Effectively breaking up a dog fight.

This is Clara. She was stabbed multiple times with a pocket knife
 in an attempt to break up a dogfight. She ultimately died as a result of the injuries
The unbelievable thing is that this happened
during an adoption event at a PetSmart store in Newnan, GA

Recently,  a tragic event occurred at the Petsmart store in Newnan, GA. There has been controversy regarding the particulars of this incident and my intent with this post is not to take sides. I do not have enough information to make any judgments regarding fault in this incident.

However, I can say that the knife play was not necessary. I have worked with dogs for many years. I have broken up  fights during that time. However, I have never cut a dog with a knife (or any other instrument for that matter). In fact, the thought would have never crossed my mind!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have also never fired a gun at a dog in an attempt to break up a fight. A security guard used by Petco actually shot a dog multiple times inside a Petco store to break up a dog fight. This incident occurred a little over a year ago in Austin, Texas.

There is a correct way and many incorrect ways to break up a dog fight. I urge you as a pet parent, to please, please, please learn the correct way to avoid a dog fight and the correct method to break up a fight if a fight does occur.

The best tactic is prevention and common sense. In public, always keep your dog on leash! If your dog is aggressive, I recommend against taking him to unfamiliar surroundings such as a pet store on a weekend (when adoption events are taking place).

If your dog is not good on leash, I recommend strongly against taking him to a public place until he is trained well on the leash.

Even if your dog is not aggressive, please observe the three foot rule. Maintain a minimum of three feet of separation between your dog and other dogs. I maintain more than three feet between my dog and a dog with which I am unfamiliar. When you follow this rule, the dogs do not get close enough to fight.

Please, please, please learn the proper techniques to break up a dog fight. For more information see my previous post on the subject here: http://fayettedogtrainer.blogspot.com/2013/07/what-should-i-do-if-dog-fight-starts.html .

If you need help teaching your dog to behave properly on leash please contact me. Also, please contact me if you have questions about the proper technique to use when breaking up a dog fight.

Till next time -


William Moore
William Moore Canine Training
678-702-4791
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

A Virtually Dog Proof Kitchen Trash Can!

 Any of you that live with Beagles or other scent hounds realize the importance of dog-proofing the kitchen.  The Lovely and Beautiful Shane and I are currently doing a small remodeling project in our kitchen. As you may recall, from a previous blog post, we used to keep our trash can behind a latched door in the kitchen pantry. This was problematic because a simple latch is no match for a curious and motivated beagle. Beagles and scent hounds find the aroma of kitchen trash to be a highly motivating thing indeed!

The other problem with keeping the trash behind the latched door was that it was inconvenient. Anytime we wanted to throw something away, we had to deal with the latch and door.

We decided that we would rather have more open shelf and counter space than the enclosed pantry so, I removed a couple of walls and we are working on building a new counter and shelves. We are also installing some cool wall panels that look like stone work.  We are exited about this project but, we needed a trash containment solution that would deter motivated beagles and allow us convenient and easy access to the trash can.

Through much research, The Lovely, Beautiful, and Intelligent Shane found a really cool trash can manufactured by Simply Human. This trash can is a model that simply human refers to as "butterfly". It has a cantilever type of lid that is operated by a foot pedal. Because of the cantilever design, the lid closes very securely. The model that we purchased is slightly bottom heavy so, it stays upright pretty easily. We have had ours in the kitchen for about a month now and the dogs pretty much ignore it.

For a trash can, these units are a little pricey. However, we feel that this unit is well worth the price that we paid for it!

We bought ours at a clearance price from a local Bed, Bath and Beyond store. I suppose this would fall into the "beyond" department :) . I am not sure why Bed, Bath and Beyond stopped carrying this item. We really do like ours!

If you need help dog proofing your home, or if you need help training your canine buddy to be a polite little guy or girl, please contact me at any time.

Polite Dogs = Happy People.... Let me help you get happy today!!!

Till Next Time

-William

Regarding confidentiality of customer information

I thought it prudent to write about an issue that has been in my thoughts a lot lately.

As many of you are aware, I also own a Lawn Maintenance and Handyman business. Copper and I quite frequently purchase materials for business related projects at the Lowe's store in Fayetteville, GA. 

Lowe's has recently partnered with Porch.com. Porch.com is a marketing service. The electronic service that they provide is intended to match homeowners that are looking for home improvement contractors with contractors in the area that can do the work. It is similar to Yelp.com. 

I found some of their marketing material at the Lowe's contractor desk and decided to create a profile on Porch.com for the Handyman business.

I like some things about Porch.com. The contractor can put up pictures of projects and provide a lot of information on the type of services that they provide.

However, there is one thing for which my gut feel, so to speak, was not good at all:

Porch provides a mechanism for new homeowners to discover who has worked at the address of their home. Part of this information is obtained by Porch through public record searches (i.e. building permits, etc.) I do not really have a problem with this because this is public information and can be obtained by anyone. However, Porch, very strongly encourages contractors to give them lots of information about jobs they have done, Much of the information they request is customer information that I consider confidential. They want to know how much I charged a customer for a particular job (like the projects that I post). They want to know the exact street address of the job (supposedly for the address search feature I mentioned). They do not want the customer name ( if they have the other information, I maintain that the name is easy to obtain).

In his gospel, Luke records the words of Jesus, " Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." Sometimes we call this the golden rule. Treat others the way you would want to be treated. Well, friends, I have to tell you, if I do business with you, I really do not want you telling strangers where I live and how much I paid you for the job. As the old folks that I grew up around used to say, "It just ain't none of their business".

