Quick tip # 2: Hippo Teeth

Hi Friends,

Our Walker Vaughan here, lets talk about balls.  Now who doesn't love a good game of fetch?  Ah yes, the sacred bond between dog and man working together to keep the bouncing ball population under control.  The thing is however, that not all balls were created equal. So if your dog loves balls as much as my friend Larry here, you are going to want to stay away from tennis balls.

The fluffy fibrous outer covering on tennis balls was adopted to improve the wearing and playing properties of the once all-rubber design.  Another fun fact is that tennis balls were all white up until the '70s, but I digress.  The problem for dogs is that the fluffy fibrous covering on the ball acts like sandpaper on teeth.  So if you have a young dog, get him started on a rubber or squish ball, and if he is an old guy with a mouth full of ground-down and squared-off hippo teeth, make the switch and let him keep what he has left.  Chuck-it and several other companies (like your local dollar store) have suitable alternatives.

-- V.W.

Lucky's Gold: Poop of the Week

Hi Friends,

Our Walker Vaughan here, I wasn't feeling well one day, so on our way to the park I pulled over to use a public restroom.  When I got back I found a surprise waiting for me on my seat.  It seems I wasn't the only one who really had to go.  It was a pain to clean up, but hey isn't it good luck or something?

-- V.W.

Quick Tip #1: Cup, Cup, Cup

Hi Friends,

Our Walker Vaughan here, lets take a minute to help our dog improve his/her recall.  To do so we will need to be paying attention to how we use our body.

1.  Make sure you are facing the direction you want your dog to move in.  Don't face your dog or walk towards him when asking him to come.  This sends a mixed message as to the direction you want him to go.  He will get confused and often wait for you to finish your approach.

2.  Say "come" fast and repeatedly in a your high doggy voice (I know you have one).  I like to say "cup" instead of "come".  It's easier to say loudly and repeatedly (especially in the high doggy voice).  Repeated claps, clicks, clicks and smooches are helpful too.  Do your best not to boom out a loud authoritative "COME".  Single syllable commands are better for stopping action.  Like "DOWN" or "OFF" or "SIT".  Think about sled dogs, to increase action: "mush, mush, mush, mush" or horses, "hyah, hyah, hyah, hyah".  To stop action: "Woah", or "Woah Nelly!"  (provided of course her name is indeed Nelly)
  
3.  Make it an easy decision for them.  Run, skip, or jump in the direction you want your dog to go.  This works well with dogs who are learning to play fetch and have trouble returning the ball.  Instead of chasing after them, set the rules to a new game where they chase you, and you've got the moves to make a good show of it.

Learning is fun, just ask my friend Nelly here.

-- V.W.

Desert Cobra: Poop of the Week

Hi Friends,

Our Walker Vaughan here, somewhere along the way a highly romanticized view of my profession has taken hold of many of my civilian (non dogwalker) friends.  Movies like In Her Shoes, have paved the way, and I am certainly no help with all my photos and poetry.  Yet there is another, slightly less glamourous side to playing with puppies all day that deserves some attention.

So in this weekly installment please let your fecal fantasies run wild while we marvel at some of the pack's greatest (s)hits.

Check out metamorphashit.com for more poop art.  Feel free to send in your own pics an morphs too!

-- V.W.

"You know you're a dog lover when..."

Hi Friends,

Our Walker Vaughan here.

"You know you're a dog lover when...
... you carry a picture of your dog around in your wallet".

I pulled this quote off a witty little list of over the top dog-lover behaviors, mostly because I don't think it belongs there.  I do of course understand the premise, everyone is sharing pictures of their children and you pull out your pup's autographed head shot.  Hilarious.

But what if your pup takes off on you at the park and is found by someone else?  How do you prove she's your dog?  Granted if your phone number or address are printed on the collar that should be good enough for most people.  But what if the pup has slipped her collar?  What if the person who found her doesn't believe you?  What if you are watching yourself become a victim of dogknapping?  There is no guarantee that the person who finds your dog will be honest and want to give the dog back to you.  According to law, dogs are property, and as such could end up in the realm of "I don't see your name on it" and "finders keepers".  At that point you will need to call in law enforcement, and those guys operate based on PROOF!

I have found that the best method of protection in the above situations (outside of microchipping) is to carry pictures of you and your dog together in your wallet.  The pictures should be current, and show the dogs current haircut (some dogs look completely different after grooming).  This is especially important for dog walkers, who by law are not the owners of the property in question (their dogs) and don't possess any ownership documents.  So please, take some time, get off your cell phone and start documenting your walking life!


-- V.W.

Monkey Dog

Hi Friends,

Our Walker Vaughan here.  I would like to share with you a photo of the best climbing dog I know.  I've heard people say that dogs jump up on people as a display of dominance, or cockiness, or just over excitement.  So what about a dog that will climb a tree to eye level and give you a lick on the cheek?  I'd say most dogs know that our heads are the ones running the show, and those things are all the way at the top of our bodies.  Jumping up is a sure fire way to get our attention and close some of the distance between us.  I'm not saying it's the only reason your pup is jumping up, just that everybody needs a little face-time now and again.

--V.W.

The night before Christmas 2010

Hi Friends,

Our Walker Vaughan here.  It seems that despite my constant toilings in the creation of original works, I have developed a humorous habit of rewriting the same poem every December.  A tradition if you will, that I have come to look forward to.  So although the holiday season has left us for the new year, I hope that you will still enjoy this years draft.

Twas The Night Before Christmas In San Francisco

-- V.W.

Introducing...

Hi Friends,

Our Walker Vaughan here.  I'd like to share with you some things born out of my daily adventures with my dogs here in San Francisco.  I roam the city each day -a man amongst the pack- and often in teaching my canine cadets, I am the one who gets schooled.  It is a strange life: the walking life.  That being said, I would advise you to let go of your expectations when joining me in my world.  Then again I try to refrain from giving advice, so feel free to expect dog-centric fiction, and art, photos, and poetry, tips and how to's, and a little of what I've learned while learning to listen.

Welcome!

-- V.W.