"Humanization" of dogs: The pros and cons

This is Brain from one of my favorite television shows.
He is a very good example of a humanized dog. He
is actually very over-humanized.

Humanization:

In recent years, dogs have increasingly become part of our families. People love their dogs and tend to treat them as people. I think this is, in large part, due to the way that dogs bond with people. This tendency to bond with people and become faithful companions is why dogs have become known as, "man's best friend".

We share our living space with dogs. Dogs make good companions. 

People dress their dogs in facsimiles of human clothing. Unfortunately, we tend to think of them as little people with four legs and a tail. 

Pros of the humanization movement:

There are some very good things that have come out of this movement to make our dogs part of our families.

This is me and a blue tick hound named
Joe. The picture was taken in 1982

When I was growing up (in the 1970s  in Georgia) most dogs lived outside for their entire lives. We had fenced in backyards or dog runs. Many dogs roamed freely outside in the more rural areas. We loved our dogs back then, but, they were not generally thought of as family members. Many folks used their dogs for hunting or for herding. This is not a bad thing but the dogs were rarely thought of as family members.

Veterinary care was generally just for rabies vaccines and for injuries or severe sickness. Generally flea and tick control was not nearly as good as it is today. 

Dogs were generally not as healthy and in my experience, the lifespans were noticeably shorter. I knew of very few healthy senior dogs.

The way we fed dogs was much different as well. We used some dog food but it was always supplemented by scraps that we had left over from our meals. There was very little real effort to ensure that dogs ate a balanced and healthy diet.

With this humanization of dogs, dogs are generally much better cared for and have a longer life span. That is a really great thing!

Please understand, I don't think that this trend of having our dogs play a larger role in our lives is a bad thing. The Lovely Shane and I have a tenancy to project certain human aspects incorrectly onto our dogs. It is sometimes a bit of a struggle to realize that our dogs are really, in many ways quite different from us as adult human beings.

Some of the "toddlers". Two of these are former fosters
and two are permanent members of our pack.

The Lovely Shane has, quite correctly, pointed out that adult and senior dog behavior is more closely analogous to human toddler behavior. As always, there is much wisdom and validity to her point. However, as with most analogies, this one is not exact. While human toddlers grow up and their behavior changes in many significant ways, the dog's behavior does not change in the same ways. This is an important thing to remember in order to set your dog up for success in training. You must set your expectations correctly and to do this it is important to understand that dogs do not mature in the same ways that we do and they do not think exactly like people think. Dogs can be very intelligent but their minds work differently than do ours. For this reason, I think the over-humanization of dogs can prove to be a great hindrance to your training efforts and ultimately to your relationship to your dog.

Cons of the humanization movement:

While I love my dogs and they are absolutely part of our family, I understand that dogs are very different from people. It is important that you as a dog parent(or owner, or handler) understand this as well.

I am convinced that many, if not most, of the behavioral problems that we have with our dogs is the result of our misunderstanding of the fact that dogs are not people. I know this seems simple. I also know that I see the results of this fundamental misunderstanding quite frequently.

Our dogs, while great and loyal companions, are not our peers. They look to us for leadership.

The results of one of Copper's most notable
trash can incidents.

You have perhaps heard it stated that dog's live in the moment. This is a popular saying of dog trainers with television shows. I think it is over-stated at times but it is, indeed, true. For instance, dogs do not always immediately link cause to effect. Sometimes this link seems to never be complete. For example, my demo dog, Copper loves to sniff through the trash and eat any items that he finds interesting regardless of whether they are dangerous to him. This happens, in large part, due to his instinct as a Beagle. He is lead by his nose. He is a very well behaved dog but, the allure of fresh smelly trash is overwhelming to him at times. For that reason we go to great lengths to keep him, and the rest of our scent hounds, out of trash. We do this mostly by making the trash physically inaccessible.  However, there are times in which our best efforts fail. Copper has, in the past, eaten treasures from the trash that have made him sick. He does not, however, seem to link the eating of the trash to his tummy ache. 