It might be kind of cool to find out who, in the past, did work at a house I just bought. It might be cool to find out how much the previous owners paid for a repair. However, if they wanted me to know they would have told me. I could have asked before I bought the house. And, just because a particular contractor worked at an address in the past, does not really mean that this contractor will be a good choice for a future job. It does not even mean that the contractor did the work properly the first time.

A Porch representative contacted me by phone and very strongly suggested that I disclose this sort of information about my customers. I never intended to disclose any of this information. I have a very strong information security background from my previous career as a computer network security consultant, I was curious, so I asked for documentation detailing the internal controls, if any, that Porch implements to secure the potential vulnerability of this sensitive data. This should be in their internal data security policies and procedures. I was promised this information. What I got was names of contractors who have disclosed customer information to Porch. Porch wants me to contact these contractors for testimonials regarding how great it is to disclose sensitive customer information to a marketing company like Porch. Well.... No Thanks.

So, I strongly suggest that you, as a consumer, insist that personally identifiable information about your deal with your contractor remain confidential. I often use pictures and/or descriptions of the work that I do for customers as a marketing tool. Sometimes, I will give a broad description of the geographical area of the work, i.e. North Fayette County, GA.  However, I never disclose the customers name, address, nor any details of the deal (i.e. cost, time to complete, etc.) I am proud of my work but, your confidentiality is important to me as well!

I realize that this does not really apply directly to Dog Training. However, it does give you some idea of my position regarding business ethics and I thought it important to include here.

-Till Next Time

William

Advice regarding stores that suddenly deny access to your dog.

Copper Whopper helping me in the shop.

As many of my readers know, I also own and operate a Lawn Maintenance/Handyman business.By the way, we provide the best and most reliable service available anywhere.

I often take one or two of the pack to work with me when weather conditions are mild.

Recently Copper and I went to work together. We were purchasing material an tools for a custom shelving job. Copper has done this with me many times before. We were in Harbor Freight Tools in Fayetteville, GA. This is one of our frequent stops. Copper was on leash (as he always is when we are out) and we were approached by an associate of the store who asked that I put Copper in a shopping cart or remove him. Well, as you can imagine, a shopping cart, for many reasons, is not an option for Copper. So, I did not cause a scene. We simply went to the check-out, paid for our stuff, and departed for our next stop.

I never suggest that you start an argument with anyone who ask you to remove your pet dog. Please comply with a business owner's ( or in this case their representative's) request. It is, after all, their property and this is a free country. They have the absolute right to deny service or access to anyone at anytime and I would not have it any other way.

I was however, confused. Copper had been welcome in that establishment for a long time. So, I contacted Harbor Freight Tools through their website. I sent them an email in which I respectfully requested clarification on their policies and explained my concerns regarding the safety of pet dogs in shopping carts.

I learned that this was simply an encounter with an employee who did not understand the policy.

This is an except from the email I got from Harbor Freight:

Good Afternoon Mr. Moore,

I am sorry to hear that you had a bad experience in our store.
I know who you are because I see you in the store with your dog.
It is not a policy nor is there a law that should keep you from bringing your dog into our store.
You and your dog is more than welcome in our store at any time. The only time that we may<sic> band a dog if customer’s felt threaten by a dog and I would confer with my boss and the office before making that decision.
If you will let me know who told you not to bring your dog back into the store, I will correct the situation.
The small business owner is the meat and potatoes of our business. We too are a small one owner company.
I am looking forward to hearing from you and seeing you and Copper in the store soon.
Thanks,
Bill

Bill Tesney
Store Manager
HFT352
1415 HWY 85 North
Fayetteville, GA 30214
Store Phone: 770-461-5521
HARBOR FREIGHT TOOLS
Quality Tools at Ridiculously Low Prices


I responded with a description of the employee whom I encountered along with further clarification of my concerns:

Hello Mr. Tensey-

Thank you for your response.

I was never told to not bring Copper back into the store. I was told to put him into a shopping cart.

My experience and observations of canine behavior, in my work as a professional dog trainer, has influenced my belief that a shopping cart can be a very dangerous place for a dog. The issue is two-fold. If a dog is stressed, for any reason, being confined is not a good thing. This makes the effects of the anxiety much stronger for the dog. It has been my experience that a confined dog is exponentially more likely to bite. The other issue with confinement to something like a shopping cart is that shopping carts were not really designed with our canine buddies in mind. The large openings between the mesh on the bottom can lead to injury. It is also difficult to get a dog larger than medium size in and out of a shopping cart.

The above is my concern. I simply want to know if dogs are allowed to walk on the floor, on a leash  in your store. The representative who asked me to put Copper in a shopping cart was a white lady I believe she had brunette or dark color hair. Probably about 5'6" - 5'9" in height (if I remember correctly). I was a little rushed on the day of the incident so, I did not really discuss it with her. I simply told her that we were on our way out and went to the register.

I work with many customers who are interested in pet friendly places to bring their dogs. I maintain an Internet Blog at http://fayettedogtrainer.blogspot.com. I would like to accurately indicate your policy to my customers. Are dogs required to be in shopping carts?

By the way, I completely understand and agree that you absolutely have the right to ban any dog that you consider to be a threat to safety. In fact, other that the case of service dogs, you, as a business, can ban dogs altogether. That is your company's decision and I respect that right. I am not upset, I simply want to understand Harbor Freight Tools' position and policy on pet dogs in your stores.

