Heart Like a Dog

The Good, the Bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs!

Training Centers?…Day Three Hundred, Twenty Three

By

A while back I had a post about good dog trainers.  My advice was a good trainer won’t make you do anything you don’t feel comfortable with.  I’m going to expand on that a bit to include this, check out the training center and observe the instructor working;  WITHOUT your dog.

As many of you know I’ve been looking for a training center focused on positive training, I am interested in learning how to work positively with my dog with the goal to go on and share this knowledge with others.

A friend of mine had mentioned a center she was using; I was supposed to visit this center two weeks ago, but fate intervened and I wasn’t able to go until last night.

I had no intentions of bringing either of the dogs with me, because I wanted to be able to observe and (hopefully) learn and I didn’t want to be distracted by the dogs.

I got to the center about 10 minutes before the beginner obedience class ended, so I sat and watched; the young puppies were so good, they did three-minute downs and stays!

When class was over my friend came over and introduced me to the trainer, a young woman who seemed really nice.  The second class came in, there were seven dogs in the class, one Lab, a Lab mix, a Doberman, an Akita, what looked like a Blonde Scottish Terrier and two German Shepherd.

I have to admit, I’m a bit intimidated by the bigger dogs, but watching the Akita working with her human had me mesmerized.  The mom had some type of treat she was using and the dog was so focused on her human, she wasn’t paying attention to anything else.  

About half-way into the class, the trainer decided to do recalls.  One of the Shepherds (Nikka) wasn’t quite getting that her mom wanted her to stay while she walked to the other side of the room.  The trainer came over and stood on Nikka’s leash and instructed the mom to walk away.  The mom walked away and Nikka jumped up to run after her and came up short.

“Come back and put her down again,” said the instructor.  The mom did and started to walk away again.  Again Nikka stood up to go after her mom and the instructor yanked the leash so hard, Nikka’s front two feet came off the ground and she yelped.

I sat there in shock, a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.  I didn’t know what to do. 

After that Nikka stayed on that side of the room until her mother called for her, then they started again at the other side of the room. 

Honest to God, the exact same thing happened again and again the trainer yanked poor Nikka off her feet.  Now she instructed mom to do it; granted mom didn’t do it nearly as harshly as that instructor did, but at that point I couldn’t watch anymore.  I walked over to my friend and said, “I have to go.” 

She wanted me to stay, and I said, “I can’t stay here and watch them yank that Shepherd again.”

I barely made it to the car before the tears were falling and I cried the whole twenty-two minute ride home.  I kept thinking about that poor dog getting yanked around and how grateful I was that I didn’t bring Delilah with me.  Quite frankly if the instructor had yanked my dog the way she yanked Nikka, I’d probably be writing this blog from a jail cell.

I feel ashamed that I did nothing to help Nikka, and I wonder is there anything I could have done? 

What are your thoughts?

Be Prepared….Day Three Hundred, Fifteen

By

Besides the wonderful organizations I found at the Pet Exposition I also came across a FEMA table.  I stopped (he was kind of cute) picked up a brochure and chatted him up for a bit.

Truthfully I live in an area where I can’t imagine the need to ever evacuate; none-the-less it is far better to be prepared and never have the need than to have the need and not be prepared. 

The three important steps are Prepare. Plan. Stay Informed.

PREPARE

  • Food:  Being prepared means you should have a three-day supply of food (in an airtight container) and water.  Since I feed raw it isn’t plausible for me to have food packed.  I do have the food broken up into smaller packets in the freezer; so it is very easy to grab a couple of packs and slip them into a cooler. 
  • Medicines and Medical Records: I have Sampson and Delilah’s medical records in a three-ring binder.  Each binder has a cover page, with their name, our address and phone and their date of birth.  In the lower left corner of the page I have the name, address and telephone number of our vet.  Our vet gives us an invoice for each visit which includes the dog’s weight and the reason for the visit as well as any prescribed medications or treatments.  Each one of these invoices is kept inside the binder in protective sleeves, in date order from oldest to newest.  Delilah’s thyroid medicine and her anti-oxidants are on the counter ready to be packed at a moment’s notice.
  • First aid kit: I don’t have one of these; but 2BrownDawgs had an excellent post about what you should have in your dog’s first aid kit.
  • Collar with ID tag, harness or leash: Sampson and Delilah have an indoor/in the yard and out of the yard collar.  Their outside the yard collar has all their tags on it; while the small inside collar has a tag with their name, my name and cell phone number on it.
  • Crate or other pet carrier.  While I probably wouldn’t bring a crate for Sampson and Delilah I should have a cat carrier for Bob.
  • Sanitation: some poop bags, kitty litter, bleach, newspapers, paper towels.
  • A picture of you and your pet.  This would be perfect in the medical records in one of the protective sleeves.
  • Familiar items: toys, blankets, bedding.

PLAN

  • Assess the situation.  Determine what is the best for you and your pet in an emergency.  It could be that you don’t need to evacuate and staying put is your better option.
  • Create a plan to get away.  Think about how you will gather your pets together, and where you will go.
  • Develop a buddy system.  Make sure you have someone either a friend, relative or neighbor who can care for or take care of your pets in the event that you cannot reach them.
  • Talk to your vet.  Find out what types of supplies they suggest for your emergency kit.  Consider micro-chipping your pet or enrolling them in a reliable recovery database.
  • Find and write down a list of vets in the area where you plan on going.  Also addresses and phone numbers of the local Humane Society or ASPCA.  Get a pet sticker for the doors and windows in your home.  I have a red one on my front door as well as my bedroom window that says “Please save 2 dogs, 1 cat.”  Use a permanent marker to write your cell number or the number of a relative on the sticker.  If you need to evacuate make sure to write “evacuated with pets” on the sticker.

STAY INFORMED

Be aware of situations that might arise in your area that could require evacuation.  

I’m still pretty sure I won’t need to evacuate, BUT at least I am better prepared if the need arises.

For The Love Of Olivia….Day Two Hundred, Ninety Nine

By

We interrupt our regularly scheduled dogcast for this special announcement.

Today I want to stray from my traditional blog about my dogs, in order to introduce you to Olivia.

This sweet little girl was found outside in the pouring rain with a litter of kittens.  Extremely emaciated with an abscess on her back, this brave little mama wouldn’t abandon her kittens.

Somehow Olivia found her way to Our Companions; where she was treated for her abscess and then spayed.

Today Olivia, went to her forever home with my daughter Lynn and her husband Mark along with their other cat Ollie.

This afternoon I had the opportunity to spend some time with Olivia.  I found her to be friendly, outgoing, sweet and loving.  I’m so happy that Olivia’s story has a happy ending.

There are so many lessons to be learned from our furry friends not the least is the joy experienced by opening your heart and your home to those less fortunate than us.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...