High Off The Ground

To Boldly Go Where No Dog Has Gone Before!

Chew with Your Mouth Closed!

Whoever said that having dogs is like having a toddler around was right. I have to remind members of both species to chew with their mouth closed. No one wants to see your masticated food! Or stick.

Who is that dog I see staring straight back at me?

Who is that dog I see
Staring straight
Back at me?
Why is my reflection someone
I don't know?
(Adapted from Mulan)

Does your dog match their reflection? Or do they think they're a cat/small dog/big dog etc.  We joke that Mr. N thinks he's a big black dog like the Giant Schnauzer that taught him to be a dog and helped "raise" him at his foster home. 

Teaching Children Dog Safety and Dog Bite Prevention (National Dog Bite Prevention Week)

The majority of children who meet Mr. N have no idea whatsoever how to greet dogs properly. They run up to him yelling "puppy" at the top of their lungs or grab at his face or want to pick him up or hug him. All of these can be risky behaviors around dogs, especially strange ones. 

Children are the most common victims of dog bites and more likely to be severely injured. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, every year, more than 800,000 Americans receive medical attention for dog bites. And at least half of them are children. 

Dog safety for children is a big component of the work that Mr. N's therapy dog group does. When we do therapy visits at domestic violence shelters and schools, we also educate children on how to greet dogs properly, dog body language and bite prevention.

Mr. N in his therapy group uniform

We have the kids practice dog greetings on a stuffed animal before approaching the dogs. We teach them to:

• Always ask the owner for permission.
• Approach slowly and from a side angle.
• Don't lean/loom over the dog. The small dogs in Mr. N's therapy group greet the children on ottomans so they are more at a level with the kids.
• Pet gently in the direction of the fur growth.
• Don't pet dogs on the head.
• Do NOT hug the dogs. Hugging is a primate behavior, not a canine one!

Dogs who want attention have soft, relaxed body language and faces and will approach you and solicit petting. Mr. N will shove his head under your hand if he wants to be petted. If they don't, they may show signs like lip licking, turning their head away, yawning, scratching or the more obvious growling and snapping.

We talk about different dogs' tells. Mr. N has a very obvious one. His tail curls up over his back normally but when he's stressed, his tail goes straight down towards the floor (we call it "sad tail").

The dogs also get a designated "safe space" during therapy sessions in which to retreat if they need a breather. Mr. N has a fabric x-pen. We tell the children that when the dogs are in their special place, they need time to themselves and should be left alone.

We emphasize that dogs are not toys. They do not enjoy kisses, dress up, being ridden like a horse, or being picked up precariously. Unlike toys, they have feelings. They don't like when they're teased, yelled at or being bothered when they're eating.

77 percent of dog bites come from the family dog or a friend's dog. Mr. N was the demo dog for a dog safety class where one of the participants was a little boy who had been bitten by a dog at a friend's party. If he knew then what he knows now, he could have avoided that bite. If your children are aware of dog safety, it could save everyone a lot of pain and heartache!

Sources:
https://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/preventing-dog-bites-by-learning-to-greet-dogs-properly/
http://eileenanddogs.com/2012/08/29/does-your-dog-really-want-to-be-petted/
http://stopthe77.com/
https://www.avma.org/public/Pages/Dog-Bite-Prevention.aspx

We're participating in a blogger collaboration for National Dog Bite Prevention Week. Check out these other blogs for our week-long series about dog (and cat) bites.
Fidose of Reality (Monday)
Random Felines (Tuesday)
Miss Molly Says (Thursday)
Savannah’s Paw Tracks (Friday)

One Must Suffer For Their Art

I asked Mr. N to pose on this log but it meant getting wet. He does not believe in getting wet any more than he absolutely has to. However, he is a cooperative model (mostly) and waded out to the log and posed. He took the long way on the way back and walked to the other end which was close to shore and jumped the last few inches. 

Does your dog suffer for art (photos)? Or is it a chore getting them to pose at all?

Year Round Parasite Prevention with #SentinelSpectrum

This post is sponsored by Virbac® Sentinel® Spectrum® and the BlogPaws® Pet Influencer Network™. I am being compensated to help create awareness about protection against common parasites found in dogs but we only share information we feel is relevant to our readers.More information about Sentinel Spectrum. Virbac is not responsible for the content of this article.