Thank you again, and Copper and I look forward to seeing you soon. We are in there quite frequently to pick up tools that we need for the Handyman business.

Have a good day!


-William Moore

This is the response I got back:

Good Morning Mr Moore,
Thank you for your response.
On a leash in the store is fine.
We have numerous dogs that come in our store all the time.
The managers that I spoke all know who you are and have no problem.
Let me know if you need anything else.
I will speak to <name censored> about the incident from the other day.
Thanks,
Bill

Bill Tesney
Store Manager
HFT352
1415 HWY 85 North
Fayetteville, GA 30214
Store Phone: 770-461-5521
Cell Phone: 770-359-8112
HARBOR FREIGHT TOOLS
Quality Tools at Ridiculously Low Prices

This, my friends, is the way that professionals handle this sort of situation. I asked for clarification and Bill Tensey provided the clarification I requested. I was never mad, simply concerned and a bit confused.

Now I can report that Harbor Freight Tools is a pet friendly business. Please be respectful of Harbor Freight Tools, or any other business, and do not bring your dog in unless they are properly housebroken and behave well on leash.

If you need assistance in training your dog to be a polite little guy or girl in public, or anywhere else, please contact me.

Till Next Time

-William-

In memory of Sir Charles the Duke of Fayette County, our beloved foster beagle.

The Lovely and Awesome Shane with Charlie shortly after he came into our home as a foster.

It is with great sadness and indeed many tears that The Lovely Shane and I report to you the death of our foster beagle, Charlie.

Charlie left this life at around 11:30am on May 12, 2014.

The Lovely Shane and I went to a gathering on the evening of May 10, 2014. When we returned after being away for about three hours, we noticed that Charlie was limping on one of his hind legs. We suspected that he had injured himself in an altercation with one of the other pack members. Sadly, our suspensions were invalid.

Charlie on one of his favorite beds

The next morning he was not limping as badly and we thought that he was recovering. We were, once again, mistaken.

By the evening of May 11, 2014 he could hardly move at all. He was in severe pain. At around 10:30 PM, I contacted the Southern Crescent Emergency Clinic in Fayetteville. I explained my concern for Charlie and the staff at the clinic suggested rushing him there right away. I was planning on doing just that and had contacted the clinic to let them know my intentions so that they could be prepared for his arrival.

The veterinarian on call, a lady whose name I can not recall, examined Charlie and told me that he very likely had a ruptured disc. She did not have any good news for me. Initially, surgery and/or steroid treatment seemed to be an option but neither would likely provide immediate relief to Charlie.

Michelle Crampo of BullyWag, Inc. ( The rescue who saved Charlie earlier in his life) was out of town. Since Charlie technically was only our foster, we contacted Michelle in the middle of the night while she was on vacation to inform her of the situation.  Upon discussion with Michelle and the veterinarian, we decided to give Charlie an injection to ease his pain. It worked. Almost immediately, he fell asleep and slept well for a few hours. However, around 2:00 am, he was in severe pain again. The plan was to take Charlie to his regular veterinarian on the morning of May 12 to get a more detailed assessment of his condition and our options for most effective treatment.

After staying up most of the night with Charlie, I contacted Jonnie Craig of BullyWag, Inc. She aided me in making arrangements for an veterinary examination of Charlie on the morning of May 12.

Charlie being visited by his buddy, Sammy. This was taken while
Charlie was recovering from a bout with pneumonia.

Dr. Chris Schwenk and the entire team at The Animal Medical Clinic in Peachtree City, Georgia are wonderful, caring, and compassionate people. I have been around dogs most of my life. I have to report that this is absolutely one of the most professional and caring groups of animal health professionals that I have ever encountered!

After the initial examination, an x-ray was done to aid in diagnosis. By the time we got to the clinic, sadly, Charlie had lost all feeling in his back legs. He was paralyzed and in tremendous pain.

The x-ray image confirmed our fears. Charlie had at least two ruptured discs. I am not a veterinarian, so, I will attempt to convey this as it was explained to me. The material that was ejected from the ruptured disc was pressing against the spinal cord. This was restricting the cord. This is why he was paralyzed. It is also why he was in so much pain. The nerves were being pinched.

It was explained to me that in cases of paralysis caused by a ruptured disc there is only about a 10% chance of ever recovering from the paralysis after surgery. There is also likely no relief from the pain.

A painful and distressing decision had to be made. Charlie's only sure relief from the almost unbearable pain was humane euthanasia. However, since Charlie was a foster, it was not my decision alone to make. I contacted Jonnie Craig. Along with the veterinarian, we decided that we really had no option here. Charlie had to relieved of the tremendous pain. It was extremely unlikely that he would ever walk again. Fighting back the tears Jonnie and I knew what had to be done.

There were tears in the eyes of the veterinary technicians and everyone who worked with Charlie that morning, including your dog trainer buddy here.

I was with Charlie throughout the process. I petted him and told him he was a good dog. Even after I knew he could no longer hear my voice.

Charlie was a joy to have in our pack here at the Dog Training/Foster Shack. We will miss him. However, we know he is in a much better place and no longer feels any pain. I firmly believe that he is likely chasing rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels and having a great time in heaven right now.

