(101) Pt 2 A Dirty Little Secret

Thanks for coming back to read part 2. Here is the rest of Max's story...


Max’s lunging/chase behavior is so ingrained, so practiced that when we first took him to the trainer, he lunged in the car. He then broke both a choke chain, I had on him at the time, and a chain link chain. The trainer said that was a first for her. We got him fitted with a gentle leader and harness wrap that really helped the situation. The gentle leader fits around the dog’s nose and mouth so that when you pull the lead, the dogs head comes along, a nicer way than straining the dog’s neck. Max has heavy breathing, probably from his time before he came to us when he was chained up. Anyway, from then on, we worked hard for a year and a half, getting Max, under control and getting his eye contact. His eye contact now is so good, he looks to us whenever he wants to do something (almost anything) and he is very bonded to Brad. He waits for him by the door to arrive home each and every night. He still gets out of control when he gets it in his head that he needs to “get to something”. We can never tell when this will be. For the most part, he does brilliantly, he will walk at a heel, and he will follow commands. He does what we ask him. But he’s a big, heavy, strong dog. He can still pull me down and sometimes it takes everything Brad has to keep him under control. If he sees another dog and he wants to greet it, his mind is the only thing that can stop him. Just like getting a kid to refocus, sometimes we can turn him around and sometimes we can’t. Even after all of the training classes, Max has lunging/chase issues. I thought about returning him to the shelter. I just couldn’t do it. I know that if we returned him, they would euthanize him. The trainer said Max was the most improved dog she had seen in a long time and she loved telling stories about him, how he broke two restraints the first day, how he lunged at her horse. He improved so much that he passed Canine Good Citizen the third class of the session. We were proud of his improvements and yet…he still continued to lunge and chase. We decided our last recourse was to get a hunting training collar, a shock collar.
The shock collar reminds Max that he isn’t doing what he should be doing. We got the collar about a year and a half ago; we didn’t talk to the trainer about it since we knew what she would say. We knew that Max would get an electric shock that would hurt. We knew that we shouldn’t use it. But we were desperate and we knew that we wanted Max to be a member of our family and if that were true we needed him to be able to get along to go along! The shock collar uses both a beep and an electric current. It is possible to just beep the dog or to just shock the dog. It didn’t take Max long to learn that the beep would be followed by a shock. He is a fast learned. Now we almost always use the beep, which redirects him. He calms down and shifts his behavior. I have to admit that once in a while if the situation gets agitated, say if another dog is aggressive or is excited, the beep will not work, and he gets a shock. But for the most part, now he only gets a beep. It still is what it is… a shock to his system. It’s painful and it seems to me to be like some form of punishment that we ruled out in the 1800’s. It’s my dirty little secret. Now, I’m thinking about it a lot, thinking about where to go from here. How do we get the collar idea to continue to work for Max and yet not use it anymore? Brad has gotten use to the idea of using it whenever Max goes out. I don’t like using it and so don’t take Max outside much; it’s my own issue, the guilt, the fear, all wrapped up in one. Max has learned so much, he is such a good dog, he loves Beeks and he loves being with us, I want him to have a “good enough life”, as my hero, Temple Grandin would say. I’m wishing, hoping, wanting something better for Max, where he can be with us and doesn’t need to be connected to the collar. Maybe just a beeper, maybe just the collar, but turned off. How can we show Max, that we know he has improved, that we trust him? He has done what we asked of him. We,(Brad and I) have gotten comfortable with the idea and security of the collar that we may be holding on to it as a crutch and not allowing Max’s behavior/growth continue. Are we settling? Am I being too trusting? When Max was in dog class, his trainer said that Max was a dog that would never be able to be without a leash. Maybe she is correct. Max does well at dog parks (believe it or not, he doesn’t bother other dogs in that situation). It’s breaking old habits, and observing triggers, moving in new directions. Basic therapy. But… Maybe we are the ones that need to be weaned from its use. Are we not allowing the growth to continue out of laziness(?) , out of fear.
Well, there it is. My dirty little secret, my confession, my wish it weren’t true story. I’m sure, I’m confident that Max’s life is better now, than when we first got him. And I’m absolutely positive that he’s the dog for us, all of us in this family. He has been a really good role model for Beeker and he’s taught me how to be more patient. I know that Max’s training is not over, neither is mine. We may have a ways to go, but we have come such a long way as it is. I just have to keep in mind that we must not use the collar as a security blanket without facing the next behavioral challenge,...good behavior without its use.