It's all fun and games until someone ends up in a cone. Mr. N has a flea allergy and even the tiniest flea crawling on him sends him into a licking, scratching, chewing frenzy. Then he ends up in a cone to prevent him from creating hot spots and chewing himself raw. 

You know how some people always seem to get bitten by bugs and some people almost never do? I have a theory that dogs are like that too. Bugs seem super attracted to Mr. N for some reason. That's why we keep him on year round prevention like Virbac® Sentinel® Spectrum® to protect him from fleas, heartworm and intestinal parasites such as roundworm, hookworm, whipworm and tapeworms. Mr. N sleeps in our bed and I definitely do not want him dragging bugs into bed with him. 

Oh no! I'm defenseless in a cone and a flea is biting me! 

Just because you kill the fleas that are on a dog doesn't mean your flea problem is eradicated. The fleas that you do find are only a small percentage of the flea population lurking in your house. The fleas that you don't see can survive up to a year in your house before latching onto a host (you or the dog). 

Even in cold climates, fleas can survive as adults on dogs, cats, wild mammals or in cocoons as pupae in protected environments like in soil, on vegetation, in carpets, under furniture and on animal bedding. Who else is feeling the urge to clean their house from top to bottom? It can take several months to get rid of flea infestations.

Adults began feeding immediately on your pet and female fleas start producing eggs within 20 to 24 hours after their first bite/blood meal. They can produce 40 to 50 eggs per day. Instead of saying breeding like rabbits, we should say breeding like fleas. Under normal conditions, most adult fleas generally survive two to three months. 

Fleas, like many other unwanted bugs, are super hardy and in their immature state can survive the most challenging conditions.  They have uncanny powers to infest hospitable environments like your pet's home, places protected from cold like crawl spaces and under porches, upholstered furniture and the inside of your car. I think a flea superhero's superpower would be being able to invade all lairs no matter the location (underwater, in a volcano) and  slowly driving their opponent crazy until they go mad. 

No matter if your dog is indoor or outdoor, they're at risk year-round no matter where you live. Especially in more temperate climates like Portland, we have bugs pretty much year-round.

Aside from fleas, you also have to worry about your dog contracting heartworm through mosquitoes. It's recommended to have  your dog screened for heartworm disease through a blood test annually. If the test shows signs of microfilaremia, the dog has been infected for a while and the adult worms have already started to reproduce. Dogs typically show signs of being infected by adult heartworms six to seven months after being bitten.

Sentinel targets the immature heartworms for the first three to four months after infection. After that there is a gap where drugs are not effective until the heartworm becomes an adult about six months after the mosquito bite. The best way to prevent your dog from getting heartworm is to not skip a dose because the medication is most effective against infections that have happened in the month prior to taking the medicine. I have a recurring calendar reminder to give Mr. N his monthly dose. 

Sentinel is conducting a survey to find out how much pet owners know about fleas, heartworm and parasites in order to create an infographic to help people protect their dogs from parasites. All answers are confidential. You can take the survey here.

If you would like to learn more about Sentinel Spectrum, you can find more information at their website about parasites, a monthly email or text reminder or rebates.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Virbac® Sentinel® Spectrum®. The opinions and text are all mine.

Head Stuck Between Bars

The Pursuit of Canine Happyness

Things that make Mr. N happy:

• Walks. Especially if they have new smells.
• Running wild and free. 
• Treats and food that meet his exacting standards. 
• Admiration and adoration.
• Showing off tricks to an audience.
• Being right.
• Squirrels. Rabbits. Horses. Mice. Hamsters.
• Being petted just the right way. Preferably by multiple people.
• Playing with his squeaky toys and his bear.
• Dog wrestling with a worthy opponent.
• Outsmarting people and other dogs.
• Naps in the sun.
• Sleeping on layers of down.
• Rolling in the grass.
• Human companionship. Ones that understand his high maintenance lifestyle. 

What makes your dog(s) happy?

He's Mine. Not Yours. Get Your Hands Off Him!

