Why heart-worm prevention is unnecessary . . .

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/monthly-heartworm-prevention-why-its-unnecessary/

Thoughts on puppy raising . . .

The hardest part of raising a puppy is not to stifle them. Yet we must be there to protect them every step of the way. Finding that balance, between freedom and protection, is a difficult one to find. We want to tend to their every need, and cuddle away every whimper, and when we do, we stunt their emotional growth. We keep the fearful ones fearful, and the bold ones simply find us irritating.

Our puppies must learn to problem solve, and work out their own difficulties. Our job is to find the balance of when to help them, when to give them a kiss and a nurturing shove forward to work it out on their own, to know when to laugh at them for the dumb error that they just committed, when to force them to succeed and then reward them as though it was their own brilliant idea, and when to simply protect them and keep them safe.

When raising a puppy, I use what they offer to build their confidence. My past two weeks have been spent with two wonderful baby boys. Both are needing help dealing with big adult dogs at the park. Both pretend to act over confident and 'cool' when they really would rather climb inside my jacket and be carried! Growing up is scary, and my understanding and help, and hand-holding, has given them the courage to act like stellar lads.

My first little man had a fabulous temperament, and fabulous raising thus far, so he only needed teasing reminders such as "Grab your Ball" when passing a dog. By keeping his mind on the soother in his mouth, his manners were spectacular, and he had the confidence to move on past temptation.

My second little puppy could not have been more different. He had no social skills, and only confidence through his teeth, so pretended he was the biggest and toughest dog in the world. He needed to be carried past dogs and see them from the safety of arms. Then he needed to be on the ground, with hands guiding him, reminding him that is was me and him against the world. Now we are at the stage of going past the dog, and throwing a cookie in the direction that I want him to go (straight past). I am giving him a reason to leave the encounter. I'm not forcing him. It is his choice to leave (so he keeps all his power). I've just presented a darned good reason why he should leave. This little man has given me his heart and soul. He tries hard to please - but he has no idea how to behave. It is my job to show him how. Because of all that he has missed, he is never going to be the role model at the dog park. But he can learn manners, and how to be a well adjusted, confident adult, by being schooled on what is wanted, and by watching my well behaved adult dogs demo for him.

We are repeatedly told that dog training is science. I disagree. I think it is more like art. Each dog is a blank canvas, and it is up to us to create our perfect dog. We are given a topic, and then the creation is left in our own hands.

There certainly is a scientific component to it; If you do this - you will get that. But first you must envision your canvas so that you know what you want to create, and then you use your science to help you get it.

This is the reason that if you present one problem to ten dog-trainers, you will get ten answers. All might be right, but each trainer will create a very different canvas, depending upon what they saw.

Monique Anstee
Victoria, BC
www.naughtydogge.com

The Damaging Effects of Spaying and Neutering on Dogs

Story at-a-glance . . .

• A new study of German Shepherd Dogs adds to a growing body of research on the damaging effects of spaying and neutering on dogs
• Earlier studies on other breeds, including Rottweilers, Golden Retrievers, and Vizslas, suggest that desexing can dramatically increase the risk for serious diseases and behavioral disorders in these dogs
• When dealing with 100 percent responsible pet owners, my preference is to leave dogs intact whenever possible to avoid unnecessary risks of anesthesia. When pets must undergo a sterilization procedure, I advocate an alternative procedure to a full spay or neuter that spares the gonads and ovaries, which produce hormones essential to good health
• Ovary sparing spays are equally as effective as traditional spays at preventing unwanted litters, but they are less invasive and eliminate the risk of endocrine damage
• Veterinary schools need to teach less damaging sterilization methods to students, as research shows our current surgical approach to controlling unwanted pregnancies can permanently affect dogs in negative ways. In addition, the surgical technique used by high volume spay clinics and shelters to sterilize very young dogs could easily be updated to a less damaging technique, while still accomplishing the goal of preventing unwanted litters

Read the entire link:  https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2016/07/27/neutering-spaying-effects.aspx?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=facebookpets_ranart&utm_campaign=20170617_neutering-spaying-effects

Leash walking starts with the basics . . .

Puppy Nipping -- this comes up with *every* puppy

We've got eyeballs 👀 and we're mobile!

The Goodies are two weeks old and their eyes are starting to open, some are opening sooner than others which is completely normal. They are also more mobile and starting to vocalize, this will only increase over the next week(s).

