Many of us like to bring our dogs with us on vacation.  Whether it’s a week at the cottage or camping and hiking, it’s important to do a bit of planning ahead of time.  This includes the obvious of packing food and bowls and should also include the location of the nearest veterinarian.  For those who really like to go off the beaten track, it’s important to know more than just a bit about first aid for both you and your dog.  Our resident Pet First Aid instructor, Lynda Kitson offers a great course called “Off the Grid”.  Check out this along with her other courses (http://www.k9compass.com/). 

Holidays are great but sometimes our four legged friends aren’t able to join us on our adventures.  Check out my April 2013 blog post to find out about dog care planning..
 
If you’re like me, you’ll be missing your canine companion.  On my first holiday without my dogs, I actually brought pictures of them with me.  On another holiday, I fed my leftover food to street dogs (more than once!!).  I found an interesting option for people like me.  There’s a site (http://www.trustedhousesitters.com)  that connects people who love to travel with people who will house sit and take care of your pet.  As the website says “We connect home and pet owners who need a sitter, when going away, with trustworthy people who are happy to sit for FREE.”  What a great idea … this is definitely worth checking out!

As some of you know, I’ve been having some challenges with young Twizzler (see my blog post).  I am happy to report that we have made some progress.  I had tried a number of things - all had some positive impact but the progress was slow.  In the end, I decided to try out a technique called Behaviour Adjustment Training (BAT).  I enrolled in a BAT class called “Snappy to Happy” (Gen, is a BAT certified instructor with Pawsitive Plus). 

There are a number of things that I loved about this class.  There was a high instructor to student ratio which ensured that all got the attention they needed and all worked safely.  We started our 6 week session working our dogs in controlled scenarios.  Once our dogs were comfortable with each other, we progressed to walking in neighbourhoods which eventually included downtown Oakville, meeting new dogs and practicing our new skills.  I think the greatest success of this class was evidenced by a little Maltese who at the beginning of the class was so reactive, it had to work behind a building while the rest of the class worked at about 200’ away.  By the end of our 6 weeks, this little dog was walking with us through the streets!

For Twizzler, this class gave him the skills to self-regulate and while we aren’t tearing up agility courses in a trial yet, we are able to enter the ring and do a few pieces of equipment.  He’s even been to agility drop in’s at new locations and has done extremely well.  These are all small (maybe tiny) steps forward but steps in the right direction all the same.  In the meantime, both Twizzler and I are having fun playing BAT, seeking out stranger dogs in new places.  For those of you with dogs who have impulse control issues, BAT might be the key.

Much like many things in life, the answer depends on your expectations regardless of whether your four-legged friend is “just” your companion or a team mate in your favourite sport.  As they say, change is the only constant.  With these changes comes new experiences and challenges.  This is also true for your pooch.  You may discover a new park or your local park might be designated as an off leash park or perhaps a new neighbor moves in next door… there are lots of changes that happen all around us, all the time.  Most of these changes will seamlessly weave into the fabric of everyday life while others will manifest in behavior changes.  Think of the new neighbor.  What would happen if a dog moved next door?  For some dogs, it’s a new friend.  For others, it’s an intruder.  What would you do in this situation?  Would you try to fix the problem so that the dogs could leave peacefully together or would you avoid it?

I recently was presented with a similar situation.  I entered Twizzler in an agility trial thinking that he would rock – he’s fast and he’s confident running sequences in class and in house league.  The reality was far from what was expected.  He froze in the ring … correction, he froze until he made a mad dash for the exit!  The poor guy was so stressed.  What was I to do – address the situation or avoid it?  Twizz has been playing agility for about 2 years so I could continue in classes, house league and dog camp.  That would be the easy path.  Or, I could try to resolve it.  I took the not so easy path … why?  I see the potential in Twizz and I had to recognize that my own wishes factor into this.  Yep, I want to trial in agility!!  Blame it on the allure of ribbons and rosettes.  

The first step was to try to figure out what the issue was – was it strange places, noise, barking dogs, people moving about, a combination of things?  Much like figuring out a food allergy, I had to approach this systematically and I had to keenly observe Twizzler’s behavior in each situation.  When it was too much, I would back up to a point where he was comfortable and always I had really tasty treats for him.

What I learned from this process is that although I had taken Twizzler to a lot of different places as a pup and continue to do so, none of the places had the noise and excitement similar to that of an agility trial.  While, I normally don’t take him to off leash parks, the walkway leading to the entrance was a great spot to start (we did eventually get into the off leash area).  High value rewards are what Twizz thinks is high value, not me.  If the reward is food, it’s best to have a hungry dog (thus increasing the value of the food).  

