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

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

Welcome Foster Boy Sammy the Beagle!!!!!!

Foster Boy Sammy. This was taken just before he got his
welcome to the Foster Shack bath.

The Lovely and Awesome Shane, Cuddles the Corgi Mix, Copper the Whopper Beagle, Cody the Little Beagle, Trigger the Dapple Dachshund, Foster Boy Dr. Phil McBeagle and I welcome our newest foster pack member, Sammy the Little Beagle!

Sammy relaxing in a nice warm place inside the Dog
Training/Foster Shack

Sammy is a handsome little tri-color beagle boy. He was found wandering around outdoors near Senoia, GA. A very nice concerned man alerted Michelle Crampo of BullyWag. Inc (Canine Rescue) about little Beagle. Michelle then asked The Lovely Shane and me if we would like to foster the little beagle guy. Of course we were happy to add another little foster beagle to our pack!

Sammy was hanging out with the nice man's dogs. However, Sammy was very scared of people and would not come near us the first evening we visited the Senoia location to attempt to rescue him. We even tried to lure him with extra sharp cheddar cheese ( a beagle delicacy) and he would not come near and actually wandered into the darkness.

The next day, the nice man in Senoia called me on the phone to inform me that he had lured Sammy into a kennel. Of course, the lovely and awesome Shane and I got down there as quickly as possible! With the assistance of the nice man, we had no trouble getting little Sammy into the Awesome Mobile (Shane's car)

Sammy with his new buddy, Trigger.

Sammy was as dirty as any Beagle I have ever encountered :) . We picked him up late Saturday afternoon. We were too late to get him to a vet or shelter to have him scanned for a microchip. I will take him Monday morning to make sure that he did not accidentally become separated from his people. If he has a microchip, we will, of course, return him to his home immediately. However, unfortunately, I suspect he does not have a home.

Sammy is extremely thin. We have begun our efforts to put some weight on the little guy. I am administering Nutri-Cal. He has some appetite but not nearly as good an appetite as he should have. He does however love and I mean absolutely love sharp cheddar cheese! It is the only thing I can consistently get him to eat.

Sammy explores the back yard assisted by Foster Boy
Dr. Phil McBeagle (Phil is available for adoption)

He was very much scared of us at first. He would cower and sort of slink over every time you got near him. We are working with him and he is beginning to walk over to us and let us pet him without cowering much but, he has a great deal of anxiety and has a long way to go.

It is difficult for me to estimate Sammy's age with any level of certainty. However, I think he is either an older puppy or a young adult. He is still fairly playful and has been playing with Trigger. However he does have some tartar on his teeth which indicates the possibility that he could be an adult.

He will have to be neutered , microchipped, heart worm tested, and vaccinated soon.

There is a possibility that Sammy may have some abuse in his past. I allow this possibility because of my observation of his behavior. He is very weary of people. Well actually it is a little more than that: Initially when we approached him he would cower and try to get away (i.e. our first attempt to rescue him).

Look closely at this picture and you can
see how thin Sammy really looks. He is the beagle on the left.

It also appears that he has been in some sort of scuffle or fight with possibly another dog. He has scars on his ears and even small chunks of ear missing.

In any case, the little guy is safe now! We are going to get the weight back on him and get him proper veterinary care and then find him a forever home! So, I will keep you folks posted on his progress because one day soon he will be

Copper Whopper carefully supervising the welcoming
of our newest foster pack member from his viewing station
on the back porch.

available for adoption. He will make some lucky family a great pack addition!

If you have a dog with anxiety problems or if you just need help making your dog a polite little guy or girl, please contact me! As I always tell you, "Polite Dogs = Happy People"! Let me help you get happy today!

Till next time,

William

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

The Foster Files: Foster Boy Tiny the Beagle has a new forever home! Welcome Foster Girl Gracy!

Foster Boy Tiny showing his lose leash walking skills!

The Lovely Shane and I are very pleased to inform you all that Tiny the Beagle has a brand new forever home! After visiting the veterinarian today for Neutering , shots and a cool microchip he went home with his new foster Mommy. He will be part of a two dog pack with a cute little female beagle. His name is going to now be "Copper Head" or "Copper H." for short. Copper the Whopper Beagle and I really like that new name! We already miss Tiny around the Dog Training Shack here but, we are thrilled that he now has a great forever home!

Foster Girl Gracy eating a pecan on the back porch
steps at the Dog Training Shack

The Lovely Shane, myself and the rest of the pack here welcome a new foster pack member. Her name is Gracy. She is a beautiful mixed breed girl. We think she is some sort of hound mix. She is about 8 months old. One of her hind legs never developed properly so she is unable to jump well. However, that does not really slow her down. She is a slightly active and well tempered girl. She does need housebreaking. We are working on that now. She is also learning how to properly walk on a leash and some basic obedience. Copper Whopper and the rest of the pack are enjoying helping her learn.

Gracy will be available for adoption soon!

