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

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

Who did it??

Cuddles is as shocked as the Lovely Shane and I were...
She has no idea how this happened! 

A couple of days ago the Lovely, Awesome Shane and I were in the kitchen having a cup of coffee. While we were in the kitchen we heard a crash in the office. Upon closer investigation we found the scene depicted in the photograph. A chair was overturned. How did that happen?  Obviously, barring the possibility of paranormal activity, one of our canine buddies was responsible. Who, oh who, could it be???

Trigger surveys the damage .

The dogs looked at us as if they were as surprised as we were. Fortunately no dogs were injured. Even with polite little guys and girls, like we have in our pack, accidents sometimes happen.

This sort of thing occurs often enough at the Dog Training/Foster Shack that we have come up with a unique and hopefully humorous solution:

We assign a "head dog in charge" each day. That dog is in charge of pack behavior. We were at Wal-Mart the other day and found a little white board that sticks to the refrigerator with a magnet. This thing was on sale for less than a dollar so, we made the investment .We use this to post "head dog in charge" each day. (Yes..... we really do this.... we both have an odd sense of humor, I suppose). Even the foster pack members get to be "head dog in charge". This is a rotating title, a different dog has it each day.  Notice in the picture that Foster Boy Sammy has the honor today!

We enjoy our dogs and have a lot of fun with them. The point of posting this here is that you do not have to always be serious when it comes to dealing with your dogs. Accidents will happen. From time to time stuff will get knocked over. It is all part of having these little guys and girls in our families. I think what happened here is that Copper the Whopper Beagle jumped out of the chair too quickly and turned it over. It is no big deal. We allow him on that chair. He is about the best behaved dog I have ever worked with. He is polite and mild mannered. But, he is a beagle :) .

Copper relaxing on "his" office chair.

If you need help training your little guy or girl to be better behaved, please contact me. I will even help you teach them not to get on your furniture if that is what you desire. The point is that Copper is allowed on the furniture so, I  should not get upset with him when he accidentally knocks a chair over :) Besides, Sammy was in charge, it wasn't Copper's fault......at least that is Copper's story!.

A yard sign I use for my Lawn Maintenance
Handyman business... Yes that is actually an
old reel mower that I use to hold the sign up.

Well... there is more winter weather here in Fayette County, Georgia. We are in the middle of an ice storm here. We lost our electricity, here at the shack, for most of the day today. I understand that a large part of the eastern USA is having similar weather. As I have mentioned before, please, please, please, let your dog inside if you normally keep them outside. Also, make sure that all your dogs are in the house before you close the door if you let them out in a fenced back yard like we do. This winter weather is extremely dangerous for them (as it is for us as well)!

Till Next Time-

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

Dog Training/Foster Shack in snow and ice. The
Lovely Shane and I are staying home until
the roads get better. Yes, that is the Awesome Mobile parked
out front!

A piece of yard art left by a previous occupant. I have not decided
if I like it or not. It is heavy so, I have not felt like moving it either.

Welcome Foster Boy Charlie the Beagle!

The Lovely and Awesome Shane with our newest arrival,
Charlie the Little Beagle.

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, Foster Boy Sammy the Beagle, and I  are pleased to welcome our newest foster member, Charlie the Little Beagle to our pack!

I drove the Awesome Mobile (Shane's Car) to Animal Medical Clinic in Peachtree City, Georgia to pick up this little guy today. He has been in our pack for about four hours. 

The Awesome Mobile parked outside the shack
during a recent snow storm.

Charlie is a senior guy (I am unsure of his exact age). He looks a lot like Cody the Little Beagle. Cody says Charlie is very handsome :) . 

Charlie is recovering from pneumonia. We will have him on antibiotics for a little longer. He seems to feel pretty good and has a great appetite! He has a growth in one of his ears that needs to be taken care of after he recovers completely from the pneumonia.

After he has fully recovered, he will be available for adoption! If you are interested in adding a handsome senior beagle boy to your pack, please contact me for more information on little Charlie!

 Dr. Phil McBeagle in the Dog Training office with
a few of his pack mates in the background ( Cody ,
Copper, and Trigger)

Dr. Phil McBeagle is still available for adoption. His anxiety is much better! He is acting like a typical beagle now :) . He is fully housebroken. His training is coming along very nicely! Copper and I have been working with him. He knows sit, down, stay and leave it. He is beginning to learn the wait command (handy for proper behavior at doorways). He is also getting much better at loose leash walking! Dr. Phil is a very sweet and loyal beagle. He is going to be a very good addition to some lucky person's pack! If you are interested in Dr. Phil, please contact me!

Sammy relaxing in Cody's Basket Bed

Sammy is also making great progress! He is still on antibiotics. He is eating very well! We expect him to start gaining back his weight very soon! His anxiety is getting better. He is slowly learning that not all people will hurt him. Copper has sort of become his mentor. Copper follows him around and takes care of him. It is really neat to watch! Trigger is his playmate. They love to run and play together! As soon as he finishes the antibiotics and gets a little more weight on him, we will take him to the veterinarian to be neutered, micro chipped, heart worm tested and get his rabies vaccine. At that point he will be available for immediate adoption. We expect that to take two or three weeks. If you are interested in adding Sammy to your pack, please contact me!

Charley being visited by Sammy. Charley will be spending most
of his time in the crate until he is fully recovered.