Dogs are very much dependent upon us humans. This seems to be an emotional as well as physical dependence. We must remember that dogs communicate differently than we humans communicate. Dogs do not use much verbal communication. So called "body language" is very much a part of their communications. It plays a much bigger role than verbal communication. The dog consistently looks to your body language for his cues. The dog notice subtle differences. I believe this is how my dogs often realize that I am not feeling well and try to comfort me. They notice subtle differences in the way that I interact with them and others. 

This aspect of their communication is important to remember when dealing with anxiety in dogs. For instance, if a dog is afraid of thunder, you should not be overly affectionate with him when he is scared. In other words, do not act like you are reacting to the thunder as well. If you react, it tends to reinforce his anxiety. To us, this may seem counter-intuitive, but it is true. It serves as an illustration of one of the many ways that dogs are different from humans. Over-humanization may lead us to react to the dog in a way that actually does not help him.

Eating is another of the many areas in which your dog is quite different from you. We love the

These are peanut butter and jelly
duplex dog cookies. We used to sell
these on the treat bar at Petco. Dogs love the
peanut butter and I like the taste as well.

taste of food. Our taste buds are very refined and sensitive in comparison to our dog. The dog does not get all that much enjoyment from the taste of the food. It is actually the odor that the dog enjoys. Dogs do not have a need to chew their food nearly as much as we do. Their saliva actually works quite differently from ours. The main purpose of a dog's saliva, in regard to eating, is to lubricate the food. In people, the saliva begins the digestive process (at least that is my understanding). So, we have much more time to taste the food and we have better taste buds to taste. Therefore, much of the marketing of dog food for taste is really directed at the human consumer rather than the dog. This is also the reason that high value foods for a dog are generally very smelly and not really appealing to the human sense of smell or taste for that matter. Although, some of the high end dog biscuits are quite tasty! When I worked at Petco, we had a treat bar with bulk dog cookies. These were human grade food. Some of them tasted pretty good. It was also fun to see the look on customer's faces when I would eat them. However, the dogs like them more for the smell than the taste. My experience has been that the heavier the odor, the more the dog likes the treat. Also, the smellier ones that the dogs really enjoy are not all that tasty to my pallet.

I have not done exhaustive research on this particular subject. I am sure there are many other areas that I have neglected to cover here on both the pro and con sides. However, my point is that it behooves us as adopted dog parents to understand that while we share a significant bond with our dogs, they are, indeed very different from us.

This is a grain free food that Petco actually sells for
$80.99 in a 25.3 pound bag. When I worked there we
carried a similar food and actually sold about 3 bags a week.

In my humble and perhaps biased opinion, I think that this over-humanization of dogs is exacerbated by those who market their products to us. This is a fact of which we need to be aware in all of our purchasing decisions. A dog's dietary needs are quite different than our own. Please keep this in mind when choosing dog food. Dog food manufacturers many times attempt to capatilze on our tendencies to humanize our dogs. This is evident in the prevalence of  dog food alternatives that mirror closely the current dietary trends in humans. For instance there are vegetarian , grain free, and gluten free foods that are pricey and very heavily marketed. While I am certain there are some dogs that benefit from this type of diet due to relatively rare health issues, it is not necessarily good for the dog just because it is beneficial in people. For that reason, before you switch foods to address some perceived problem with your dog's health, it is my strong recommendation that you seek veterinary advice. Please avoid the temptation to seek this advice from those who have a vested interest in selling you the food. When I worked at Petco, we were trained in dog nutrition. However, that training was very heavily geared toward selling food and not so highly motivated by the true needs of the dog. Sales people are simply not experts in dog health. Neither are dog trainers in general. The true experts are those who went to medical school and have examined your dog. I am referring, of course, to your veterinarian.

I hope that this post has been helpful to you in your endeavor to better understand your dog.

If you have any training needs or questions please contact me.

Till next time 

-William-

Who are the True Friends of Man's Best Friend ?