For those of you who do not believe this in a theological sense. I used to agree with you. I no longer agree. Dogs will be in heaven and I am convinced I will see Charlie again one day. Even Billy Graham seems to believe this as well. I leave you with these quotes:

“God will prepare everything for our perfect happiness in heaven, and if it takes my dog being there, I believe he'll be there.” –Billy Graham

“The dog is the most faithful of animals and would be much esteemed were it not so common. Our Lord God has made His greatest gifts the commonest.”
― Martin Luther

“There is no faith which has never yet been broken, except that of a truly faithful dog”
― Konrad Lorenz

I Have Done Something

I looked at all the caged animals in the shelter...the cast-offs of human society.

I saw in their eyes love and hope, fear and dread, sadness, and betrayal. And I was angry.

"God," I said, "this is terrible! Why don't you do something?"

God was silent for a moment, and then He spoke softly, "I have done something," he replied. "I created you."

-- Author Unknown

Goodbye my friend , Charlie!

-William

What to expect when you bring your adopted dog home.

Adopted boy, Cody the little beagle, resting with adopted Daddy.

While working on my upcoming book, it occurred to me that this would be a good time to write a post to this blog about what to expect when you bring a newly adopted dog home.

The former foster parents at the rescue can provide a wealth of information regarding observed behavior of the adopted dog. The former foster parents can also provide information about the temperament, level of training, housebreaking progress and all sorts of other things.

Adopted Boy Copper takes a break.

However, please remember that moving to your home, regardless of how good a fit the dog is, will be stressful for the dog. This does not mean that the dog is not a good fit for your pack. As I have mentioned many times before,dogs are very much routine oriented animals. They are happiest when on a routine. Moving to a new home severely breaks their routine, even in ideal circumstances. 

The following is a short list of things that can occur due to the break in routine. Most of them will be temporary:

• Regression in housebreaking
• Separation Anxiety
• Timid or Shy Behavior
• Upset Stomach/ Loose Stool

Regardless of how well the dog is housebroken, it is likely that, at least initially, he/she will have an accident. Do not get upset with the little guy. Simply take him/her outside then clean up the mess.

Adopted boy Trigger relaxes with some of the pack beagles.

In some cases, you may have to start over with the housebreaking. See my earlier blog post on housebreaking for a primer.

Remember, it does not mean that the rescue or the former foster parents lied to you. The regression in housebreaking is likely simply a result of the stress of moving to your home. Please be patient. 

Initially the new guy may be anxious when you leave the house. Separation Anxiety is not uncommon in adopted dogs. Be patient with the new dog. Try leaving for short amounts of time first then lengthen the amount of time you are away. The idea is that the dog will learn that you will not be gone forever when you leave the house. In many cases, the Separation Anxiety is temporary. Sometimes it is not. If it lasts more that a couple of weeks, it needs to be addressed through training. I am writing a section in my new book that is dedicated to separation anxiety and techniques to deal with it. If you need help before the book is released, please contact me at any time and I will be glad to work with you to address your dog's separation anxiety.

Adopted Girl Cuddles gives Daddy a rare kiss.

The dog will likely be shy and a little timid for the first several days. This is just a little anxiety about his new environment. It will get better! This is the reason that I always suggest that you not bring new people around for the first two or three weeks after adoption. The idea is to make the transition to your home as stress free as possible for the adopted dog. 

Due to the stress, it is also not uncommon for the new dog to experience a little stomach distress initially. This usually does not last for more than a a day or two. To make this less stressful for your adopted dog, find out what type of food he was being fed at the foster home and feed this food if possible.

Our former foster girl Penny the tiny beagle on
the day she was adopted.

Adopting a dog is a wonderful thing. It saves a dog's life! However, you have a responsibility to make the transition as easy as possible for your new adopted dog. It is not rocket science. But, remember, it may not be trouble free either. The dog is more than worth the initial inconvenience that you may experience!

In closing, please remember that you have not bought a pair of shoes here. Even if the rescue has a trial period, it is your responsibility to do everything that you can do to make the adoption work. Any dog is going to require some effort on your part. This is true with adopted dogs or with dogs from breeders. There will be an adjustment period. It is well worth the effort!

Till next time

-William 

William Moore Canine Training

678-702-4791

fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

Becoming a Canine Foster Parent

Foster Girl Penny

Foster Girl Lovey

Foster Flunkie Trigger

Foster Boy Tiny (renamed Copper Top by his adopted mommy)

I thought it prudent to write about being a Canine Foster Parent.

The pictures on this post represent many of the dogs that The Lovely Shane and I have recently fostered in our home. You will notice that some of the captions indicate a dog to be a  foster flunkie. This is not a bad thing. These are dogs that fit so well in our pack that we decided to adopt them ourselves making them a permanent member of our pack. In other words, these dogs now have a forever home at the Dog Training/Foster Shack!

Foster Girl Gracy

A few of these fosters are still in our pack as foster dogs. Most of them, however, have either found other fosters whose packs were better for them or they have found forever homes.

So, I will start by defining what exactly I mean when I refer to as a Canine Foster Parent. In general terms, the Canine Foster Parent provides a temporary home for a dog that has been rescued  from a high kill shelter, a owner who could no longer care for him/her, being a stray, or some similar unfortunate situation.

Foster Boy Charles the Duke of Fayette County (or just Charlie)

As a foster, we treat the foster dogs very much as we do our own adopted dogs. They become temporary members of the pack and temporary members of our family here at the Dog Trainer/Foster Shack.

