Category Archives: soapbox

Professional Teamwork – Trainers & Vets Together! And more pet professionals

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There are a lot of professionals who might come into your dog’s life — your veterinarian, certainly, and possibly a trainer, and perhaps a groomer, a pet-sitter, a dog-walker, and others.

That’s a lot of professional advice which could come your way. And some of it might — in fact, probably will — conflict. How is a pet owner to sort and filter the many pieces of information and misinformation coming her way?

And, most importantly for us professionals, how do we work together to give our clients the best information and therefore the best combined care?

(I don’t mean this to be controversial or insulting to any profession or professional — it’s really, honestly about playing to everyone’s individual strengths!)

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Storm Watch & Storm Success, Part 2 – Carry-on Allowances & Emotional Baggage

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This entry is part 2 of 6 in the series Storm Watch

Before we start with the nuts and bolts of helping pets with storm fear or phobia, we really have to discuss the emotional aspects of  fears and phobias. No matter how much has been written or described on this, I still encounter an amazing amount of misinformation which slows or counters owners’ best training efforts. Continue reading →

What A Blind Dog Sees, Part 1

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This entry is part 1 of 2 in the series What A Blind Dog Sees

Inky, my husband’s dog, is blind.  She wasn’t born this way; in fact, this is a fairly recent development for her, thanks to a very rare and unusual autoimmune disorder.  We noticed her holding her head oddly one night, but thought it was just the light.  By the time we realized she was having trouble seeing, it was progressing very fast.  We estimate she lost most of her vision within two weeks.

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Bitework doesn’t reduce bite inhibition — how annoying!

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Have you ever tried to train against a taboo?

There are some who oppose all forms of trained protection sport and protection work, citing variously that the training is inherently abusive (it’s not), or that the dogs dislike it (obviously untrue!).  Occasionally a protester will suggest that biting a person in a sleeve or suit must of course reduce a dog’s bite inhibition, making it more likely that the dog will mouth or bite a person not in protective gear.

I’ve argued logically against this before, but now I have empirical proof — I can’t even pay my dogs to bite!

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Preparing Your Dog for Veterinary Visits

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I learned a few days ago that Spica, my lovable-but-not-too-bright younger Doberman, has damaged her ACL. This isn’t really a surprise; Spica is a career runner who chases squirrels up and down the fenceline and spins in circles barking at them for about six hours each day, so her legs are under constant strain. In addition to the dog’s confinement and treatment (and her owner’s possible loss of sanity, living with a dog who isn’t allowed to run for six weeks!), this injury means that we’re likely to be seeing more of our veterinarian than usual.

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Dog Bite Fatalities 2009

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This is so important, it needs its own post.

http://btoellner.typepad.com/kcdogblog/2010/01/2009-dog-bite-fatalities-final-report.html

This is a review of the fatal dog attacks of 2009 and their data — the breeds involved (16 breeds in 32 incidents), the common circumstances, and what we can learn from them for preventing other tragedies.

Read it, and see that your legislator reads it, too.