Summer Dog Safety Tips

 This is a cute hot dog   This is not.

If you suspect Heat Stroke in your dog (I have witnessed too many dogs that have died from it in the summer) Do the following to help their body cool down (then get them to a vet!)  Read the article to see how to prevent Heat stroke.

Move your pet into the shade or an air-conditioned environment to prevent further heat absorption.
Measure their rectal temperature with a digital thermometer (not glass) and plenty of lube (Vaseline, KY, or similar). If their temperature is above 104 degrees F, begin cooling them by spraying cool (not cold) water over their body. If you have a fan handy, you can turn it on and have it blow over them. This can help to establish evaporative cooling. It is important though to cool them slowly and not too low. You should track their rectal temperature frequently (every minute or so) and stop actively cooling them when their rectal temperature reaches 103.5 degrees F. Under no circumstances should you put your pet in a tub of ice cold water! This will lead to constriction of the blood vessels under their skin and actually impair their ability to get rid of their excessive body heat.
Once you are done cooling them, dry them off slightly with a towel – this can help to prevent excessive cooling from occurring.
You can offer your pet some water to drink. But you shouldn’t let them drink too much or too fast, and you should never attempt to force water down the throat of a pet that is too mentally obtunded to drink on their own.
Again, even if you have done these ‘first aid’ measures, your pet should be brought for veterinary evaluation as soon as possible. Problems can still exist or develop, and your veterinarian is trained to detect, anticipate, and treat them. Check out this link for more ways to prevent Heat Stroke in your pet.

https://www.pethub.com/blog/?p=385

Graduation!

Here is Kimber! She is the latest to graduated from Sit Spot Click! She is super smart and highly toy driven (we discovered recently), so her pet parents headed out to the pet store after class to get some fun squeaky toys to continue working with her at home.

 Here is Roxy just about an hour after class the same day.  The kids have taken to dressing her up, and she endures it, for a few minutes anyway.  She gets this, "oh alright" look on her face and lets them put things on her, then after 5-10 minutes she shakes it all off and runs around enjoying the kids game of chase.

Doggy Play Day in June

DOGGY PLAY DAY for the month of June will be on Saturday the 23rd from 5pm to 6pm.  Free to all who would like to have their dogs come and play. I will also have treats for us!  Everyone has a good time, bring your friends and neighbors!

Click to Calm book review

Here is another great book to look into, especially if your dog has any issues being around other dogs.  If your dog barks, growls, or bear teeth at other dogs or people this book gives step by step easy to follow instructions that help guide you and your dog on to much more acceptable behavior.

I wish I could just quote the whole first chapter!   She sums up in a nutshell the reasons I love using the clicker to help reshape your dog's behavior.  Like this one here: "One of the major benefits of clicker training to treat aggression (or any behavior problem like jumping on people etc.) is that it incorporates both classical and operant conditioning principles simultaneously to help us desensitize and reprogram our dogs.  By clicking and feeding the dog in an aversive environment, you not only change the dog's emotional association with that environment (classical conditioning) but you can also pinpoint every correct decision the dog makes while he "operates" in the environment (operant conditioning)"

She then, in the next section of that chapter, goes on to give the example of how the clicker acts as an information translator.  She gives the example of a newly hired receptionist who in one scenario is simply brought to the office area she is supposed to work in and left there. The other scenario is the receptionist is brought to her desk, introduced to the people she will be working with, showed where the restroom is and the break room, then told when breaks can be taken.  Given those two scenarios which one would you like to be in?  In the first one the poor girl finds an unoccupied desk and must assume that that is hers (although someone could just be on break and come back and tell her off, note the amount of anxiety that must create).  Second she has no idea where to go if she needs a potty break.  Third, she must now be the one to break the ice with her co-workers (something else that also brings on high levels of anxiety in most people).  Now imagine this is your brand new dog you just brought home.  Neither of you speak the same language so the scenario for your dog is going to be much similar to the on of the first receptionist. Hardly very welcoming is it.  That is where the clicker comes in so very handy.  If you can teach your dog that every time it hears that click it means that something good will follow, then you will quickly get repeat behavior.  Happy you and happy much less anxious dog.  Your dog really does want to make you happy, he has been bred that way, in order to work with us we both need to feel good about it and those who don't bring those results don't continue to pass their genes on (in most cases).

I love how she talks about needing to be patient.  It will help reshape your dog's behavior, and most times much faster than other methods, however if you are trying to undo behavior and reteach a new one it will take time.  Some dogs will catch on faster than others, a lot of it depends on their temperament and the bond between you two (which will also strengthen during this process).