Foster Boy Dr. Phil McBeagle

With the support of the rescue organization with which we are affiliated (BullyWag, Inc.) and their donors, we take care of all the foster dog's needs. We arrange for them to go to the veterinarian when needed. We work on housebreaking if needed. We do some basic obedience training with them so that they are well on the way to becoming a polite little guy or girl. We feed them. In short, we provide them with love, routine, and care. The routine is important. It is important that they are exposed to a typical home environment so that they have a better chance at finding a perfect forever home. Having them in our home allows us to observe the foster dog in a typical home environment. We begin, very quickly, to learn about their "personalities", for lack of a better word. It helps us to provide better information, to a potential adoptive parent about how well they may fit in a particular adoptive home. This ultimately greatly improves the chances that they will find a loving forever home!

Not all dogs are a good fit as a foster with your pack. Our pack is comprised entirely of adult and senior dogs. Most of our pack are beagles or other scent hound or scent hound mixes. So, a young playful puppy is generally not a great fit in our pack.

Foster Flunkie Leopold Butters Stotch or just Butters

Sometimes, however, it is difficult to  discern how a particular individual will fit with your pack until the individual has spent a little time in the foster's home.

There is no stigma on your efforts as a foster or any hard feelings on the part of the rescue group if a foster does not work in your home for any reason. The safety and well being of all the dogs in your pack, as a foster parent, has to be your greatest concern. If a new foster is inducing stress in the rest of the pack or being too aggressive, most of the time, your best option is to find a more suitable foster for the individual that is inducing the stress or displaying the aggression.

Foster Boy Biscut

Being a Canine Foster Parent is not for everyone. It is a commitment. You will also become emotionally attached to the foster dog. This always happens to us. We reason it out in the following manner: Any foster that leaves our house for a forever home is a life saved. This is very literally true. When a foster gets a forever home, provided the forever home is not our home, this frees up our resources so that we can help save the life of another foster dog. This is a beautiful thing!

Many people ask me how long we typically have a foster in our home. The correct answer is that it varies very widely. Some dogs are adopted very quickly. One little guy, named Whiskey, was only in our pack for about a week. Some dogs take much longer. Copper, my demo dog, was with his foster parents for over a year before I adopted him.  Some dogs leave our pack before they are adopted. Foster boy Biscuit, was with us for a few months. He was an older puppy at the time. In the beginning he did very well. However, he eventually hit the puppy adolescence stage and was no longer a good fit for our pack. He became much too willful and active for our other dogs. He then found another foster home where he could play with puppies for much of the day. This was much better for our pack and for Biscuit.

Foster Boy Whiskey

Fostering dogs is a very rewarding and fun experience. However, it is a commitment in a similar sense to your commitment to your own adopted dogs. If you are considering becoming a foster parent, you will have to commit to caring for the fosters. This commitment involves the same things as does an adoption. You need to provide exercise for them. You will need to arrange for their care when you are away from home (this is done with the help of the rescue group with which you are affiliated). It is not a requirement but, I strongly recommend that you work with the fosters on obedience training just as you would your own dog. You don't have to work with a professional trainer but you should do things like get the dog to respond to his/her name, come when called, and walk properly on a leash. This will make the dog more adoptable.

It is not a requirement that you have other dogs at home. However, this sometimes helps the foster dog to learn routines and how to behave in a typical home. Dogs really do learn faster when other well behaved dogs are in their pack. However, many foster parents only have foster dogs at their homes. These are really special people!

You will also learn a great deal about dogs by fostering. You are exposed to dogs from differing backgrounds. Unfortunately, many times, you see the direct results of how abuse and neglect can effect a dog. These cases are heartbreaking but when I see a dog progress after one of these terrible situations it really makes me feel blessed to have been involved in helping that dog find a happier life! Some of the abuse toward dogs of which people are capable may sicken you for a while. Things like a dog that is starving or a dog that has been beaten really bother me. However, it is a great blessing to be in a position to help these wonderful creatures that God gave us as a gift. I truly view each of them as a special gift from God. I think you will too as a foster parent!

If you are interested in becoming a foster parent, please contact me for the names of some of God's special servants in the Dog Rescue world who will be happy to have you as a foster family!

There is a great need for foster families! Rescue groups always have more dogs than fosters. So, you are needed!

By the way, I am currently writing a book about adopted dogs. I intend it to also be very helpful to foster parents. The working title is Parent's Manual for Adopted Dogs (all rights reserved). I intend to have it published in electronic format in early 2015. I recently wrote a blog post about it if you are interested.
Till next time-

William
William Moore Canine Training
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com
678-702-4791

Updated information regarding giving pills to dogs.

Earlier, I wrote a blog post in which I mentioned the method that we use here, at the Dog Training/Foster Shack, to give dogs medication in pill form.

One of the things that I suggested in that earlier post was to hide the pill in cheese or a hot dog as an alternative to the pill pockets and similar products that are available, for a high price, at the pet stores.  I mentioned that we used block cheese and that our pack prefers extra strong cheddar. The pack still loves extra strong cheddar, as do I. However, the other day, we ran out of the block cheese and only had the pre-sliced imitation american cheese pictured above. I gave Copper his pill wrapped in this stuff and he loved it.  This stiff is a little cheaper than the block cheese and, I found that it is easier to conceal the pill in it. You can just wrap this stuff around the pill and sort of squeeze it together like play dough.

So, you may want to consider this the next time you have to give your dog a pill.

Till next time

-William-

William Moore Canine Training
678-702-4791
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

Does a dog's face ever remind you of a particular person's face?

This is foster boy Biscuit. His face reminds
me of one of my father's uncles face.