(100) A dirty Little Secret

First, let me say, 100 posts! Wow and thanks for reading along. I'm looking forward to the next 100.
Next, this is a long post. I hope you will continue to read along and tomorrow I will post the second part of this story. I had to write it and I hope you will understand as you read it, let me know... Again, Thanks.

This is a difficult post to write. I have been putting it off for a few days trying to decide if I could actually write about it. I guess that I need to write about it if I am honest with myself. I can’t proclaim to be writing and sharing my thoughts and then skirt around the hard issues that are really on my mind. I’ve finished reading the book Chase!, by Charissa von Reinheardt. This is the book that I requested Brad to order for me. It trains readers to manage their dog’s predatory instincts. The book takes a very positive approach to training and discloses up front that the author lives in a wooded/forested area of Germany. She acknowledges that she is able to allow her dogs to run free of leashes when she is working with them and suggests that we (the readers) find areas that allow us to do the same, such as large fenced in areas. She reiterates from the beginning that we must understand that our dogs are predators and that predatory behavior is an instinct in dogs. It is one of the reasons that man first domesticated dogs, to help in the hunt for food. She also wants the reader to understand that different breeds have been bred to perform chase and prey behaviors, and knowing what your particular dog was bred for is important for working with your dog. She reviews the predatory sequence and the dogs’ physical behaviors so that owners can learn what to look for and the actions to take when the dog begins the sequence. For instance when Max or Beeker identify some movement they stalk it or focus intently on the movement. Although predisposed for predatory behaviors she suggests that stalking is a learned behavior. This makes sense since we know that dogs do learn many things by imitation and modeling. Training fundamentals and equipment are reviewed including the use of voice and owner observation of the dog’s nonverbal physical responses. She suggests that a harness is extremely important for working with your dog since a harness will not injure the dog’s throat, if it pulls to chase while you are working. So far so good, I’m with this and I get that dogs innately want to chase and find food by hunting. The author starts training by suggesting walking with your dog and communicating by eye contact and touch. Here I’m with her also. I know that a dog that is focused on me and what I am trying to get it to do will be less likely to do something else. You know, hard to do two different things at the same time. She continues on to teaching games to increase the dog’s focus on owner, and also important behaviors to master such as sit and down. She believes that “sit and down” are extremely important so that the dog will respond immediately to the command when distractions are in the area. She suggests that positive reinforcement is the best way to get dogs to learn these behaviors and states that food is a great reward for following commands. In fact, she believes that owners should not restrict the amount of food treats since we want the dog to know that good things happen when they listen to their owners. Interestingly, she believes that the “Come” command is good to teach with a “sit” as well as without a sit since sometimes we need to get the dog on a leash quickly without negotiating the sit (like in cold weather) The last real training chapter deals with playing with the dog. She states that it is important to play with your dog and not just have the dog respond to commands when you are with him. I believe this is true as well. Having a modern dog is now like having a family member in which, we understand that the existence of the dog with feelings and needs. She gives good examples of interactive games you can play with your dog. One of her favorite is the Sausage tree game in which the owner puts food all over a tree and then goes on a hunt with the dog and together they find the tree. Up high on the tree is some of the food where the dog needs the owner’s assistance. This is a game that has multiple positive behavioral rewards for increasing the bond between owner and pet. I’m in agreement and understand all of this so far. In fact I agree with the basis of this book and believe that in theory this is a wonderful way to train my dogs. In the puppy class that we went to we discussed many of these same behaviors and how to positively “motivate” our dogs to follow our commands and to get them to listen to our commands when we needed them. We practiced in our subsequent classes how to engage with our dogs and increase the bond between us.

In the very back, in the last chapter of this book, the last 24 pages are on training methods and devices to avoid. Some of these are so obvious that it is almost silly. Weighted saddlebags, chaining the dog to a heavy object (such as a tire), spray collars, shooting dog with air rifle. Some of the “NOs” are training nos, no life on a leash, no hiding from your dog (this will increase a dog’s fear of abandonment), no, fetch, (teaching your dog to go after an object which is just what we are trying to get the dog to quit). No using avoidance tactics only (impossible if you really think about it).And then there is the big NO-NO for positive training, no electric shock collars.

