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The Killers that Surround us

Nicole Wilde  |  Wed, 04/20/2011 - 09:35

There’s a woman who walks her black Lab around the park early in the mornings. As we passed them with our dogs the other day, my friend informed me that the poor dog was recovering from his third round of surgery. He’d almost died. The cause? A tiny, insignificant-looking bit of nastiness called a “foxtail.”

Foxtails aren’t technically plants, but “diasporas” or “plant dispersal units.” They’ve got a hardened tip and a bunch of barbs that point away from the tip, and are so named because they resemble the tail of a fox. The barbs cause the foxtail to cling to fur, and the movement of the dog allows the foxtail to burrow into the fur. Unfortunately, especially in long-haired dogs (the only kind we ever seem to have), the foxtail can work its way into the skin and become irreversibly lodged.

 
board and train, separation anxiety, look what i can do dog training, cecil county md

Separated From Life By Separation Anxiety

Leslie Fisher  |  Sun, 04/17/2011 - 10:15

Yes, I agree excessive time has elapsed since last I blogged; life events do have a habit of intruding, particularly the planning of a wedding! Sadly, I now write of a life event which resulted in the end of a life, the life of a three year old beagle deprived of a second chance. Separation anxiety can and does end doggy lives.  Recently, this young beagle, with perhaps years of life left, was separated from life by separation anxiety. She spent much of the last year in a basement crate, prior to being relinquished to SPCA. Yes, she was adopted, but by folks who were ill equipped to handle commitments of time and resources necessary. They decided not to try; her short life ended with euthanization.  What if I had offered pro bono services, I ask myself? Even so, sometimes people are just not ready to take on a project.

 

 

Bubbles - 12 Week Review

Rachel Friedman  |  Fri, 04/15/2011 - 05:42

This week marks 12 weeks since Bubbles landed in Cleveland from sunny southern California.  What has she learned? She has almost tripled in size, is house trained,  crate trained and has become quite cuddly without being overbearing. She has learned how to sit, lay down, come (touch) despite most distractions, stay, walk nicely on a leash, lie contentedly doing nothing in very difficult environments, and begun playing fetch with a variety of objects -- balls, stuffed animals and chewies.

 
Contemplating the Triple Bottom Line

Embracing The Triple Bottom Line (TBL) - economic, ecological and social

Rachel Friedman  |  Fri, 04/08/2011 - 06:49

In the many previous "real" jobs" life  I've had  -- where I not only had to learn all the names and ultimately the quirks of fellow workers -- but often be obligated to know the terms and conditions of detailed policy manuals outlining all the "do's" and "don'ts" of the organization -- I've had various levels of dissatisfaction. Admittedly  I've often balked at some of the rules and chafed under some of the administrative policies-- many which seemed to compromise my own moral code of ethics. These conflicts actually helped me take the leap into the abyss of opening my own business -- with neither a net or a parachute.

 

Puppy Camp - What a Week!

Cindy Bruckart  |  Thu, 04/07/2011 - 08:16

Okay, so I failed miserably at keeping everyone updated with Nike’s week of Puppy Camp.  This was mostly due to my underestimating the energy it would take to get through the week!  Of course I’m not new to puppy training, but every now and then you get a more challenging pup that needs a little extra effort.  Nike was that pup, and I enjoyed every second of it!

I mentioned her fear issues in my first post.  This remained my main concern throughout the week.  I took her to classes with me and to many public places.  If you’ve done this kind of work before, you know that you are starting at square one in each new location. 

 

The Proof Is In The Pudding, Or Is It?

Kelly Gorman Dunbar  |  Mon, 04/04/2011 - 16:30

Hugo and I recently participated in a NACSW NW1 trial. I hate to say it, but I was nervous. Why? Besides the usual pre-competition jitters, I also felt a bit under-prepared.

Don’t get me wrong, we weren’t entered prematurely, Hugo most certainly had been taught the necessary skills to succeed, but that was a long time ago, and we hadn’t been keeping up our practices recently and I felt he was a bit rusty.

As the trial date neared I started to balk, and thought perhaps I was being hasty. Perhaps we should pull out and I should up my training regiment over the next few months and then enter again over the summer.

 

CureSearch Redux

Rachel Friedman  |  Mon, 04/04/2011 - 11:55

I try hard never to take for granted the glowing health, intelligence, compassion, beauty and wide ranging and quite amazing capabilities of all three of my children. I am consciously grateful that the inevitable conflicts that arise in the parent/child relationship are the normal and healthy ones and are a sign I'm doing something right. In my role as a social worker and dog trainer I provide service dog training and am directly engaged in helping both children and adults with special needs.

 

Puppy Camp - Daily Report

Cindy Bruckart  |  Wed, 03/30/2011 - 11:00

I am doing a One Week Puppy Camp with the most adorable Great Dane.  Her name is Nike and she is almost 16 weeks old.  I thought some of you might be interested to follow her training progress over the next seven days.

Nike's parents contacted me because they needed help with house training, jumping up and puppy biting.  When I asked about her house training progress thus far, I was told that they'd being doing everything right with no results.  In fact, they'd been taking her out to pee every 20 minutes and were still having accidents.  I immediately suggested a vet visit and sure enough our little girl has a urinary tract infection.  This resulted in a prescription for antibiotics and one day's delay.  No big deal.

 
World Autism Awareness Day

World Autism Awareness Day April 2, 2011

Rachel Friedman  |  Thu, 03/24/2011 - 10:47

Bubbles journey as an autism assistance dog in training continues as she and I both embrace the challenges of adolescence in a pup. From our own private corner in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A. we continue to socialize and establish reliable behaviors wherever we go balanced with appropriate play and rest. I rely on Bean to model appropriate public displays whenever possible. On a much larger scale, we herald the impending arrival of the 4th annual World Autism Awareness Day.

 

The 15 Year Old Puppy

Cindy Bruckart  |  Wed, 03/23/2011 - 10:50

I’ve written before about my blind, deaf, diabetic, 15 year old JRT.  Yes, he’s still with us.  We thought we would lose him a couple of times, but in true Jack Russell fashion he keeps bouncing back.  As I carried him outside to pee for the sixth time today it dawned on me that he isn’t a 15 year old dog, but more of a 15 year old puppy.

He’s lost his eyesight but his nose works just as well as it always has.  This leads him into many a jam that he can’t find his way out of on his own.  After rescuing him from several tight spots, missteps and near misses, we’ve decided that he needs constant supervision.  So, now he has an ex-pen set up in the living room with a bed, toys, water and even some potty pads in case we don’t get him outside at the right time.  He doesn’t signal that he needs to pee anymore; he just takes a few steps and goes.  I figure he’s earned the right.

 

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