Paws Off the Counter As the holidays arrive,

Paws Off the Counter As the holidays arrive, we begin to start preparing special holiday treats. Turkeys, cookies, candies? the list goes on. But what if you are not the only one in the house checking out the plates? Is your dog taking food from your counters, or even right off your plate? This issue is so common that it has a name: "Counter-Surfing". To resolve this issue, you have three choices: punishment, extinction, and alternatives. Punishment is not really a choice in this case. Punish too much and the dog will be scared to go anywhere near food. Punish too little or the wrong way and you will simply teach the dog not to "surf" with you around. Turn away for a second though and all bets are off. Punishment cannot be consistent if you are not around to see the behavior, so this just won't work. While you are frustrated, punishment may just be worth the reward that your dog receives by stealing your tasty food. Extinction is the process by which a behavior disappears due to the removal of its stimulus. In other words: no food, no surfing. Surfing is a behavior that is a conditioned response. Every time the dog steals food, they are rewarded. If you got a dollar every time you touched a doorknob in your home, you would probably touch that doorknob a lot. If that reward was removed, you would most likely eventually reduce the number of times you touched the knob to a more normal level or extinguish that behavior all together. Same with the dog's thievery. You must remove the food reward from the situation by eliminating all unattended food sources. There can be no plates left within reach, no food left on counters, and no crumbs left anywhere. Storage containers, high shelving, and immediate cleaning is required for this process to work. Even dirty dishes can be a source of food reward if left around where a dog can find them. If and when this is not possible, the dog must be removed from the environment where the food is located, in order to prevent accidental reinforcement of stealing behaviors. Alternative therapy is the replacement of a negative behavior with a more positive one. In this case, the PLACE command can be used to have your dog remain in a fixed location that is away from the food. Make sure to practice often, to reward good behavior with verbal praise and petting, and to have a leash on your dog for reinforcement during practice periods. Begin with short durations and then build up to the longer ones. Treat the dog on place so that the dog understands that if he or she remains in "place" the rewards come to them! If they leave, they get nothing at all. Doorbell Desensitization Ding, Dong! Are you and your dog ready for the trickiness of Trick or Treating this year? If your dog barks and runs at the door every time the doorbell rings, then this article on noise desensitization is for you. First, what is the barking all about? Doorbells signal change, and the introduction of an outsider to your environment. Barking can be a sign of excitement or anxiety related to these events. They may be guarding your home, or they may be welcoming your guests. In either case, you need to help your dog to relax. To do this you will need a clicker. If you do not have one, they are available at the register at most pet stores or through your trainer. If you have not used one of these during your training, a clicker is a small device with a button that you press to make a consistent noise. This noise will signify when your dog does something correctly. Prior to training, you must charge the clicker, or give it significance to your canine, by clicking the clicker and giving your dog a small, favorite, tasty treat several times in a row without training. Click! Treat. Click! Treat. You will notice that soon your dog will look your way as soon as you click because they understand that a treat is on its way. Second, you will need to create situations that simulate the doorbell environment that you want to change. You will need to have set-up doorbell ringing situations where you are prepared to train your dog. If guests and family members call ahead and are willing to ring the bell for you when they arrive, this is an easy way to naturally create this environment. Otherwise, you will need to employ volunteers to ring the doorbell for you. Have the person ring the bell, then click and treat the dog BEFORE it barks. Have the person repeat their ring several times at 30-60 second intervals. Each time, the dog gets rewarded for being attentive but not barking. Do not open the door every time. This will signal to the dog that just because the door is ringing, there is not necessarily someone waiting to come into their territory. Make sure to have your dog on a leash so that they cannot run to the door. Instead, guide them to come to you when the ring sounds for their click and reward. As your dog clues in to your training and becomes more relaxed at the bell, introduce verbal praise and wait longer and longer after the bell to click and reward the dog. Eventually, the doorbell will signal the need for calm energy to receive their reward, rather than a time to become excited and charge the door. Thirdly, now that you understand the basic premise, here is the doorbell workup routine to prepare yourself for the big day provided by watchandtrain.com: Have your dog on-leash. The time that your dog spends running towards the door barking can feed into his behavior and cause it to continue. Warm him up initially at the beginning of sessions, then do "cold trials". Warm up - one ring, one treat with your dog right near the door, maybe even having him see you press the bell. You can say "Ready?" to give him even more of a hint that you are about to start "the game". Harder - you are farther away from the front door. Even harder - farther still where you try for two or three rings between treats. Say "Good Boy" after each bell and only click and treat (C/T) after the second or third ring. Ready for an even larger challenge? Train your dog to go to another room when the doorbell rings by having your click and treat supplies in another room. When the bell rings, call them to you. Guide them with the leash to your location, if necessary. When they arrive, award them with a click and treat. This will defuse the door-rushing behavior that can sometimes add excitement to the doorbell situation. During these exercises, if your dog shows signs of anxiety (heavy panting, pacing, shaking, etc) or does not seem to be progressing, then you are moving too quickly. Remember, the idea is to reduce stress on your dog. You will need to do many repetitions of each step to fully desensitize your dog. If you would like a one-on-one demonstration of these exercises, please give us a call. We will be happy to help you. Canine Costume Pet costumes can be entertaining and fun for humans. Some dogs even like them! For other dogs, Halloween costumes are a nightmare. Here are some tips on selecting a costume, getting them to wear it, and alternatives in the event that your dog is truly uncomfortable. Selecting a Costume: Make sure you select the correct size for your dog. If the costume is too large, it will shift and become uncomfortable. Your dog will also be able to wiggle right out of it and walk away. If the size is too small, your dog's motion will be restricted. Be sure that the costume does not rub your dog the wrong way. Friction around the neckline or the front legs are common, regardless of correct sizing. Do not select a costume with small or dangling parts. These can become entanglement and choking hazards that can result in strangulation and injury if the dog attempts to escape or destroy their costume. Consider an alternative costume. These do not have restrictive strapping around the back or torso. Hats, elastic cuffs around the legs, or neckwear may be more acceptable to your pet than a full suit. Playing Dress Up: If your dog is not used to wearing clothing, you must use positive reinforcement. Dress the dog in the costume, then in a positive and/or excited tone offer praise, treats, and physical attention. If you can't even get the costume on the dog, show the dog the costume and do the same routine. Bring it closer and closer to the dog each time. As long as the dog stays relaxed, then you may drape the costume over the dog's back while offering this praise. Once they are ok with putting it over their back, accelerate to putting on portions of the costume, building up to the full costume experience. Practice with dog clothes. Take them for walks with them on. Let them play and relax around the house with it on. Distract the dog with fun activities. If your dog will move, offer him fun and games in their costume. Alternative Holiday Wear: Halloween Doggiedanas. If a collar is tolerable, a bandana may be an acceptable decoration even when a full outfit is not comfortable for your dog. Dog Collars. Many pet and department stores offer collars that themselves have Halloween décor on them. If they wear a collar, simply switch for the holiday version! Resource Halloween Safety Remember that if your dog is uncomfortable, they may be irritable. We suggest not bringing your dog along for a Trick and Treat excursion if they are in discomfort. Be vigilant with children petting your dog when they are in costume. With the excitement of the holiday, children can unintentionally be hurtful, and dogs can be nervous. This is not a good combination. With lots going on, pay lots of attention to your dog's body language, and give them a break whenever necessary. If you cannot be vigilant, make sure that your dog is left at home in a safe environment. Unfortunately, people can be cruel and crazy around this time of year. Please make sure to keep your dog on leash whenever outside the home, and inside whenever possible. Keep all candy out of the reach of your dog. Both the wrappers and their contents may become life threatening to your dog if ingested. If you do not have the time to desensitize your dog to the doorbell, you may need to consider crating your dog during the Trick or Treat hours for both their safety and the safety of those who come to your door.
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Diabetes events support Camp Kandu, alert dogs - Jackson Clarion-Ledger

