Lessons from dog training

In my travels this summer, I met someone who told me the 3 "dead dog" lessons they learned more than 10 years ago at dog school.    Its name really piqued my interest.  Obviously, it was remembered for more than just the shock value.  The lesson was that there are 3 things that can lead to a dead dog if you aren't aware and don't train your dog accordingly.  They are:

1. Doorways including car doors,
   
2. Crossing the street, and
3. "Food" on the ground.

While I think it's obvious that we all need to be mindful with our pups around these, I had not associated it with its potential deadly consequences.  It is a good reminder that some lessons we learn in puppy school are manners while others are life lessons.  Even those of us with older dogs need to be mindful.  It's too easy to be lulled into a state of false confidence - assuming that your dog will follow you off leash, will ignore the yummy chicken wing on the ground from the garbage can that's been tipped by the neighbourhood racoons, or will not dash out the door. 

This also reminds me of a story a neighbour told me about giving his dog tylenol because his dog was in pain.  He then said, "Did you know Tylenol is toxic to dogs?".  I asked why did he give it to the dog.  He answer was "I was desperate".  I wonder how desperate he would have been it the dog reacted adversely to the tablet.  Fortunately, this was not the case.  It's important that we take care when it comes to trying to help our pets.  While some medications are safe, others are not.  This year, Lynda Kitson, our resident Pet First Aid expert will be speaking about this and other common concerns.  Lynda is certified by Walks 'N' Wags and is the owner of K9 Compass.  If you've got something on your mind that you'd like Lynda to discuss, let me know and I'll pass it along.

See you in September!!