The majority of this book is made up of what she calls "training recipes".  In these "recipes" she walks you step by step through each phase of reshaping your dog to respond better in all kinds of different situations.  If you would like to have a better behaved dog this book is great. (if you need help getting started even with the book, let me know and we can set up a time where I can help you as well!)

All in all I would give this book a 5 star rating for it's easy to understand and in depth coverage of the different angles to work on with a reactive dog.

May Graduates!

Our May graduates! (The humans aren't the only ones graduating this month!) Congrats you guys!!! You all improved so much!!!!

 Here is Annie giving us a nice sit/stay! For coming to class a few days after being adopted she has made leaps and bounds!

 Snoopy, our little fuzz ball! He was one of the fastest learners through the whole class!

 Snoopy's brother came to see him graduate! (Hi Moe)

 You can see his eyes now!

 Annie watching mom, practicing "Leave It"

 Our lovely Luna! She was so sweet! She really came out of her shell around week 4! She is such a happy little girl!

 Luna on a "down"

Roxy and Luna practicing "Leave it"  I love their focused looks!

People ask me, "so what made you decide to be a dog trainer?"

Well, I've always been involved with animals and have always wanted to be a trainer (although I had horses in mind when I was younger).  I love to read, and even as a teenager I was reading magazines about horse training and applying them to the horse I had at the time.  I would read about real life horse whispers (never seen the Hollywood movie).  I loved learning about the body language that different animal use to communicate.  As I got older, and out on my own, I got my very own dog.  That taught me a lot.  

My first dog was a Husky.  Not a breed I recommend for a novice.  I got lucky and scraped through for a while.  He was with me through all my stupid mistakes as a young adult and kept me sane, most of the time (if he wasn't the cause).  Are there things I would change if I could go back knowing what I know now?  Many.  So many.  However he ended up being the best dog I have ever had so far.  He was perfect for me and I learned a lot from him.  That I would never change.  

Working at a vet office for 5 years showed me a lot about the breeds, both good and bad, and the importance of good responsible breeding (and what that means).  I also learned more of what a good responsible dog owner does and does not do.  Shots are not something to fool around with.  Get your dog vaccinated, spayed or neutered, and get some training (either on your own in with a teacher/class).  That is some of the best advice I can give you in passing.  Most of the problems I have seen in dogs in general have come from not doing those few basic things.  Thus coming to the answer to the above question.  After working in pet stores now for 2 plus years and seeing all the rescues and shelters coming to do adoptions is the one of the main reasons I am doing what I do and for the price that I do it.  I can't be there making sure that your dogs gets it's vaccs or gets fixed, but I can help when it comes to having you and your dog communicate better.  Just that alone I have seen go a long way to keeping dogs out of shelters and everyone happier (which is another reason, I like making everyone happy).  

As I mentioned above, I love to read.  I have read a dozen books or more in the past 2 years on dog behavior and dog training from Animal behavior therapists.  Most of which after I read it just seemed to be common sense, but over looked common sense. 

I also have a good rapport with animals.  I would like to say I am not trying to brag, but that would only be half true.  I like them and give them the respect and leadership they are looking for.  In return they do the same for me (after they figure out that is what I want if they are new to that game) ;o)  

Pics from out last "Doggy Play Day" (free dog socializing)

The "Touch" Cue

Teaching the cue "Touch" can come in very handy in many situations that you may not even realize.  I find that it helps when teaching "Heel" and when you need your dog to walk onto or over to something. Potty training is also a place where the "Touch" cue can come in handy. It also happens to be one of the easiest cues to teach.

To start put your clicker in the hand that you will not be using.  (Now I start by teaching them to "Touch" a stick and then move to cue to my hand.  I find it easier to start that way because a stick is something hard to resist investigating) Hold the stick (one with a blunt end) out in front of  your dog's nose, when he bumps it (from sniffing or trying to chew) click, and treat.  Now your dog will try to figure out what is has to do to get that treat again.  Give him time, if you need to move the stick around a bit to keep his interest feel free.  Move the stick away and put it back out saying "Touch" whenever he bumps it (no teeth) with his nose click and treat him.  After a dozen time or less he should have it down.  

Give him a break after the treats and play a game with him for a few minutes.  Then hold up your hand (like a stop sign) and say "Touch"  he might look for the stick, but he should try giving your hand a bump, when he does, click and treat with lots of praise!  Repeat and then alternate with the stick and your hand.

To use it when on a walk simply put your hand (or if you have a small dog, use the stick) down at your side and tell your dog "Touch".  Remember to click and treat for the first little while and you will build a very positive feeling in your dog when he is at your side (translation: "being next to my owner, not in front, is wonderful!).  It is also nice to keep him focused on you and not whatever cat has happened to walk down that sidewalk as well.

(a "just because puppies are so cute" picture)