Trigger the Dapple Dachshund 

Trigger, our adopted Dapple Dachshund recently experienced a severe health problem. He had an intestinal obstruction and was very close to death.

He stopped eating for about eight days. The x-rays showed evidence of obstruction and it seemed that the only option to save his life was costly urgent surgery.

As you may recall, I had back surgery about six months ago and missed quite a bit of work. This depleted quite a bit of our family funds. However, Trigger needed medical attention and we were determined to provide what he needed. Trigger is a member of our family and that is our responsibility.

You see, this is the responsibility that we all accept when we adopt a dog. We are responsible for their needs throughout their lives.

Well, we began to seek funding. We borrowed some money. Some of you folks, upon learning of Trigger's situation, generously donated money.

As many of you know, I was, at one time, employed by Petco in Peachtree City, Georgia. Petco claims to support dog adoption. They host adoption events at their stores. This is not, however, an exclusively altruistic endeavor for Petco. I was the Dog Trainer at this store and was also involved as a volunteer with one of the rescue organizations that participated in the events.

What are Petco's motives in their support
of  adopted dogs? If you are thinking revenue,
you are probably correct.

The adoption events do expose a lot of dogs to potential forever homes. That is a great thing! In fact, we adopted Trigger as a result of one of those events. However, we who care about adopted/rescue dogs must always remember the motives of Petco as a corporation. Petco makes a lot of revenue from the supplies that these adopted dog parents buy at the events. My observations during my employment there indicated that it was an average of about $300 of revenue for each adoption.This is revenue from supplies that the adoptive parents buy for the dog (beds, food, crates,toys, training and grooming services, bowls, bedding, etc.) Multiply that by hundreds of thousands and pretty soon you are talking about real money :).

I am not against making a profit. In fact, that is part of the reason that I am in business. My business is a for profit endeavor as well. I really enjoy eating at least two are three times a day and having a roof over my head and other luxuries :) . So, profit is not bad. I want to make as much as possible without compromising my ethics. Moore Services for Your Money treats our customers the way that we would like to be treated. Therefore, ethics and honesty is very important to us. We do advertise however, you, as our customer can and should trust that what we say in advertising or anywhere else does truly reflect our beliefs.

Petco maintains that they are seriously concerned about the welfare of homeless dogs. They make a really big deal about how many hundreds of thousands of dogs that find forever homes as a result of their adoption events. This is great! I truly applaud them for this and encourage them to continue this endeavor.  Petco also supports a non-profit called the Petco Foundation. Again, this is in no way exclusively altruistic. The Petco name is promoted at every opportunity, even the name of the organization screams "Hey, look how much Petco cares!". That is good. I do not begrudge them this promotional and marketing opportunity and the Petco Foundation actually does some great work. However, we must keep the Petco corporate motivation in mind here.

At this point, if you are still reading, you are likely wondering what this information about Petco has to do with Trigger's health issues. Please indulge me a few more lines to explain:

In our efforts to raise money for Trigger, The Lovely Shane set up a gofundme page. We really did not raise much directly from the page but we did get indirect donations and help from the publicity that it generated.

Petco has a presence on Twitter. I contacted @petco by private message on Twitter and simply requested that they retweet a tweet that I sent out earlier with a link to the gofundme page. I explained that I am a former Petco Dog Trainer and that Trigger was adopted at one of their events. I explained the very urgent and potentially life and death need for the surgery. I did not ask for money from Petco. I did not ask for a personal endorsement of my business. I very literally and quite simply asked for a simple click of the mouse to help one of these dogs that they claim to care so much about.

The terse and rude reply that I received was that Petco does not retweet or in any way promote "private fundraisers".

My friends ,customers, and fellow dog lovers, Petco literally refused to move a mouse a few inches to help one of these dogs that they claim to care so much about.