Diabetes events support Camp Kandu, alert dogs - Jackson Clarion-Ledger
This fashion show is going to the dogs. Literally. And to the kids. And it's only because the organization purpose underlie the foundation's "culture of caring." "We literally save someone's life every day," she said. "It is all about responsibly

Support makes shelter one of top dogs - Daily Reflector
In just 12 days, the Pitt County Animal Shelter went from underdog to one of the top dogs. One of few animal control agencies in the running for ASPCA's Save More Lives $100K time to adopt pets. “The kids are out of school, and people are vacationing

SC Woman Stabs Pit Bulls To Save Pet, Toddler - msnbc.com
take the risk of shooting my dog and possibly with my kids being so close.’" Davis said she got a bread knife from the kitchen and stabbed the pit bulls, killing one and seriously injuring the other. "That was very traumatizing," Davis said. "I can't

Fremont Federal celebrates Union Youth Week with prizes, giveaways - News-Herald
FREMONT -- Union Youth Week, which continues through Saturday, celebrates financial literacy and speaks to the growing need to educate youths to save at an early age by making deposits to their Dollar Dog Kids Club or Cha-Ching Teen Club accounts.

Two former Ice Dogs players help Minn. Duluth win NCAA title - Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
“It isn’t about the Ice Dogs, it’s about those kids,” Proffitt said 2.30 goals against average and .914 saves percentage. Reiter is a senior academic-wise because he redshirted in his first season with Minnesota-Duluth.

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Julie Davis
Dog Training In Your Home

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Movies On TV, Tonight - Regina Leader-Post
6: 35 (102) >> "Hachi: A Dog's Tale" Richard Gere. A college professor forms a The Mesquiteers battle rival cattle owners. (1 hr.) 4: 05 (99)"Angel Rodriguez" Rachel Griffiths. A New York social worker tries to help a troubled teenager.