This is Trigger. His face reminds me of
a cousin.

This is foster boy Charlie. His face reminds
me of an aunt.

This is Butters. His face reminds me of
an uncle.

Have you ever seen a dog and noticed a facial resemblance to a particular person? This happens to me quite frequently. The Lovely Shane thinks I am joking. It is however, true!

The collage of pictures above represent some recent examples of this phenomena. 

I saw something on Netflix recently that perhaps begins to explain this phenomena (or psychosis, if you prefer). Sometimes I watch a documentary on Netflix before I fall asleep. On this particular evening I found one produced by the Smithsonian Channel. The documentary is part of their series titled "Catching Killers". The documentary was about using skeletal remains of murder victims in an effort to catch the murderer.  It was quite interesting. There are actually folks called forensic artists who can recreate facial features very accurately from the skull of a victim. This is used in an attempt to identify remains. They do this with modeling clay applied to the skull. It is really pretty cool. Well, the forensic artist indicated that the reason this technique works so well is that people remember faces based upon patterns. Patterns that we use are made up of elements like eye spacing, size of mouth, nose size, ears, etc. This is how we recognize individuals. 

If I apply this to my odd habit of identifying a particular dog's face to that of a human that I have seen, perhaps it begins to make sense. Maybe what my irregular mind is doing is using the patterns in the faces of people I have seen previously and seeing similarities in a particular dog. This makes me feel more sane :).

So, if you ever see a dog and think, "Hey he looks like Uncle Billy Bob", or something similar, perhaps that does not indicate that you are crazy :) . I just thought you should know.

Regardless of who your dog looks like, I can help you train him to be a polite little man. So, please contact me!

Till Next Time -

William

William Moore Canine Training

678-702-4791

fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

Do you recognize this dog?

The Awesome and Lovely Shane found this little guy on our front porch.

Before I begin writing about the little guy in the photo above, I am very happy to announce that the Awesome and Lovely Shane has completed her Master degree program!!!

I was working on sanding the floor in the living room today when the Lovely Shane arrived home from a long day at the office. Accompanying here was the cute little guy that you see in the picture. He was patiently waiting for her on our front porch. We have never seen this guy before today. We checked with the neighbors and he does not belong to any of them.

We took this new arrival that we are calling Leopold  Butters Stotch or just Butters, (yes, we enjoy South Park) to visit our friends at Flat Creek Animal Hospital. They scanned him for a microchip. It turns out he is not microchipped. He was not wearing a collar. He seems to have been cared for well by someone. He is relatively clean and his coat is soft.

The veterinarian estimates his age at about five years. He is a cute little chihuahua mix (or at least that is our best guess). He seems to be quite friendly.

We are keeping him separated from the rest of the pack because we are not sure if he has any shots.

If you recognize this little guy, please contact me! My contact information is at the bottom of this post.

If you abandoned him here, also please contact me. I will not judge you and I am not mad at you. I would just like to get his medical history and perhaps a signed surrender form.

If you are attempting to find a new home for your dog, please, please, please do not drop your dog at our house! We live on a busy highway and it is very dangerous. Also we are not equipped to handle surrendered or abandoned dogs here at home. If you need to find a new home for your dog please contact me and I will help you to find an appropriate rescue group.

Till next time

-William-
William Moore Canine Training
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com
678-702-5791

Coming in 2015 ..... New Book!

That is the Lovely and Awesome Shane on the cover with our cover boy,
Foster Boy Charles the Duke of Fayette County (We just call him Charlie).

I am happy to announce a new book on which I am working. The working title is Parent's Manual for Adopted Dogs (all rights reserved).

The book is intended as a reference manual for people who have adopted dogs in thier packs. In addition to that, it is also intended as a guide for those of you who are contemplating adding an adopted little guy or girl to your pack.

There are sections of the book regarding the most common behavioral and medical issues associated with adopted dogs. The book also leads you through getting your home ready for your adopted dog and introducing them to the pack.

The book details the monetary and time commitments that are necessary for the care of your adopted dog. The book also details what behaviors and training are necessary to help your adopted guy or girl become a polite dog. Because, as many of you understand, Polite Dogs = Happy People. This book is intended to guide you to the happiness that you can obtain from your relationship with your polite adopted dog!

My plans are to, at least initially, make this book available in electronic format for some of the popular e-reader devices (i.e. Nook, Kindle, etc.). Dependent upon the success of the electronic book, I will likely publish the book in a printed format.

I need some feedback from you, my readers. Please let me know which e-reader you currently use. Also let me know of any specific topics that you would like to see covered in the book. You can do this in the comments on this post or, if you would rather send me an e-mail or call me, that is fine as well. My contact information is at the bottom of this post.

Thank you all in advance for any help that you can provide on this project.

I expect to be ready to publish the book in electronic format around the beginning of 2015.

Till next time-

William

William Moore Canine Training
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com
678-702-4791

Beagle Adoption Event at Petco in Peachtree City.

The Lovely Shane and I are happy to announce that on March 8, 2014 we will have an all beagle adoption event at Petco in Peachtree City. All the beagles that will be at the event are adoptable through Bullywag, Inc. Dog Rescue. We are calling it BeagleWag!

These dogs are fosters in our pack here at the dog training shack and will all be at the event looking for forever homes. I have previously written blog posts about all of these dogs and the links to the posts are below. Just click on their pictures for a link.

Dr. Phil McBeagle  resting.