Foster Boy Biscuit

Biscuit the Basset Mix is now with another foster who has more puppies. This will allow him to play more and work off some of his energy. Our pack was a little low energy for him. He is still available for adoption and would make a great dog for someone with other young dogs or active children.

If you are considering adding a new adopted member to your pack, please contact me at anytime!

Till Next Time

William Moore

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

The Foster File - Foster Boy Biscuit Adopted! Welcome Foster Boy Trigger to the Pack!

Foster Boy Biscuit (He was so excited I had to hold his head still for the picture!)

The Awesome Shane!

The Lovely Shane and I are happy to report that our foster boy Biscuit now has a forever home with a nice lady in Tyrone, GA! He is really a good and smart little guy I am sure that he will be happy in his forever home! We are saddened to see him go but very happy that he now has a forever home! As you may remember, from an earlier blog post, He was going through puppy adolescence. He seemed to be recovering from this stage a little.

It is unclear how this happened, but, I somehow managed to  injure my lower back and was unable to attend the adoption event last Saturday at Petco in Peachtree City, GA. The Lovely and Awesome Shane took my place. Shane reports that Biscuit behaved like a perfect little gentleman. He was reportedly very polite and lovable (makes an old dog trainer proud :)).

Look at that cute Trigger face!!

Resting Trigger

The Lovely Shane also brought home our next foster boy. His name is Trigger. Trigger is an approximately two year old dachshund mix.  He is very smart and is pretty well behaved. He is a stray that someone abandoned. We can not figure out why anyone would abandon such a sweet little guy! Trigger is housebroken pretty well. We also understand that he in crate trained. We have not confined him to a crate yet because we have not needed to yet. He gets along great with the rest of the pack here!

Trigger pulls on the leash a little and we are working on Loose Leash Walking training. He already knew sit. He is a quick learner! He learned the down command mostly from observing Copper the Whopper Beagle!

Trigger, like Biscuit, really loves people! He has been our little shadow since he got here Saturday afternoon!

Trigger is available for adoption. However, the Lovely Shane is becoming pretty attached to him so he may have already found his forever home :) . I will keep you posted!

If you have recently added an adopted or rescue dog to your pack and desire help in training him/her to become a well behaved dog, please contact me!

Also, if you are looking for a new pack member, please, please, please consider adoption! There are many of these guys who desperately need a forever home! If you need help locating a dog, contact me for the names of some great local rescue groups!

Till Next Time-

William

William Moore

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

Puppy Adolescence

The Smart and Beautiful Foster Puppy Girl Lovey

Puppies like people go through an adolescence phase in their natural development. From a training perspective this presents potential problems. If you have a puppy in your pack, you need to at least be aware of this phenomena.

Generally dogs are considered adults at around 12 months of age.  The adolescence phase can begin at any point between about 6 months and about 18 months. The repetitively good news is that it does not last as long as it does in people. Usually in dogs it last from a few weeks to a couple of months or so.

The adolescence is brought about by physiological, mainly hormonal changes in the dog as part of his/her growth to adulthood. The thing that seems a bit counter intuitive, to me at least, is that altering the dog (spay/neuter) does not seem to have a great effect on the behavior during adolescence.

Well, here is the bad news: During adolescence it is not uncommon for you sweet little well behaved and polite dog to seemingly forget everything that you worked so hard teach him/her.

Housebreaking accidents are common. General misbehavior is common. An article on Petfinder.com really describes it well; "At times he may look at you as though you had just addressed him in Mandarin, trying to convince you that you never taught him the sit command"

This is really serious stuff. Many dogs end up in shelters because their people do not understand what is going on here. This condition is temporary and there are things that you can do about it. It is far from a hopeless situation. It can however, be extremely frustrating.

Foster Boy Biscuit taking a nap

This kinda hits close to home for the Lovely Shane and myself. Our current foster boy, Biscuit is going through this now. We welcomed him to our home a couple of weeks ago and he was making great progress. Housebreaking was going great! He was learning basic commands and doing them very well. He was becoming a very polite little guy.

Foster Boy Biscuit... ain't that a pretty face!

Biscuit is about 9 or 10 months old. It is apparent, to me at least , that he is now beginning that wonderful adolescence phase. He has suddenly forgotten that he should only relief himself outside. He is becoming generally more stubborn. He is sort of testing the limits that we put upon him. All of this is natural and extremely frustrating!

 What you have to do is remain calm, be patient, and take several steps back in your training (this will be temporary). Treat him/her like they are learning this stuff for the first time.

As I have written before, dogs sense our emotions. They know when you are frustrated. Be careful to remain calm when working with them. I realize this is difficult when a housebroken pup pees on your furniture. Or it is difficult to remain calm when that well behaved little guy forgets how to sit properly or jumps all over you. But try to remember that this too will pass and you will have your old dog back soon. Perhaps it will not seem as bad if you remember some of the odd stuff you may have done as an adolescent.

If you are getting really frustrated and need help with your adolescent pup, I will be more than happy to talk to you about it and possibly show you some techniques to deal with it better. Please contact me at anytime!

Till next time

-William-

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