Rams Team Report - YAHOO!
The only thing I’ve got to worry about is taking care of myself and my dogs and paying a mortgage on a house that Quote To Note: “When ownership changes happen, even when the ownership changed from Georgia to her children, people want to make

Lindale dog paralyzed after being shot - KLTV
It was just a normal day for Spot .she went out to greet her young owners, as they got off the was claiming Spot was a vicious dog that was going to attack his kids, so he shot it. But Tignor defends his one year old terrier mix puppy, saying she

Avoiding dog attacks - Jamaica Observer
Irresponsible owners are a large part of the stray-dog problem in Do not abuse Amazingly there is a type of training applied in Jamaica which involves beating a dog until it defends itself. This is supposed to make the dog aggressive.

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Dog Training In Your Home

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Hail Storm in Dallas

This Video was taken on April 14th 2011. Coppell a Sub-urban near Dallas was hit by a powerful hailstorm. Hails about the size of a golf ball pounded heavily for nearly 30 minutes.You can hear our dog going crazy with all the thunderstorm and noise.

Bangkok's Bloody Carnage Remembered at Democracy Monument

30,000 Red Shirts regrouped on Sunday 10^th April at Democracy Monument to mark a full year since the Bangkok bloodbath in which 26 people were killed when the army tried to retake the Red Shirts’ Ratchadamnoen Avenue rally site and encampment.

The government still maintains that the brutal deaths on that confusing night were not caused by the army whose orders were to fire live bullets only as a warning or in self defence. Talk of a mysterious black-clad combat group killing and maiming while weaving through the crowd has led to no definite conclusions one year on, and the Red Shirts still demand an end to what they see as a cover up, so that fair law enforcement can take place.

This video is a montage of Sunday’s Red Shirt activities leading up to a merit-making ceremony in the late afternoon to honour the dead. The music is whatever was playing in the background at the time, most of it celebrating the ‘Seua Daeng’ (Red Shirts).

The usual, upbeat humour abounds, along with the impromptu quirkiness of kids and dogs, plus the frozen dramatic cameos involving severed limbs, serpents, giant catapaults and chains.

Footage of the shootings on 10^th April 2010 at Khok Wua intersection are played on a tv monitor as Red Shirt protesters crowd forward to peer at the screen, and others stare up at a gallery of gruesome images of the bloody corpses left on the street after that evening’s chaos.

Two starkly dramatised scenes depict the controversial killing of Japanese Reuters cameraman, Hiroyuki Muramoto. Bystanders stamp on the photo of a Thai army sergeant they believe was guilty of the crime.

A young boy is hoisted onto the roof of a car and handed a placard as his image is captured by a gaggle of photographers and pasted around the world.

About twenty Buddhist monks take their place at the foot of Democracy Monument for the ceremony to commemorate the slain Red Shirts whose family members file sadly through the crowd bearing treasured portraits.

With the prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, set to dissolve parliament in the first week of May clearing the way for a long-awaited election, leaders of the Red Shirts’ United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship are hopeful that the Puea Thai Party will gain power, bringing ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra back from exile.

Three days after this gathering, the Red Shirts’ Ratchaprasong rally site was the scene of a world record breaking water fight involving 3,477 revellers celebrating Songkran and the Thai New Year. It promises to be an eventful year.

When Your Dog Loves You Too Much...

Separation Anxiety is often misdiagnosed in the canine world. Sometimes it is really just boredom or the dog becoming adventurous when given the opportunity. If your dog seems to follow you and stick to you like glue, and/or if destruction is happening within the first 20 minutes you are away, then you are probably dealing with some form of separation anxiety. Here are some things that you can do to help: - Keep your comings and goings neutral! Don't make a big fuss at either time. - Practice leaving with your normal cues (pick up your keys, grab your purse, put on your work shoes, etc.), then don't leave. This will help desensitize your dog to your departures. - Give your dog a hobby while you are gone. Stuff a Kong, leave treats around the house, utilize a feeding tube, or anything that will get your dog up, moving and eating. A dog that is eating is not a stressed dog. - Leave your dog with an article of clothing that smells like you, such as an old t-shirt that you recently slept in. - A good dog is a tired dog! Try to exercise your dog more both mentally and physically.

Dog Daycare Charlotte,NC

Dog Daycare Charlotte,NC
When Your Dog Loves You Too Much...

Separation Anxiety is often misdiagnosed in the canine world. Sometimes it is really just boredom or the dog becoming adventurous when given the opportunity. If your dog seems to follow you and stick to you like glue, and/or if destruction is happening within the first 20 minutes you are away, then you are probably dealing with some form of separation anxiety. Here are some things that you can do to help: - Keep your comings and goings neutral! Don't make a big fuss at either time. - Practice leaving with your normal cues (pick up your keys, grab your purse, put on your work shoes, etc.), then don't leave. This will help desensitize your dog to your departures. - Give your dog a hobby while you are gone. Stuff a Kong, leave treats around the house, utilize a feeding tube, or anything that will get your dog up, moving and eating. A dog that is eating is not a stressed dog. - Leave your dog with an article of clothing that smells like you, such as an old t-shirt that you recently slept in. - A good dog is a tired dog! Try to exercise your dog more both mentally and physically.