Although my journey with Twizz continues, we’ve taken some steps in the right direction.  Life will continue to present situations that may require training, re-training, re-framing … It’s a continual process of learning.  All of this results in opportunities to strengthen our bond.  

As our dogs get older, we expect to see changes.  They will be subtle at first.  Perhaps, they won't walk as far and we may just think they are a bit tired from playing.  But as this becomes more of the norm, we'll recognize it for what it is.

With my 15 year old Scrumpy, the first change was with her hearing.  Next, it was her sight.  One would think that this would make it very difficult for her to manage but it isn't.  She has been able to adapt extremely well even when she's in unfamiliar surroundings.

Another thing I noticed was a lack of stability in her front legs.  I suspect that this stems from an old injury in her shoulder joint.  To prevent her front legs from giving out, I carefully trim the hair on the bottom of her paws (with rounded scissors).  I also started putting socks with rubberized bottoms on her front paws.  This helps give her the stability and traction needed to walk on hard wood floors. 

Our walks are now shorter but more frequent.  It's important for her exercise to maintain her capabilities.  This is when I become her seeing eye person!  I always carry her up and down the stairs in the house but outside, she is able to manage climbing up steps.   I take my queues from her which means that sometimes, it's more of a carry than walk. 

One of the things that Scrumpy didn't need any assistance with was finding her food.  With her diminished eyesight, her sense of smell has become acute.  She is an expert at ferreting out not only her food bowl but any treats that might be tucked away in pockets. 

Living with a geriatric dog means a few adjustments here and there to our normal routine but they are all well worth the effort!

It's been some time since my last post about my little girl Java.  A lot has happened and it's only now that I am ready to share this. 

About one year after Java was diagnosed with lymphangiectasia, I made the difficult decision to say goodbye to her.  I have no regrets, I only have many fond memories of our time together. 

During this year, I learned a lot.  I learned that it takes a lot of energy to make home-cooked meals for an ill dog.  Java's meals were all individually made - each ingredient was weighed.  All in all, it took about a day to make 2 weeks worth of meals.  I recall wondering if I had known what this truly entailed, would I have made the same decision.  In my heart, I know I would have but at the same time, it gave me the awareness that not everyone would and that this is perfectly fine.  It's not a reflection on them, they don't love their furry companion any less.  It's just simply not something they can do. 

I learned about the importance of having a relationship with your vet and the staff at the clinic.  I was at the clinic for weekly weight checks as rapid weight loss is one of the symptoms.  Together we celebrated weeks where she maintained or even gained weight and together we worried when her weight dropped. 

I learned about vets that specialize in palliative care.  Throughout the year, my palliative care vet was there supporting me every step of the way.  She worked along side my regular vet and in the end, when it was time, she came to my home to administer the final procedure.  It takes a special person to do the work she does.  I was very fortunate to have met her ...

Mostly, I learned about the value of friendship.  The outpouring of love helped shine light into the dark corners of grief.  Like my memories of Java, these will always be treasured.

I hope you will not have to say goodbye to your four-legged friend for a very long time.  When you do, my wish is for you to have the love and support of friends, family and vets that I had so that it eases the journey.

For some, the arrival of spring is marked by blooming crocuses (or is it croci??).  For me, it's reconnecting with my neighbourhood's furry friends.  This winter has been a long cold one with too many shortened walks and too few opportunities to socialize in the local park.  I am saddened to learn of the passing of many of my four-legged friends this past winter.  It reminds me that my girls are both in their senior years. 

Scrumpy and Java have both slowed down quite dramatically and now that the snow has melted, it's quite noticeable.  There's no blaming it on cold feet, slippery walkways or sidewalks that haven't been cleared.  With this in mind, I have been thinking of that dreaded day when I will be faced with "the decision".  You all know what I'm thinking of.  Likely I will want to have my girls at home with me when the time comes.  I also know that at some point, the focus of care will be on relieving and preventing pain and suffering.  Like many things, preparation is the key ... with anything trying to find the right resources when your facing the challenge is not the ideal time.

Some of us are fortunate to live in areas where there are mobile vets.  There are also vets that specialize in palliative care.  Recently, I met one such vet, Dr. Chris Hickman (http://hickmanmobile.ca/) who offers both.  It takes a special person to only deal with end-of-life care but also to support us as we prepare ourselves for the inevitable.  Care and compassion for pets and their people is so important at this time.  When the time comes, I do hope that you are able to find someone like Dr. Chris. to help you with your decision.  For those of you who are coming to camp, the incredible Dr. Chris will be joining us and has been gracious enough to speak to us about what to expect and the care she provides.