Maybe it's because we live in Portland where the unofficial city slogan is "Keep Portland Weird," but we've had our fair share of encounters with crazy people. Specifically regarding Mr. N. Usually it's just men who bark at Mr. N and try to rile him up (how old are you, five?) but we've had a couple of run-ins with really creepy people. 

One time this man (he was drunk or high or both) came up to us and said, "Oh my God! You found my dog!" I grabbed Mr. N and we ran home. There is zero chance Mr. N could have belonged to him at any point. We know his pre-adoption history back to puppyhood and have paperwork backing it up. He also has distinctive markings, it's not like he's a purebred where he could easily be mistaken for another dog. 

Another time, we were waiting our turn at a nosework class at a dog daycare and this woman kept asking me if she could have Mr. N. Umm... no? What earthly reason could I have to hand over my beloved dog to a perfect stranger? 

And then an older teenager leaned out of an open car window and yelled, "That's going to be my next dog. I'll kidnap him! My only working theory is that Mr. N's fluffy stuffed teddy bear looks make people revert to being a toddler when it was much more acceptable to steal another kid's toy because you wanted it.  

Occasionally we get asked if he's up for adoption. More so when we had our foster dog but also at events. After all the time and money and effort that has gone into this dog, I don't think you could afford his fee. 

We take the normal precautions: tag and collar, microchip, supervised play in yards and off-leash. But at this rate, I think he's going to need a tracking chip! 

Has anyone else had weird encounters like this?

You Can Teach an "Old" Dog New Tricks!

I'm very proud of my little dog. He has come a long way. I refer to Mr. N as my guinea pig dog as he is my first dog and he gets the brunt of all of my training trial and errors. He wasn't the easiest dog for a beginner (separation anxiety, frustration-based reactivity, prey drive) but I'd still pick him all over again.

This past month, Mr. N has:

• Seen a squirrel running twenty feet away, looked at it and made a conscious choice to stay with me off-leash.

• Walked in a pet fashion show with my friend's kid in front of other dogs and llamas while waiting in line with cats, dogs and a bird.

• Made progress with his separation anxiety. He will bark for a few minutes when I first leave and then settle down for the vast majority of the time I'm at work.

• Learned the beginning of a "hold" through shaping. We're up to ten seconds in duration.

• Attended several training classes in which he has not reacted to a single dog. Our trainer told us that he was one of the calmest dogs in class that day... never thought I'd hear those words!

He is very proud of himself too!

Improving Play Drive with a Food Stuffable Toy

Despite a toy box full of toys, Mr. N only plays with them for a five or ten-minute spurt each day. His play drive is definitely not high enough for toys to be a reliable reward. He prefers food and the smugness of being right. I've been working with him to make toys more appealing. He has a special stuffed squirrel he only gets as a reward and a fur tug to appeal to his terrier instincts.

One of the latest additions to our training tool box is the Lotus Ball from Clean Run (they sell other food stuffable toys as well). It's a three part ball that is lined with velcro so you can stuff food inside it. Dogs can either rip it apart themselves which appeals to their hunting instincts or they can bring it to you to be opened which is the method that Mr. N prefers.

Mr. N has very little interest in balls but once he saw that the ball had food in it, he was much more willing to go chase after it and bring it back to be opened. He will retrieve but usually he finds it boring after a half-dozen throws. 

You can use the ball for distance training and treat the dog from a distance which is handy for things like agility training and teaching contacts. Right now, I'm mostly just using it to teach Mr. N that toys have value. Tasty value.

The Lotus Ball is an interactive toy which means it should only be played with under supervision. I don't think it would hold up to a lot of aggressive chewing.

All toys mentioned were purchased by myself.

Mr. N is busy trying to figure out how to earn more food. Is your dog into toys? Would your dog like playing with a food stuffable toy? 

Welcome to First Monday's Positive Pet Training Blog Hop hosted by Cascadian Nomads, Tenacious Little Terrier and Rubicon Days. Please share your responsible pet owner positive pet training tips by linking a blog post or leaving a comment below.  Our theme for this month is play and trying out new training games.. but any positive reinforcement training posts or comments are also always welcome. The Positive Pet Training Blog Hop goes all week long. Our next hop will begin Monday, June 6th and continues for a week. The theme for June is reporting back on trying out new training games.