I thought, "well maybe this is just an employee who does not understand Petco's alleged commitment to these dogs". So, as a business owner myself, I thought the CEO should know about this apparent disconnect from their message. So, I sent an email to Jim Myers, the Petco CEO. I have sent him email messages on a few other occasions. He never has responded directly but always forwards the message to an associate who responds to me quite promptly. This case was no exception. I got a response that indicates that Petco never retweets or makes any sort of public acknowledgement of these sorts of requests. The response essentially indicates that it is too much work for them to move the mouse and click on these. Folks, I am not in anyway exaggerating here. This is essentially what the email indicated.

I have to give Petco credit. They did forward my contact information to the Petco Foundation and to a non-profit that in "qualified cases" does "sometimes" provide assistance.

However, what I learned from this experience is this: Petco cares publicly about dogs like Trigger when there is potential revenue at stake (like the adoption events) but, when there is no potential revenue involved (like the retweet request) they will literally not even clck a mouse in an effort to help.

Even in their forwarding of my request to the Petco foundation, Petco's interest seems to be revenue motivated. They could attach the Petco name to any assistance that Trigger ultimately received via the foundation.

So, that is the bad part.

Here is the great part:

Trigger was helped by many true friends of man's best friend.

Flat Creek Animal Clinic where Trigger was initially evaluated and treated allowed us to break the bill up into payments. We paid the bill in full yesterday. We can not thank them enough for this!

The Animal Medical Clinic  in Peachtree City gave us a great price on Trigger's care and medication. They were also going to do the surgery at a great price! Trigger thanks you and we thank you!

 Elisa Price with Critter Sitters was very generous to us in the form of retweets and publicity. By the way, if you need pet sitting please contact her!

Several other people provided loans and donations. We really got great support in only a couple of hours!

The really great news is that Trigger did not need the surgery! It was apparently a parasitic blockage. He is now doing much better! We still incurred quite a bit of expense. He spent all day at the vet's office doing diagnostic testing to make sure that he no longer needed surgery and that is never cheap.

However, we were able to pay back the loans. And the donations helped greatly in covering the treatment and diagnostic costs!

So, Trigger is now back to his old self. He has his appetite back and is doing very well!

We truly appreciate the help of all of you who are truly friends to man's best friend!

God Bless you all!

-William-

The Cuddles Chronicles

This is Cuddles our 16 year old Corgi Mix.

Caring for Senior Dogs

Dogs are a lifetime commitment: 

The Lovely Shane adopted Cuddles when she was a puppy. She is now about 16 years old.

Cuddles still gets around pretty well considering her advanced age. However, dogs have many of the same issues that are common with aging for people.

Cuddles seems to have some arthritis. Her major age-related health issue is that her sight is diminishing. She is almost blind.

Cuddles also gets confused from time to time. It is sort of like the senility that is common in people. There are times when she is a little irritable. I am sure that the limited sight is anxiety provoking for her.

Cuddles is still a member of our family. We do all that we can to make her comfortable. For most of her life, she slept on the bed next to The Lovely Shane all night. She has trouble jumping on the bed and is much more frail than she was in her younger days. For that reason, we have made her a dog bed on the floor just a few feet away from The Lovely Shane. Since the cold weather is rougher on older dogs, we have a small electric heater near her bed to keep her warm on the really cold nights.

Cuddles has always been very good about letting us know when she needs to go out to relieve herself. She is still housebroken but, lately she barks to alert us that she needs to go out and then does not go out. I don't think this is a health problem because she is eliminating but, we do have many false alarms. I think this is due to her mind aging.

I am writing this not to complain but to remind you that a dog is a lifetime commitment. They will all likely need a little extra and special care in old age. It is your responsibility to care for them and it is a responsibility for which you need to be prepared.

Senior dogs are a joy to have in your pack! Please don't let this discourage you from adopting a senior dog. Seniors can also be trained. You can absolutely teach a senior dog new tricks, so to speak.

If they are fortunate enough to not have many serious health problems they can get old enough to experience the mental issues that I mentioned in relation to Cuddles. They can get confused and irritable. They also get generally slower in old age. Remember however, this happens to people as well. It is just nature.