Now the confession and the dirty little secret. We own and use a shock collar. There, I’ve said it. It’s difficult to even type the words. We use it whenever Max goes outside. We don’t use it on Beeks, although I’ve sometimes been tempted to get one for him. I’ve always struggled with this issue. Let me explain why we have one and when we decided to get one for Max.
When we first met Max, he was a one year old relinquished dog that was given up to the humane society. We heard about Max from my sister who learned of Max’s existence from a worker there. Since we had owned two well behaved Newfoundlands and had trained them both, one from a four month old pup and one from age 1, we believed that this would be “doable”. When we first saw Max, he was completely grungy, matted and wild. I don’t mean wild in a good way. He was not aggressive if you mean it with the anger of hate that some dogs get when they have been repeatedly abused. Max was overly friendly, unaware of his size (underweight at 100 lbs at 1 year), and he lunged. He barked and he didn’t know what to do on a leash. When the worker met us (outside) he was bouncing, and lunging at everything and trying to get off the leash. We probably should have walked away at that point, but we loved the breed and we saw how exuberant he was and we loved the idea of rescuing a needy dog. At the time, we had our two oldies but goodies at home, waiting for us to return, we thought it would be helpful to foster this dog with the old ones, they could teach him control, and he could breathe some life back into them. We almost made the decision on the spot. Oh, yea… Max had not been altered either, so his hormones were probably kicking in as well. We decided to take him home after they had neutered and chipped him. I personally thought that neutering would make a huge difference in his behavior. Little did I know that yes, it would, but it would take some time before we would notice any real calm. We were told that Max had come from a home that had a large number of St. Bernard’s, al living in a fenced yard. Max had never been inside a house when we got him. He had been living in a pack situation where he clearly was not the leader. He stunk so bad and had so many flees that we put flee and tick medicine on him before he could meet the other dogs. So, to make a long story even longer, here’s what we did and why he has a shock collar.
When we got him home, we brushed the heck out of him, to get the mud and some of the stink out of him. Then we went on a walk with the other two dogs (if you can call it a walk). It wasn’t very productive, as Max couldn’t concentrate on anything. He was so stressed out and so overwhelmed with the new situation that he was out of control. When we brought him into the house the first time, he did a remarkable thing. He calmed down. He did not go wild, he did not chew up the house, he did not knock down the furniture and he made his place with the other two dogs. We were stunned that his inside behavior was so different than his outside behavior. We guessed that Max didn’t know what to expect from a place he had never been, so he behaved the way the other dogs did. He imitated them. He continues to have the one issue he always had, inside or out. He barks and gets excited to the point of out of control, if the door bell rings, or if he hear someone talking or hears a car in the circle. During CGC training, we could answer the door bell without him barking, but here at home he barks and lunges at the door. Now, I have figured out that I can just say, “Okay Max. I see, kennel up! Go on Kennel up!” and he will go back to the laundry room that he knows as his kennel and lie down. But the lunging at newcomers is still there. Inside or out, until he gets a smell of the new person, he lunges to get a smell, and sometimes jumps up to their faces. It’s a rude behavior and it is intimidating. He is now 135pounds.

Outside is a different situation. When we first brought Max home, I had decided that Max was going to be my dog, he would be the best therapy dog (I’m a non-working social worker). This turned out to be a joke as he was a dog that needed therapy! I worked with him all of the time, I brushed him and talked to him, I walked him day and night, three times a day. Here is the crux of the situation, I got scared of him. Whenever we would encounter any person, dog or situation coming towards us, Max would go into chase drive! After he had dragged me down the gravel road three different times I called a trainer/behavioralist. I’m a therapist, I know when to ask for help.

Tomorrow I will continue to share Max’s story with how we decided to use the collar and where we are with its use now…

