, I then played fetch with Riley until I felt a sufficient amount of energy had been drained.

Even after a 30 minute walk and a long fetch session, she eagerly demonstrated that her motto is act now and think later.

At one point we saw some crows 100 yards ahead and she took off like a shot. It is amazing to see how far a greyhound can get in such a short time. We then headed for a wooded area that must have had lots of animal smells because Riley went into frenzy hunting mode.

Riley came every time I called, but I am careful to only call when I am sure I will succeed or I can enforce it. There were several times when I'm sure all recalls would have fallen on deaf Riley ears.

Lots of work to do.

Loud Booms!

The best part about farm trips is getting to safely test off leash control on 60 acres. The perimeter is surrounded by mesh field fencing.

Reagan continues to prove that she is extremely attentive and responsive. As we walk fence lines and explore the pastures, she mostly stays close, quickly returns if she does give chase, and responds immediately when I do call. While things will catch Reagan's attention, she is not actively seeking it out. Reagan is most interested in me.

However, something unexpected happened. While teaching a private obedience lesson at the farm, Reagan was situated on a foam pad and awaiting moments when I needed to demonstrate something. All of a sudden a very loud boom occurred repeatedly. I do not know what it was. It sounded like dynamite. Unfortunately, Reagan is hypersensitive to loud base noises and she bolted (not good). As I started to look for her, I was pleased that she had turned around and was looking for me (better).

I share this with you because it is a good reminder that no matter how well you train your dog, things can happen. Sometimes greyhound adopters will brag to me that they can take their greyhound off leash and the greyhound always stays close...... often with zero training (I'm not impressed). Often this is a person and a greyhound who thus far have not encountered a cat, another dog, children, or in my case, a loud, scary noise with the off leash greyhound. Recalls must be carefully trained, reinforced, practiced, and proofed..... and even with lots of hard work, things can still happen.

Even with lots of formal training, I do not think Reagan would have stopped if I had called her in a moment of panic..... she was out of her mind. But without formal training, I doubt that Reagan's inclination would have been to return to me either. Recalls are rewarding, therefore Reagan will offer them when given the chance.

So the moral of my story is that you may think your dog is going to stick close. Good training increases your chances, but there is always a possibility of the unexpected. Without good training, your ability to deal with the unexpected greatly diminishes.

Happy training!

Down On The Farm

I spent last weekend at the farm we like to frequent and visited with my sister. We enjoyed our un-balanced diet for the weekend and are now making it up.

Since Katie is on strike and refuses travel by van, we took Julie along as our token senior (age 10). That way Stephen could take the 3 remaining hounds on local hikes. Up to 3 fit in his Volvo and thus far, Katie approves. What looks like blue sky is actually dark grey clouds. The trip is never complete without clouds and the threat of rain. Not sure why. We do not live in a rainy state. Luckily we were able to stay dry. The grazing was good.......... the greyhounds agreed.Found some bones......

Fetched some toys...... Ran around......
Visited the farm's greyhound cemetary......
And slept well!

Balancing Act

In the last 10 years, I have fed a raw food diet to my greyhounds. I have also assisted countless others in switching their dogs, mostly greyhounds. Many of my dog agility and obedience friends have switched their dogs. Although I am certain that some dogs do not do well on raw food, I cannot think of any at this moment that I personally know. However, Reagan's digestive problem does make me review what I am feeding. Is her problem a raw food problem? I don't know.

One of my vets is more mainstream than the other and he is the vet I have been using with Reagan's problem. I doubt he would ever recommend feeding raw food to a client, but I think he has seen enough benefits to not discourage someone from it. He is open minded. Since we are messing with Reagan's diet, he has been assisting me with some research about raw diets. Its interesting to read what is said about "us" (the raw diet feeders) on vet forums. "These people have a religious conviction that feeding raw is best and if you shriek too much, they will simply find another vet or lie to you about what they feed." And "You can reduce the likelihood of alienating these clients by discussing the alternative of having bone completely ground into the meat." It makes us sound like crazy cult members. :-)

Time and time again, the idea of a balanced diet appears. My vet asked how I determine that I am feeding a balanced diet. So I asked him how he determined he was feeding his children a balanced diet. To his credit, he gave a fantastic answer. I think he puts a lot more thought into what his kids eat than most parents today. My approach to feeding my hounds is virtually the same as his except that my kids (the greyhounds) never eat any junk food. I never have to counter a meal at McDonald's like a parent does. This weekend I am going to eat pizza, enjoy Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and drink lots of Dr. Pepper with my sister. The only vegetable I might consume is mushrooms on the pizza.... but the hounds will still be eating their fresh, healthy foods.

So why is it that people are so hung up about a balanced diet for pets? Yes, it is important, but nature never intended for anyone to eat a balanced diet on a daily basis. The balance comes over time. I have been asked many times for a recipe. Recipes scare me. As soon as you adhere yourself to a strict plan, I believe you subject your dog to possible deficiencies. This is why I post my S.L.O.P. or veggie mixes each time. I want to inspire you to reach for a wide variety of foodstuff. Feeding a wide variety of foods, provides all of the nutrients over time. It gives your dog lots of whole food sources in which to pull nutrients from. My dogs eat a wider variety of vegetables than I do and I am a vegetarian.

At this point, feeding something like kibble is completely illogical to me. Please don't misunderstand me. I am not trying to be insulting. Kibble is widely accepted and plenty of dogs live long healthy lives eating it. The availability of quality kibble has grown enormously. If Reagan ends up doing best on kibble, I too will feed kibble. But imagine if people ate Total cereal mixed with a little Ensure and a multi-vitamin three times a day. It does not sound so healthy does it? So I am disappointed when I still hear a vet talking about "us" like we are crazy when a diet similar to kibble for a human would be considered insane.

I am sure that some folks do a poor job feeding raw food. Some vets mentioned seeing some vitamin deficiencies not seen in a very long time. For example, someone feeding a recipe with raw meat and no bones could easily create a calcium deficiency if there is no calcium supplement. However, one client doing it wrong isn't a good enough reason to chastise the rest of us.

So I concluded that I still love feeding raw food. I have kicked up the veggies a notch. I am committed to making sure my hounds are getting a dollop of SLOP (among many other things) each day now. I am not ready to try something as extreme as kibble with Reagan yet. We will just have to wait and see how she does.