When you add a puppy or adult dog to your pack, you need to be prepared to care for them in their senior years. It breaks my heart to see senior dogs that end up in shelters or rescues because people no longer want to care for them.

If you need any assistance training your dog of any age please contact me at anytime.

Till Next Time

-William
William Moore
Co-Owner
Moore Services for Your Money
678-702-4791
mooresvs.com

Dog Steps. Why is there so little variety at the pet stores?

As our dogs get older, many times they need a little extra help in jumping on and getting down from things. Also, some of our smaller canine friends also need a little help.

Some of us like to have a dog in the bed with us at night. I know some dog trainers get all bent around the axle on this matter, but, if the dog is well behaved and waits to be invited on the bed, I really do not have an issue with letting the little guys and girls sleep on the bed or get on the furniture.

Most of the pet stores (Petco, Petsmart, etc) carry a few types of dog steps and ramps but the quality. quantity and variety is very limited. And considering the quality of these products, they are generally very over-priced.

The Lovely Shane and I decided to begin making our own custom dog steps and ramps. We have been doing this for about a year now in our workshop where we build other wood craft items.

As many of you know, for years, we have been building and selling the best porch swings available anywhere.

We also build the best custom cabinets and shelving available anywhere.

We can build dog steps or a ramp to your specifications to fit your needs. We can make you new dog steps look like a piece of custom furniture and fit your decor.

So, if you are frustrated by the quality or selection of dog steps from other sources, please let us help you.

Click here for a form that you can use to tell us about your custom dog steps needs. For type of project, choose custom furniture.

We look forward to working with you soon!

Remember, Copper the Whopper Beagle says: "Dog steps make great gifts!"

Till Next Time-

William

New Website

As most of my readers know, I also operate a lawn maintenance and handyman business. I have also offered commercial custodial services for many years as part of the handyman business.

Since we were married, the lovely, beautiful, and talented Shane has been a great help to me in these business endeavors. Shane has recently joined me as a full time partner (co-owner) in these business efforts.

Shane has recently begun building a residential cleaning offering.

I have wanted to get an Internet Domain Name for many years. We have finally done that and built a web site.

The new web site is: www.mooresvs.com . This web site will provide information on all of out service offerings including Dog Training. This blog will continue operating to provide dog training information, advice, and some of my commentary to our customers and the general public. I intend to update it more often in the future.  Recent health issues have prevented me from updating the blog as often as I should. I am recovering nicely now!

We will continue to offer the Dog Training services that we have always provided. The new website and new holding company name "Moore Services for your Money" is simply intended to provide our customers with a more convenient  way to access and learn about the services that we offer.

Thank you for your continued support!

Copper, the lovely Shane and I look forward to working with you in the future.

Till next time -

William

Welcome to the pack, Doyle the Doxle, Also, what I have been up to lately.

Welcome Doyle!

The Lovely Shane, Doyle and Butters spend quality time
at the Dog Training Shack

The Lovely Shane and I would like to welcome Doyle the Doxle to the pack at the Dog Training Shack!

We adopted Doyle shortly before Christmas from his former foster family at Angels Among Us dog rescue. The Lovely Shane saw Doyle on an Internet advertisement and fell in love with the little guy,

Doyle is a young adult and is very mild mannered. He loves nothing more than snuggling on the couch with his new Mommy. He is a young adult.

Doyle gives Daddy a kiss.

For those of you not familiar with the term "Doxle", Doyle is a mix of Dachshund and Beagle. He has a long body with short legs similar to his pack mate and new buddy Trigger the Dachshund. His face more closely resembles that of a Beagle.

Doyle is very food motivated, like a true Beagle. He also has many of the personality traits that one associates with the Dachshund. His bark sounds more like the Dachshund than the Beagle.

Now that Doyle is beginning to settle in to life with our pack, we are beginning to teach him basic commands (He knew a few already when we got him). It appears that he has never been taught to walk properly on a leash. We will begin that training soon.

Where has the Dog Trainer been hiding lately?