(99) Layin' Low or Time for Tea

Beeks isn’t feeling on top of the world today. He’s been layin’ low for a few days and I think he might have an ear infection. Ear infections are common in dogs and some dogs get them all the time. Dogs ear canals are shaped differently than ours and just like little children’s they are more horizontal than vertical allowing “stuff” to stay inside and not drain. Beeks likes to lick Max’s ear that sometimes gets an accumulation of dirt so the stuff certainly could get transferred from one dog to the other. I knew he was feeling punky the when we were staying overnight at my folks. During the night he kept shaking his head, which makes a flapping noise, like he was trying to get something out of his ears. He also licked a number of times, in a swallowing kind of way, which seemed like he was trying to get something out of his throat or open up his ears. Once we got home he started holding his left ear lower than his right ear and he didn’t have much energy. I know he was worn out from all of the play and travel we had done in the QCs so that alone doesn’t mean he has an ear infection. Yesterday I noticed that his left ear seemed warmer than the right one. The night we got home brad checked both dogs’ ears and cleaned them with rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball. Our Veterinarian has suggested this for previous dogs as well as Maxie for general cleaning of their ears. Although Maxie had some crud in his ear, Beeks didn’t seem to have any crud nor smell. Dogs usually but not always have a distinct smell if they are harboring an ear infection. This however doesn’t mean that Beeks does not have an ear issue it just means that we couldn’t see or smell it. After the cleaning, Brad put some drops we have for yeast or bacteria growth in both dogs’ ears. Chances are that if one dog has an infection of some sort the other one has it also.

After having said all this, here is the thing… I’m not sure Beeks has an ear infection. He may, but there is the possibility that he is suffering, like the rest of us with the high pollen count we are known for around here. When the Midwest gets rain, and warm weather it is often a great mixture for tree and crop pollen. Some dogs are predisposed to ear infections because they have allergies. I read that some breeds are more susceptible to ear infections as well. We also are known for dramatic barometric changes. Pollen causes many of us to get clogged tonsils and glands which cause coughs and other cold symptoms. We feel lousy and have little energy. This could be Beeks dilemma. Or, he could be feeling all of the pressure changes we have been having lately with thunder storms. When it is dry for so long and then a low pressure meets with high pressure we get large and loud thunder storms. This can cause extreme and painful pressure on a dogs (and people’s) ear drums. So, Beeks is feeling low and lays around the house much of the time. However, when I get my shoes on, he is there, ever ready to head outside to smell the air and eat the sweet grass. What a great companion dog. When we come inside I will have to give him some sweet potato. I bet chewing will help him feel better. Maybe some chamomile tea, it worked for Peter Rabbit.

(98) Party! Dog Style

As I watched Beekster and Maxie greet their dog cousins and then interact with them during the weekend stay at my ‘rents, I thought about the different play styles each dog had(parallel,interactive). These dogs have known each other for a long time. Beeks, being now about two years old has known them for two years. As a group, theey have played in dog parks, at our home, at the home of my sister and at my parents home. The group is well established. The dogs, are all of different breeds. Beeks, a cattledog mix, Max a Newfoundland, Jesse James is a Springer Spaniel, and Bullet a large blonde Labradore. They are all male. Bullet is the oldest of the group at about five years old. Bullet is definitely the leader among this group. Max and Jesse James are both about the same age at three years old, and Beeks is the young ‘un at two. Max and Beeks were already enjoying the day at my parents home when Jesse and Bullet arrived to share in the party. Now, to be honest, I do need to state that I understand that dogs, like people all have their particulates. We are individuals with different pre disposed heredity (read-breed specific) and personalities. So when these dogs are together, they do tend to do their own thing.
Here’s how it went yesterday. Beeks (of course) was the player. He roamed around wanting to get everyone to play. (Can’t we all just be friends?) He tried so hard to engage with Jesse James who really had his own agenda (read on). Then Beeks looked to Bullet, who is a typical patriarch. Beeks followed Bullet around like a groupie. Where ever Bullet went, Beeks followed. Bullet in good leadership style ignored Beeks for the most part, but this didn’t matter to Beeks, he just wanted to be with the boss group. Bullet was more interested in siding next to the humans to get any available affection. At this time, Jesse James had begun his favorite behavior when at our parent home. He crawled into the ground cover, sniffing for rodent scents, and into the base of the bushes, which are up against a concrete wall. He loves this. How could I tell? His whole body was engaged in this activity. His boomie was up in the air and his stub of a tail was in high helicopter mode. He must smell something. For Jesse James this is the top of the list for entertainment. Beeks did try to emulate Jesse for about three minutes but the engagement factor was just not there. Jesse didn’t care if steak was being served, his concentration level was on the ground cover and tiny critters. So, what did Beeks finally do? He bothered Maxie. He chewed Max’s tail, he pulled his ear. Just like a typical younger brother, he wanted to play and thought that Max should play too. Slowly Max relented and started to chase Beeks around the 12 X12 canopy we were sitting under. The fact is that Beeks is much faster than Max. Max has a strong body that is not made for speed. Beeks’ body screams speed with his greyhound chest and long legs. Beeks ran just fast enough that Max kept up the game and made the turns, then Max figured out that if he just stayed in one area, Beeks would eventually come around. (smart Maxie, conserving his energy). Then it got really interesting as Beeks and Max, turned back and forth, around and around trying to cath and not get caught. UNTIL… around one turn, Max put on the speed to the point that he almost caught Beeks. Then just like the second turn at the Indi 500, Max hit the wall! He slid into the groundcover and wiped out, with all four legs slipping up into the air and his back to the ground. Jesse James stopped sniffing the ground, Beeks stopped dead in his tracks, and all was quiet, as we looked to realize what had just happened. Max looked stunned but got up and shook it off. The race was over, energy spent and time for a rest. All dogs rested. Under the picnic table they went for a shaded rest.
The point I wanted to make here is that it is possible for dogs to feel comfortable with other dogs, to have different styles of play and engagement, yet able to be in the same place without causing chaos. Yes, these dogs know each other and have been exposed to one another before, but if dogs get the chance to meet and greet new playmates, to be socialized, it is possible to have them with you where ever you go AND enjoy having them around. Undeniably a good time was had by all!