Folks, if you are looking for a new addition to your pack, please, please, please consider adoption! There are so many of these little guys and girls who desperately want and need a forever home! We have three beautiful beagles here at the shack that really need love and attention. We love our foster guys/girls but our ultimate goal is to find them a forever home so that we can save the lives of more dogs. This is truly a life or death issue for these dogs. Were it not for volunteers at rescue groups, many of these guys/girls would be killed in shelters. Unfortunately, that is not at all an exaggeration. I wish it were not true..... but it is true.

If you have a little guy or girl with anxiety issues, as is unfortunately very common in rescue/adopted dogs, Copper and I are happy to assist you! Also if you need help getting your little guy or girl to be a polite dog, please contact me! 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

What to do with a dog who is malnourished or underweight.

If you look closely in this picture, you can see
that Foster Girl Penny the Tiny Beagle was
underweight when we first brought her to the Dog
Training/Foster Shack

All too often, we , as dog lovers we have to care for malnourished or underweight dogs. Sometimes it is a result of some sort of illness. Sometimes we take in a stray or adopt/foster a little guy or girl who has simply not eaten regularly in quite some time.

Boomer the Beagle in his later years

As many of you know, in the early 1990s I adopted a sweet beagle from the Dekalb County (GA) Shelter. He was a 9 month old anxious little guy named Boomer. Boomer was my companion until he died of renal failure at the age of 15 years. We had lots of fun together and I learned a great deal about anxiety issues in dogs from working with him.

When he was about eight years old, I was working as a Computer Network Engineer/Consultant at a now defunct company in Sandy Springs, GA called Consultec. Boomer got sick. I do not remember exactly what the health issue was now but a nasty side effect was that he lost a lot of weight very quickly. I could see all his ribs and some of his backbone. His normally extremely healthy appetite had disappeared. He would not touch any of his favorite foods. This was very unusual for him and just not at all beagle-like.

At the time, I lived in Marietta, GA. Dr. Tyler Huhman and Dr. David Lawless at Tritt Animal Hospital in Marietta, GA were the veterinarians that helped me to care for Boomer and a few cats that lived with me at the time (or maybe I lived with them.... you know how cats are ).

The guys a Tritt did an excellent job treating Boomer's illness! However, the home care was my responsibility.  I think it was Tyler who told me that the most important goal I needed to have was putting weight on Boomer quickly. I believe it was at his suggestion that I used Nutri-Cal in an attempt to stimulate his appetite and to load him up on the calories and nutrients that he desperately needed. I think Tyler gave me (or sold me, I don't recall) some prescription food that was formulated to help him gain weight (if I could get him to eat it).

You can't really tell now but, our little Cody was also
malnourished when he got to the Shack.

I worked from my small home office for about a week (we used to call that telecommuting). During that time I cared for Boomer almost 24/7. I gave him medication for his illness and almost constantly tried to get him to eat. He would eat some canned food and I slowly began getting him to eat the Nuti-Cal. Slowly he started to eating peanut butter that I offered him and eventually he began eating his dry food. It was a long week but he finally began eating well. After a couple of more weeks he was almost back to his healthy weight. And I seem to remember that after he put the weight on ,I spent a month in Minnesota on business over the next three days (at least that is what it felt like :) )

I did not just share that story with you so that you can see how cool my life was in those days (that is just an added bonus :) ) . I shared that story with you to make a few points about caring for a dog who is underweight or malnourished:

• If you notice a rapid weight loss, please, consult a really good veterinarian. There is generally an underling cause that probably needs to be treated.
• If your dog is not eating foods that he normally loves, if it lasts more than a day or so, you should really strongly consider taking him to a veterinarian.
• Once you have any health issues treated, it is your responsibility to care for the little guy or girl. You must be diligent about it! Always remember that your veterinarian will be more than happy to talk to you about methods that you can use to get him/her to eat. If your dog is not making progress, do not hesitate to contact your veterinarian for guidance!

I mentioned Nutri-Cal earlier in my work with Boomer. Nutri-Cal is a high calorie vitamin paste. There are other similar products on the market. Most large pet stores (i.e. Petco, Petsmart, etc.) have their own store brand products that are labeled for the same use. When I worked at Petco, I found that our vitamin paste was good but some really picky dogs seemed to prefer the taste of the Nuti-Cal product and the price difference is not huge either way.

In many cases the dogs will eat this stuff right out of the tube. However, in many cases you have to put it on the food. In Boomer's case, I put some of the stuff on my finger and sort of stuck it to the roof of the mouth to get him started. It is really sticky and he had to lick it off the roof of his mouth. He did not really like this but it worked.

Foster Boy Sammy

I decided to write about this subject today because, The Lovely and Awesome Shane and I are working with our new foster boy, Sammy on the same issue. He is very thin. His ribs and backbone are clearly visible. I am happy to report that he is beginning to get his appetite back! This morning he actually finished his entire bowl of food for the first time since he got here three days ago!

If you have a dog who needs to gain weight, it is not a hopeless problem! It can be very frustrating but, there is hope and it feels really good to see a little guy or girl finally eat and gain weight!

Our foster girl Penny the Tiny Beagle had the same issue. She gained a little weight we she was with us. I saw her with her adopted family recently and she looks great!!

If you have questions about getting your dog to eat please contact me! Also contact me if you need help teaching your little guy or girl to be a polite dog. 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

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