I apologize that it has been so long since you have heard much from me. I have had a few health problems lately. Most recently I had a very painful time with kidney stones. Before that, I had terrible migraine headaches that occurred every day. The doctors never really determined the cause of the headaches although they seem to have stopped now.

So, I am back in action now!

Copper and I have been doing dog training sessions. I have also started doing Handyman work again.

So, if you have a dog that is having trouble being a polite and well behaved little guy or girl, please contact me, Copper and I will be happy to help you!

By the way, Copper has now been my demo dog for two years! We are happy to celebrate that anniversary with Copper!

I am sure that I will put up a blog post soon to commemorate Copper's Anniversary.

Till Next Time-

William

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 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

It is cold outside..... bring your canine buddies inside!

Cody the little beagle relaxing on one of the dog
pillow beds at the dog training/foster shack.

We are getting some cold weather here in north Georgia (USA). According to WSB Radio ( a very reliable source for forecasts) the low tonight is going to be 13 degrees (F). I know this is not terribly cold to my friends in the northeastern USA but here in the southeast, it feels pretty cold to me! After spending 10 years of my adult life in Southern Florida (USA) I am still not acclimated to cold weather (even after 3 years or so of time back in North Georgia).

The forecast here also calls for "gusty winds". That makes it feel even colder. It is not just us humans who feel cold in this weather. Our canine friends are not used to it either!

These extreme temperatures and gusty winds are dangerous for them as well!

I understand that some of my readers (unlike myself and the Lovely Shane) do not keep their dogs in the house. I ask you all to please bring your little buddies in on nights like tonight!

Also, a word of caution to those of you who, like the Lovely Shane and I, have fenced back yards and let your dogs out from time to time: Please make sure all of your little buddies come back in the house when you open the door and let them in! I know this sounds like a no-brainer but it is easy to forget one of them!

Cody and some of the pack exploring the back yard
in much milder weather.

Our little beagle Cody loves to roam around in the backyard! He has a great time out there! Yesterday afternoon, I let our pack out in the backyard to play. I kept my eye on them checking on them frequently. After about twenty minutes of playtime, I let them back in the house making them wait at the door until I gave them the "okay" phrase to come across the doorway. Somehow, I neglected to let Cody back in the house. The Lovely Shane and I went out to run an errand and did not return for about an hour. It was then that I realized that little Cody was still outside. I felt terrible! I had missed him altogether at the door. He was shivering all over. I let him back in and The Lovely Shane and I put him on our bed and covered him in blankets. He was okay shortly after that. But, had the weather been colder or the time he was outside longer, he could have been hurt.

Now we have begun doing a dog count after they all come in to make certain that all of the pack is safe inside the shack! I urge you to do the same thing! I know that not all of you have as many dogs as we do here (right now , counting fosters we are at 5... sometimes we have 6) but please make sure the whole pack is safe!

It could be worse... this is a snow plow in Denver.
I got caught in a storm like this between Denver and
Cheyenne once when I was a business traveler (many
years ago )

Stay warm and remember if you need help making your little guy or girl 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

Copper the Whopper Beagle Demo Dog One Year Aniversary

The Lovely Shane, the entire pack at the Dog Training/Foster Shack and I congratulate Copper the Whopper Beagle on his one year anniversary!

We adopted Copper on January 12, 2013 and he almost immediately became my demo dog. He has an almost perfect personalty for a demo dog. He is very calm and gentle. He loves people and other dogs.

I could not have asked for a better demo dog! He loves to show off the behaviors that make him a polite dog! He is also good at helping to teach other dogs here at the shack!

He has also been a very good companion and friend to me over the past year. When I am sick he takes care of me. I mean he does not leave my side when I am sick. He constantly checks on me. He also helps me in my Lawn Maintenance/Handyman Business. He loves to meet customers and supervise my work (when the weather is mild enough of course).

We all love Copper here and look forward to spending many more years with him! Thank You my buddy, Copper!

If you need help teaching your dogs to be polite little guys/girls, Copper and I will be happy to help you! I always tell you, Polite Dogs = Happy People. Let Copper and I help you get happy today!