(97) A Day at the Races

We arrived at the ‘rents home late last night. Both dogs did exactly as I predicted and futzed around the car, moving as long as possible then finally settling down while we were on long stretches, getting up when we slowed down or changed lanes. Once when we were between Peoria and Galesburg, both dogs were finally sleeping, when in unison, they bolted up, sniffing the air above them. Max sniffed with nose to the ceiling, and Beeks sniffed with his nose also up but looking around like he expected to see some animal corresponding to related odor. He remained attentive with his nose quivering and his body moving around his seat for a good 8 minutes or so. I find this both amazing and interesting that dogs have the ability to smell a passing odor, in a car when we were not able to even tell that we had encountered it. If we were to have passed a dead skunk, dead dear, or such, I could understand. This wasn’t the case.
This morning we got up early to head down town to the QC Criterium. These bike races are extremely competitive and are a mixture of child to adult races with varying skill levels, culminating in large purse winnings by the end of the day. Riders come from multiple states and the course winds around the down town district. Multiple turns create the backdrop for multiple bike crashes which is both scary and exciting. I have seen 16 riders go down on a single turn. That's extreme biking. Although the rains often squelch (depending on your perspective) or increases the fear factor, today’s rain had all but diminished by the time we arrived. We took the dogs with us so that they could get an outing and also have some exposure to other people and dogs (ie: socialization). This turned out to be as interesting as the bike races. Yes, we saw multiple dogs and owners walking on crowded walks. We maneuvered along sidewalks with observant eyes. Both Max and Beeks heeled wonderfully and listened to our commands. We were so proud. The unexpected adventure turned out to be that we forgot Max’s obsession with fast moving bicycles. Max went into prey mode as soon as we got to the observation fence. His eyes were focused and he didn’t move. I tried to distract him with bits of sweet potato, without luck, and he loves sweet potato! Actually this turned out to be a “teaching moment” for Max. He started to half whimper and half bark. That is the only way I can describe the funny sound that came out of his mouth. He knew he couldn’t bark, he knew he couldn’t jump up and so he sat there and “woofed” in a short high pitch notes. It was extremely funny. He stopped after the last bike went by and then started again when more bikes came around. He was entertaining to say the least! He was cheering on the bikers like the rest of us. Dogs walked by behind Max and he didn’t see them. Beeks,not being interested in the bikers very long,was much more interested in other dogs. Different dogs,different interests I guess. We ended up petting Max and talking to him in quiet voices as the bikers came around. Then we decided to walk with him. This seemed to work the best. It is difficult to do two things at one time. He couldn’t heel and look at the bikers at the same time. Many people wanted to pet Max and engage with him while we walked along. This is always good for Maxie since he sits and is patient with interested strangers. Beeks just kept his nose to the ground looking for bits of dropped food. The day was overcast so we were able to spend a great deal of time outside without fear of overheating the dogs. Foour complete races later, we headed for home and a tasty afternoon barbeque. More on that adventure tomorrow. Suffice to say, the barbeque was delish and a good time was had by all, even the four dogs.

