Paws in prison program

Hello,
Been a long time since we posted on here been really busy. Wanted to talk about a great program we have been part of for almost a year called paws in prison, we work with kill shelters and no-kill we take dogs who are going on a list to be put down and assess them if they pass the group/shelter gets them to there vet to get a check up and fixed, then they go into the prison where the dogs are placed with a two man team. For eight weeks we go out once a week and work with the inmates and dogs working on basic, Akc cgc and tricks the dogs photos are placed online and on Facebook where you can look and adopt these great dogs on the 8th week the handlers put on a demo for everyone who has come out to pick up there dogs. It's a happy/sad day as these dogs live with the inmate handlers 24/7 plus 54 other inmates. You can say the dogs are very well loved. Yes these inmates love these dogs so much and it shows in the hard work they do. Your asking the state pays for this no it's all done by donations this program needs to be in every unit in every state!!! The impact is so great. So if anyone reading this wants to donate please contact us we take food treats toys blankets etc even money. Thank you

Should play include mouthing?

Hello,
Want to touch base on this topic tonight. When you play with your puppy or adult dog is it good play? Or is it rough play? Your asking why would it matter its only a dog why yes it is a dog but what kind of behavior are you placing in its mind? Ask yourself this do I want a dog that will be good when my family comes over and brings there kids? Or do I want a little brat when the kids are playing the dog thinks its ok to bite and then what happens? You have family that is mad at you plus your dog maybe label vicious  do you really want that? I didn't think so, so why start always play nice and when it gets rough stop and do something else.
Thank you

Hopi & Her day at the calico rock prison

Hello,
As we are the trainers for the paws in prison program for calico rock we took hopi out with us on wed and man did she have a great time she got to meet all the handlers and most of the staff along with doing some doing some demos with her rally that she has been training for since she was 7 weeks old plus she did a little demo of reading flash cards for them and did really good but the fun part was when the handlers took her outside and one of them took off running and she was right with him barking and both of them had a smile on there face then another handler took her rope toy and did the same thing the only thing was hopi just stood there watching him run looking at him like he was doing it for no reason as we just stayed there laughing as he heard us he stopped and looked back and then called her and she was off running to him. she even took part in the training class once at home she was out like a light for the rest of the day/night. she did really good out there.

Holidays Coming

Hello,
Well with the holidays coming up fast we should take a moment to think about our pets and what we may need to do about them around all the holiday decor, you know that some decor/plants will kill your pets as will human food so its best to always do some looking before you place that plant on the floor where your dog or cat can get to it. and remember that a dog will get into the trash when you throw that turkey away and they can choke on the bones. so take it out to the trash and never feed your pet pie its not good for them sugar can make them sick and in some cases kill them.

Can Dogs Read?

Hello,
Its been awhile since my last post what we want to write about today is about can dogs read? or is it a training trick? well we ordered a packed of flash cards for our Aussie Hopi and I took out a few just too see what she would do and by god she did what the card said I.E. SIT she walked up and sat one card said DOWN she came up and downed and so on I think its all based on your dog and the time and training you put into them and with the reading well we are not going to say but keep watching for and update with photos of Hopi and her signs.

How to Keep a Pup Down When it gets injuried

Hello,
today's Topic is from a friend who's Aussie Pup got hurt Thanks for the topic Julie Hope Bailey Feels better soon.

What do you do when you have a pup who loves to run and play? but gets hurt? ok how about a hurt paw and is limping what do you do to keep them down and clam? well its hard to do that when they are young and want to go out and play. do you put them in a crate? you can but they will lick at the wound and that can make it worse so what do you do? well I was sitting here thinking about that after I got the text from Julie and this is what I came up with.

1. give the pup a nice hard chew bone or toy you can freeze it this will help take there mind off of the paw for a little while anyway. we use a product called soother spray or cream its made for animals and takes the pain away.

2, you can use a calming pill that you can get over the counter like at all pet they do work and it helps keep them clam and relaxed but not to the point they are out of it.