The other sure sign of spring is the parade of new puppies and their people as they make their way along their walk.  It warms my heart especially when I see them practicing some of the skills they've learned in puppy class.  It doesn't matter how busy I am, I always take a moment to stop and watch.  If I'm with my gang, I take advantage of the socialization opportunity.  It's great for the new pup and for mine as well.  Of course, I ensure that it's safe to do so and that the pup isn't overwhelmed. 

Until next time, keep well and give your pooches scratch behind the ear for me and my gang!

Happy New Year!

As most of you know, I have three dogs - Scrumpy and Java are seniors and Twizzler is just over a year old now.  And while for the most part the three have gotten a long, it's a bit of a balancing act sometimes.  Scrumpy and Java being 13 are very laid back.  Twizzler, not so much ... he puts the energizer bunny to shame.   Thinking back on the past year, I've come to realize how I've been able to incorporate and transfer skills that I've learned in class to practical applications to keep the peace and my sanity! 

Like many of you, I brush my dogs teeth.  It's really no problem as they love the taste of the doggy toothpaste and after brushing, they are rewarded with a lick or two from the tube.  The challenge comes in when you introduce a puppy to the mix - one who doesn't know how to wait his turn and tries to steal the paste from the brush.  It was a bit of a struggle and my blood pressure was beginning to rise until I started using this daily ritual as an opportunity to practice impulse control and sit stays!  I have to admit that peace and harmony didn't happen overnight but it did happen.

My friend Rob has a great story about Ryker, who he adopted from a rescue some years back.  Ryker was quite a vocal dog especially when encountering other dogs.  Up the road from us, lives a couple of terriers who just love to bark at anything walking by especially dogs.  Unlike the terrier mom, Rob wanted to fix this so here's what he did.  He took what he learned in class to the streets, literally.  He stood on the sidewalk opposite the terrier house and rewarded Ryker for not barking.  Once that distance was perfected, he decreased the distance - always working below threshold so that Ryker was successful.  Eventually he was able to walk Ryker past the barking house (on the same side of the street) without a peep from Ryker.  Bravo, Rob and Ryker - one person's challenge is another's training opportunity!!

I have another friend who loves to take pictures of dogs having fun.  Sometimes people ask her for a photo shoot in the park.  Why not, it makes for a great back drop?  She told me how much she enjoys working with clients when they have done some basic training with their dogs.  Of course, there's the obvious sit stay but most people want shots of their dog in action.  For her the most important skills are a solid come (so that she can shoot them running without fear of losing the dog), toy drive and understanding what are high value rewards.  I asked her about distractions in the park, like other dogs or the dreaded squirrel.  She told me that she tries to pick a time when the park is quiet usually early in the morning or during the dinner hour.  Sorry, we're on our own when it comes to the blasted squirrel! 

Sometimes there's hidden benefits from dog training that are what I'd call "Wow, who'd have thought?" moments.  This might be meeting someone in class who later becomes a romantic interest or your new BFF or perhaps someone who has your dog's litter mate.  My "Wow, who'd have thought?" moment happened this past fall with Twizzler.  I had him in Flyball class with a trainer who unbenounced to me is also an Animal Wrangler.  What's an Animal Wrangler?  They are find animals for ads, commercials, TV shows and movies. 

One day I get an email from Jackie telling me that a new TV show needs a frou frou dog and would Twizzler be interested.  Sure, I say but not really thinking much of it.  Some weeks later, I find out that he's been selected.  Wow, who'd have thought?!?!  Now, I'm thinking, "Oh oh, don't I need to train him or something???"  Jackie tells me probably just sit stays and down stays.  OK, I'm thinking that we've got that in the bag until I realize all the activity on the set, behind the cameras and that I'm WAY far away from him and that sometimes the scene needs to be shot over and over and over from different angles and he gets passed from one actor to the next.  YIKES!!  Thank goodness for all the early socialization - it's definitely not a good thing for your dog to be a fusspot.  Anyway, it's all good in the end.  I was even able to use my "spot" command from agility contacts class on set.  It's quite amazing just how many skills you can leverage and how many ways you can practice in your everyday life. 

So what's the show and when's it coming out?  The series is called "Working the Engels" and will be airing in March on Global and NBC.  Check your local listings for it!