(96) Day Trippin' With the Dogs

As I gather the necessary items to take with us to our day trip north, the dogs are besides themselves. They follow me like I’m a rock star. They’re my groupies. This can give a person a huge inflated ego. It also can give a person a broken leg. They are so under foot that if I turn around they are right there. I’d appreciate it more if they would lay in a strategic position and watch what I’m doing, but I guess they are concerned that I might move something or go somewhere without them. God forbid that! If Beeks or Max could get closer to me I don’t think I could move. They watch my every move. When I went out to pack some food for them, I could hear them breathing on the other side of the door! A constant ready. We won’t be leaving until later so they have a long anxiety filled wait. When we do leave Max will refuse to go outside, except to get in the truck. It will take both dogs about 30 minutes to calm down enough to lie down. Then if we slow down to turn or make a stop they will pop right up.

Garden flowers… On the walkabout this morning we discovered a lily that isn’t purple; it’s a beautiful color of red. I’m sharing a picture, it’s so beautiful, a deep rich red. I almost hate to say this but its suppose to rain tonight and I hope it does. We have missed the last few predicted thunderstorms and my plants need the rain. I have watered the most delicate but all of the plants need a good soaking.

A silly movie… We rented a silly movie the other night. On the premise that we knew it was a silly movie but it also parodied the dog show world. Best in Show, is absolutely the silliest excuse of a reason to see dogs and owners. I was struck by the number of B stars that were in this movie. On the other hand the dogs were all champions. We realized this when we watched the credits, trying to figure out who all of the actors were. Anyway, it gave us a laugh and that was worth it. Don’t get me wrong, this is no Academy Award winner but if you love seeing dogs and can imagine what their owners must be like at the show level, this silly movie is for you.


Talking about silly… Brad sent me this U Tube video and it is so worth your time. It is about a dog and well, breakfast. Enjoy!


Books... I’ve started reading Chase! by Clarissa von Reinhardt. It’s about positive ways to manage your dog’s predatory instincts. This is Max’s biggest challenge, so after I read it I will be passing it on to Max’s owner.

(95) Hot Dogs at the Farmer's Market

It’s hot, so we decided to get up early and go to the Saturday Farmer’s Market. We thought that going early would provide cooler weather and fewer people to contend with, so off we went. We were however, wrong. It was still extremely hot and it seemed that everyone else had the same good idea. The dogs did quite well, considering all of the other dogs and multitude of people forging their way through the aisles of produce and crafts. Max got hot quickly, with his black coat against the blazing sun. Beeker’s coat is mostly black but he only has one layer of hair where Max has an undercoat as well. We were able to proceed slowly enough, looking at new potatoes, tomato plants and lots of sweet smelling strawberries. I did spy clematis. I’ve been contemplating buying one for the fence section we have in the back yard. I decided against it since its flowers were purple (see past post).

The Dogs…We live in an area where there are very few places for people to take their dogs with them in public. The farmer’s market is one of them, so there were a lot of dogs to engage with ours. I, with Brad’s assistance, realized that Beeks doesn’t do so well when confronted by other dogs, while he’s on a leash. He gets almost defensive. Max does quite good. Beeks will greet other dogs cautiously, leaving me to think all is good, then, when my confidence goes up thinking that all is well, he will let out a low growl. He doesn’t do this when he is off leash, when he meets dogs at the dog park. Other dogs just want to be friends but to Beeks it is like he thinks he needs to be powerful or dominate. I have mentioned before that Beeks also gets barky when he sees another dogs while he(Beeks) is behind the window of the car. I saw he is Window empowered. When we are on a walk (leashed) he doesn’t bark at other dogs he sees. He in fact, reminds me of Pongo from 101 Dalmatians. He almost prances. He walks with a proud step. Maybe it is all a show, a lack of confidence so he acts bold. A dog’s version of a bird puffed up? I think it is good practice that we don’t get to do very often since we aren’t encouraged to take our dogs many places. I guess I am grateful for the few places we are encouraged to take our dogs.

The plant… In the end, we chose a purple millet. Okay it is purple too. But it is a deep purple. It looks like a cross between a corn stalk and a cat tail. The leaves and stalk look like corn and the top looks like a cat tail. Millet is a grain commonly used in bird seed but a quick glance on the web showed that millet can be used for flour and bread. I am sure the birds will love it and I think it has a beautiful deep color and interesting height different than the other perennials we have. Did I mention I never met a plant I didn’t like? So many plants, so little time(and money).