Bitey face - puppies explore the world with their mouths

Georgie tasting Granger

Granger and Garth (behind)

Garth

Greer is mobile

10 Reasons Not to Use a Retractable Leash

Adapted from the WDJ article (source below):

There’s an old joke about if there’s one thing that two dog trainers can agree on, it’s that the third one is doing it wrong. But, I’ve found something that very nearly ALL dog trainers agree on, and that I will defend anywhere, anytime, and it’s this: Retractable leashes have no place in dog training.

It almost reaches the level of a joke: If you go to a dog park or almost any gathering of dog people and their dogs, the worst-behaved dogs will be the ones on retractable leashes. It’s sort of a chicken or the egg thing: What came first, the poorly behaved dog or the leash that teaches him nothing?

They aren't good for adult dogs, and never a puppy.

10 Reasons Not to Use a Retractable Leash

1. The length of retractable leashes (name brand: Flexi), some of which can extend up to 26 feet, allows dogs to get far enough away from their humans that a situation can quickly turn dangerous. A dog on a retractable leash is often able to run into the middle of the street, for example, or make uninvited contact with other dogs or people.
2. In the above scenario, or one in which your pet is being approached by an aggressive dog, it is nearly impossible to get control of the situation if the need arises. It's much easier to regain control of – or protect -- a dog at the end of a six-foot standard flat leash than it is if he's 20 or so feet away at the end of what amounts to a thin string.
3. The thin cord of a retractable leash can break – especially when a powerful dog is on the other end of it. If a strong, good-sized dog takes off at full speed, the cord can snap. Not only can that put the dog and whatever he may be chasing in danger, but also the cord can snap back and injure the human at the other end.
4. If a dog walker gets tangled up in the cord of a retractable leash, or grabs it in an attempt to reel in their dog, it can result in burns, cuts, and even amputation. In addition, many people have been pulled right off their feet by a dog that reaches the end of the leash and keeps going. This can result in bruises, "road rash," broken bones, and worse.
5. Dogs have also received terrible injuries as a result of the sudden jerk on their neck that occurs when they run out the leash, including neck wounds, lacerated tracheas, and injuries to the spine.
6. Retractable leashes allow dogs more freedom to pull at the end of them, which can look like aggression to another dog who may decide to "fight back."
7. The handles of retractable leashes are bulky and can be easily pulled out of human hands, resulting in a runaway dog.
8. Along those same lines, many dogs – especially fearful ones – are terrorized by the sound of a dropped retractable leash handle and may take off running, which is dangerous enough. To make matters worse, the object of the poor dog's fear is then "chasing" her, and if the leash is retracting as she runs, the handle is gaining ground on her – she can't escape it. Even if this scenario ultimately ends without physical harm to the dog (or anyone else), it can create lingering fear in the dog not only of leashes, but also of being walked.
9. Retractable leashes, like most retractable devices, have a tendency to malfunction over time, either refusing to extend, refusing to retract, or unspooling at will.
10. Retractable leashes are an especially bad idea for dogs that haven't been trained to walk politely on a regular leash. By their very nature, retractables train dogs to pull while on leash, because they learn that pulling extends the lead.

Full Article: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2014/06/11/retractable-dog-leash.aspx?x_cid=20141014_ranart_petretracableleash_facebookdoc

More reading:  Reel It In - Why I Don't Like Retractable Leashes - https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/blog/Retractable-leashes-in-dog-training-21740-1.html?ET=wholedogjournal:e286358:821510a:&st=email&s=p_Blog110917

Make Your Life Easier -- start training from DAY ONE

Every puppy comes to their new home with an inherent desire to follow. They are always underfoot and look to you for guidance and entertainment. Then something happens...they turn 16 weeks and realize that they can be independent. 

If you do it right, teaching your new puppy to come back when called is the easiest skill to solidify. Your puppy is already showing you the desired behaviour. All you need to do is reward it, praise it, solidify it. By rewarding their desire to follow, you are creating a solid foundation on which to build your recall. If you wait until they are 16 weeks old, you will have to work exponentially harder to make recalls fun and rewarding. 

Make life easier for you and your new pup - start training from day one and always reward the behaviors you like.

Erinn Lee Dog Training

http://www.erinnlee.com