Dr. Phil McBeagle is a 5 year old sweet guy.  He was surrendered to BullyWag by people who could no longer care for him. He is a very loyal little guy who really loves people and treats! Dr. Phil is housebroken and does very well on leash! Dr. Phil loves to snuggle with his foster people. Dr.Phil is available for immediate adoption and would love to meet you!

Sammy with his foster daddy just before his
 welcome to the pack bath.

Sammy is a young adult beagle. He was found wandering around in Senoia, GA. He had no microchip or identification. He was very timid and anxious when we first rescued him. He is now getting much better with people! He loves his foster parents! He also loves treats! Sammy really needs a forever home. Come meet him!

Charlie with his foster mommy.

This is Charles the Duke of Fayette County. We just call him Charlie. He is a senior beagle. He has recently recovered from pnemonia and surgery to remove a growth in one of his ears. He recovered very nicely and is ready for his forever home! Charlie is a laid back little guy who loves people, getting petted, and tasty treats. Charlie is looking for his forever home. Come see him!

All of these guys are heart worm negative. They are current on all their shots. They are all neutered. They are all microchipped.  So please come visit us tomorrow at the Petco store in Peachtree City. We will be there from noon until 5:00pm.

There is a reduced adoption fee for the dogs in this event. The adoption fee is $150.00. The normal adoption fee is $250.00

Waste Industries Full Circle Project Supports Animal Rescue!

The Lovely and Awesome Shane and I use Waste Industries for our trash collection. The Lovely and Awesome Shane got an email from them today announcing a new program that sounds pretty cool. Their customers get to pick which type of charities that waste management will support. It does not add any additional cost to your bill. All the details of the program are not in place yet but there is a selection to support animal rescue. If you are a waste industries customer you will be getting an email from the soon. Here is an except from the one Shane received:

"Welcome to the Full Circle Project, the all-new Customer Driven Charitable Giving project by Waste Industries!



Before we get into the details on how this campaign works, we want to take a brief moment to say how thankful we are for your participation. This project is designed to more appropriately direct how Waste Industries handles its annual charitable giving.

We take special pride in helping out the communities we service, a commitment that extends from the services we provide to the many charities we give back to each and every year. Now, however, we are doing things with a bit of a twist.

From now on, you get to decide how we donate our charitable funds. It won’t cost you a penny extra to participate, as this service is funded 100% by Waste Industries. The twist is that we don’t get to decide how the money is spent anymore, you do!

We have broken down our charitable giving into five categories. Those categories include:

Animal Rescue – Includes charities such as the Humane Society"

Other worthy causes were listed here as well. It goes on to read:

"Once you select a category, your iCAN account will be updated with a badge displaying your decision to push Waste Industries donations to the charities within your category. Within 2-4 weeks, you’ll receive an envelope from Waste Industries containing further information on your category and a sticker/decal to attach to your Waste Industries container, showing your neighbors that you have helped direct funds that benefit the charity of your choosing. The more people that donate to your category, the more funds your category could potentially receive."

So, if you are a waste industries customer, please consider making the choice of Animal Rescue like the Lovely and Awesome Shane and I did! Waste Industries customers should be getting an email like this soon.

Till Next Time

-William-

My dog ignores me when I call. The importance of recall.

The Importance of Recall Training

One of the most common things that folks ask me about involves teaching a dog to consistently come when called. Dog trainers (just to sound cool) call this recall.

A polite dog should be very consistent at coming to you when you call. However, like everything else in dog training, this requires consistency in training. The dog must get a consistent message from you. The absolute most important thing to remember is that responding to your come command must not be seen, by the dog, as optional. I am in no way suggesting that you punish the dog for not responding. However, if the dog does not respond, you must be prepared to physically walk over to the dog and get his attention.

Recall is important for the safety of the dog. It is also important because a lot of other things that you will likely want to accomplish in training rely, to a large extent, upon good recall.

I know this sounds like it does not need to be pointed out.... but... I am going to point it out anyway (this is my blog I suppose I can do that :) ) : The dog must respond to his/her name before recall has any chance at all of working. Before you begin your recall training the dog must understand his/her name! 

Does this guy look complex to you? All Dr. Phil McBeagle
really wants here is attention from his foster daddy.
Affection is a great motivator for Dr. Phil. Treats are
not bad either :).

I have mentioned many times before, on this blog, that dogs are not complex. They really are not complex.  You must keep that in mind. They do not understand the English language. Therefore, repeating their names or commands can really be confusing to these little guys. For instance, when I want Copper to come to me, I call his name one time i.e. " Copper" then I give the command (or cue)" Come". Those are the only two words I use.  If I need to get his attention again, I make kissing sounds or whistle or maybe even snap my fingers. I never repeat the command (or cue) or his name. The reasoning for this is very simple. If I repeat his name, Copper may begin to think his name is "Copper....Copper.... Copper" or that the cue (or command) to which he needs to respond is " Come...Come...Come". 

By the way, I also tell folks that it is really important to use a verbal and visual cue. For instance, Copper knows the hand signal for "Come" and if he can see me, I should not have to use the verbal cue. This is part of training for a polite dog. For instance, if I am in a conversation with another person and want Copper to come over, I should not have to stop my conversation to call him, simply using the visual cues should work too.

Foster Boy Tiny and Foster Boy Biscuit playing on the porch.
This is an example of something that is fun for the dogs
and a potential distraction when you call them.

It is really beyond the scope of this post to teach you step-by-step how to accomplish good recall. However, I want to encourage you that it can be done! Sometimes it is frustrating but you can be successful.