Till next time

-William

William Moore 

William Moore Canine Training

678-702-4791

fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

William Moore Lawn and Handyman Services

678-702-4791

fayettelawnmoore@gmail.com

fayettelawnmoore.blogspot.com

Adventures of Gracy : Housebreaking and Socialization

Foster Girl Gracy in the dog basket.

I am happy to report that Foster Girl Gracy is making great progress! We are very proud of her here at the Dog Training/Foster Shack!

When she first joined our pack, she was not housebroken and needed some work on socialization. As you may remember, Gracy is about 6 months old. She was very sick during the first few months of her life and had to remain in her crate most of the time. As a result, she was never really socialized much and she was not housebroken.

Socialization:

She is a very sweet girl. She loves people. However, she gets stressed when there are too many people or other dogs around. This became apparent when we first started taking her to adoption events at Petco in Peachtree City,GA. The first day we took her to an indoor adoption event, she immediately became overwhelmed and extremely stressed. I had to take her back to the shack after about 10 minutes.

Gracy enjoying the backyard sunshine
 at the Dog Training/Foster Shack

At the adoption event the next weekend, I kept her in a crate right next to a chair in which I was seated. She was still nervous and a little stressed but she did better. I would occasionally let her our of the cage to sit on my lap. The other volunteers also gave her some attention. This seemed to make her more comfortable.

Last weekend at the adoption event we put her in a small pen that was open on the top. She did much better. 

During those three weeks, between adoption events, I was really trying to make her more comfortable around people. She went over to her foster grandma and grandpa's house several times. Each time she became more comfortable over there. She loved the attention and the treats! I also worked with her around other dogs by taking some of the other pack members on walks to grandma and grandpa's house with her. 

She has made a great deal of progress over the last few weeks. However, as with many things in dog training, it takes patience and routine. We have to slowly introduce her to more people and dogs and make it a very positive experience for her.

Housebreaking:

With Gracy, we had a fairly unique but not unheard of issue. Because of the extended time she had to spend in the crate when she was sick, she learned to eliminate in the crate. When she first arrived at the shack, the crate was the only place that she would eliminate. That made for some very nasty clean-ups.

We began watching for signs that she needed to eliminate (i.e circling a spot, stress, etc). When we saw these signs we immediately took her outside. We also took her outside immediately when she had accidents in the house. We stopped keeping her in the crate at night and when we were away. We just left the door open on the crate. We also kept her where we could see her when we were home.

Dr. Phil McBeagle. He has no direct connection to this post
He is just a cute little foster guy in our pack. He will
be available for adoption very soon!

I noted how long it usually takes for her to eliminate after eating  (it was about 5 mins) and I began taking her out 5 minutes after meals.  We also took her out about once an hour when we were home and she was awake.

She still could not make it through the night without accidents. So, we set an alarm for 3:00 am and one of us would wake her up and take her out at 3:00. Most of the time she eliminated outside at 3:00 am. 

Eventually we noticed that she could make it through the night. 

I am pleased to announce that she rarely has accidents inside anymore! We are very proud of our little foster girl. 

Her housebreaking was difficult but, because we were diligent and developed a routine for her, the effort has been very successful!

I am writing this not to blow my own horn but to encourage my readers. If you have a dog with housebreaking or socialization problems, the situation is far from hopeless. I know that it is extremely frustrating but, you can be successful! It takes proper technique, determination and routine.

The Lovely Shane dressed for Christmas working on master
degree classes from the office at the Dog Training Shack

If you need help with the technique please contact me at anytime, I will be happy to help! As I always tell you, "Polite Dogs = Happy People". Let me help you get happy today!

Gracy is available for adoption. If you are considering adding a new addition to your pack, please, please, please, consider adoption! There are many little guys and girls like Gracy who desperately need and want a forever home. If you are in the Atlanta Area please contact me and I will be happy to get you in touch with a wonderful local rescue group!

Till Next Time

-William-