A large part of success however, involves setting realistic expectations. You will very likely never get 100% recall from any dog. This is especially true with the scent hound breeds. If a dog is on the trail of some interesting scent, it is difficult. However, you can get really good recall. The times when the dog does not respond should be rare. 

You must also remember that this is a process. You have to first get your dog to come consistently with no distractions before you introduce distractions. There are techniques that allow adding distractions slowly. For instance, the dog should consistently come to you when you are in the same room in the house before you start trying it when the dog can not see you ( i.e. you are in another room). And until the dog comes consistently from another room with a few distractions, you should not expect him to come when he is outside with all the interesting smells and cool fun things to do!

Treats can be a powerful motivator

You also must have some type of motivation to entice the dog to do something that he really does not want to do, like come to you when he would rather play with a pack mate or chase a squirrel. I often use treats in the beginning.  To address my trainer friends who do not like this technique, I will point out that I do not have to use the treats forever. If the dog begins to associate fun things (like getting a tasty treat) with doing what I want him to do, he will be more likely to do it even if he does not get a treat every time. Eventually it will become routine for him. There are different techniques for training. I have found that I have success with this positive motivation method. So, I use it!

If you need help teaching your dog recall, Copper and I will be happy to help! Good recall is essential for a polite dog. I always tell you that " Polite Dogs = Happy People". So, call me and let me help you get happy today!

Till next time,

-William-

William Moore Canine Training

678-702-4791

fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

Announcing a Cool New Contest

Trigger the Dapple Dachshund's Secret Word Search

This is a new contest that we will be running periodically. A discount will be offered .All you have to do is find Trigger's secret word in the latest blog post. 

The hint for Trigger's secret word will be posted in a Craigslist Ad. 

The current contest hint can be found at http://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/pas/4344127747.html

Find Trigger's Secret Word and get a 10% discount!

- William-

Do dogs sense when their pack mates are sick?

Copper the Whopper Beagle spending time with his
buddy Sammy who is recovering from
surgery.

I wrote a blog post earlier addressing the questions of whether or not our dogs know when we are sick. I am convinced that they do sense when we are sick and that they worry about us.

I am equally convinced, through observation, that the same sort of thing occurs between canine pack mates as well. I was reminded of this last night:

The Lovely Shane and I are very greatful
to these folks for being so nice about meeting
us after 10:00pm last night to help us take
care of Foster Boy Sammy the Beagle!

Yesterday, I took our foster boy, Sammy the Beagle, to the Mobile Veterinarian to be neutered. He also got heart worm tested (he is negative!!), got a microchip, and all his shots.

When we got home, the Lovely Shane and I noticed that he was bleeding a little. We did not worry too much at first. However it got worse and about 10:00 pm, we contacted the veterinarian. We ended up going back to the vet last night. Sammy had developed a blood clot. The veterinarian took care of the problem for Sammy and sent us home with pain medication, anti-inflammatory medication and antibiotics.

I stayed up most of the night just to check on Sammy and make sure he was doing okay. The Lovely Shane and I were not the only ones concerned, however. I am convinced that Copper was also worried.

In retrospect, I actually think that Copper knew the severity of Sammy's problem before we did. When we bring a dog home from the veterinarian, all the other dogs are curious and have to sniff the guy who just survived the evil alien veterinarian (well at least sometimes it seems that is how they see the vet :) ). Copper's reaction was subtly different in this occasion. He sniffed Sammy as usual but he also followed him around everywhere. Copper would not let Sammy out of his sight. At the time I thought Copper had just missed his new little friend. I think it may have been more than that.

Copper is smart but... I would not
say he is all that complex. As illustrated
here he has simple motivation... food..
for the proper food Copper will do
practically anything :).

After we took Sammy back to the veterinarian late last night, we put an E-collar on him and put him in a crate. Copper stayed near the crate most of the night. Copper continued this for most of the day today. This is unusual for Copper. Occasionally during his watch today, Copper would sniff Sammy through the crate and sort of watch him closely for a little while then lie back down on a bed next to the crate.

I tell this story to make a point. I have often said and written that dogs are not really complex and they really are not. It helps with training if you understand that dogs are not complex. However, the lack of complexity does not mean that they are unaware of the feelings of their pack mates or their people. In fact quite the contrary is true. Dogs can be very sensitive and perceptive. For instance they sense thunderstorms before there is any indication of bad weather. If you spend a lot of time with your dogs, you will notice a difference in behavior just before a bad storm. In fact, Critten, a Lab/Pit Bull mix that lived with me when I was in Florida was very sensitive to the pressure changes during tropical storms and hurricanes.

Critten the weather dog :) .

Foster Boy Charlie the Beagle, Cody the
Little Beagle and Trigger the Dapple
Dachshund share a bed.

This really should not surprise us because these heightened senses are why dogs are so useful in hunting, search/rescue, etc. It is also why they can be trained to be useful to people with PTSD, diabetes, seizure disorders, etc.

I have been around dogs most of my life. While I should expect this sensitivity, it is still, frankly, incredible to watch! God gave these guys a great gift and I feel fortunate to have observed these wonderful creatures!

Keep you eye on your dog.... you might be surprised how much you can learn from these little guys and girls!

If you need help training your little canine buddy to be polite please contact me.  Remember.... Polite Dogs = Happy People! Let me help you to get happy today!

Till next time

-William

William Moore Canine Training
678-702-4791
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com