3. when they have to go outside for a potty break take them out on leash so they don't try and run off and check the paw for dirt and clean as needed.

4. if it doesn't get better soon call your vet for help sometimes they pick up stuff like we do they get splinters in there pads or a small cut.

we hope that Hopis little sister feels better soon so they can go play again

Hopi & Bailey

Hello,
The Post today is going to be about two friends Hopi & Bailey two female Australian Shepherds who are 3 months apart in age but you couldn't tell at all you would think there were litter mates sisters at that and that's what we call them they are both red but Hopi is a red-tri. they are great together running playing and even knocking people off there feet haha, when bailey first meet Hopi she ran didn't want anything to do with her but after about 15 mins they were best buds now you cant ask either one of them the others name with out them getting happy and doing the Aussie wiggle. well today Hopi went to baileys house to show her how to play with the agility equipment  that was built for bailey and man they had tons of fun and it didn't take bailey long before she was tipping the teeter and going though the weave poles but the tunnel was another story bailey thought it was a nice shady place to go lay down and take a nap lol but once she saw Hopi again run though so did bailey i think the AKC best watch out there's two young Aussie's who will be taking that sport by storm and its the team of Hopi & Bailey the two red Aussie sisters .

Dogs & Wildlife

Hello,
 Where we live at its not common to have wildlife come up and though our yard the dogs will bark and chase at them but of course we have a fenced back yard but most people around here don't so what happens is your dog is in full speed of that wildlife. are they going after a deer? or is that coyote trying to lure your dog out to kill it yes coyotes are nasty in that way. that's way doing a class should always be #1 on your dog list get your dog trained!!! recalls are the best way. just a week ago we had a very large coyote out back up at the fence trying to get our dogs to jump over it, why so it could lure them so its pack could kill them  these pests carry some really bad stuff and it was a good idea to clean the back yard even though our dogs have there shots you cant be too safe. so the next time your dog is outside and its barking go look it just might be wildlife.

Hopi & Friends At The Fair

Hello,
Well yesterday our kennel club and some of its members were at our local fair taking part in the AKC RDO event talk about tons of fun not only for the owners of the dogs but kids who got to handle our dogs but the dogs who were out in the barn with livestock and livestock judging going on. Hopi did so good as she is only a year old and is still in her learning stages for showing and being around large crowds with noise this really did her good. as it did the other young dogs who are going into the ring in Oct as is Hopi to go for her title. if you have a dog that you want to show it don't matter if you have a pure breed or mix breed get them out around as many different settings as you can as this will help get them used to crowds and noise.

NAKC Event on 9-13-12

Hello,
We are hoping to see all of you at the NAKC event at the Baxter Co Fair on 9-13-12 we will be out in the cattle area with our dogs we have a great group of members and there dogs coming this event is sponsored by the AKC event starts at 6pm if you want come a little early we have a parade of breeds at 6:10pm and a dog show where young kids will take our take our dogs and show them in the area how fun plus an agility rely match. this will be fun for all and a great way to learn about dogs and even some safety tips so come on down and say hi to all us we don't bite haha that was a joke. bring the kids and your cameras i know we sure will.

Out For Walks and Potty Breaks

Hello,
Man its been a few days for a post so here we go how many of you walk your dog? do you use a leash? is it 4ft or 6ft or do you use a flexi lead? how just let them run loose? I bet you are really thinking about this one. well lets take a look if you were out for a nice walk with your family and your dog was with think about it this way would you let your 2 or 3 year old child run around? no so why do you let your dog(s) when we walk ours they are on there leash and are right at our side like they are trained too when we think they need to go potty we stop and give them the commad potty why do you ask well thats a lesson for class but lets just say we have rules and the dogs follow them they even sit at the curb and when cars pass by they are told to sit. and or course we carry pop bags thats a must you dont want to make someone mad then to have your dog potty in there yard and leave it there thats just plain nasty. i mean kids may play there come on now. we like to use a 4ft leather leash on two of the dogs and a 6ft leather on the other she is bigger then the others. now go look and see what kind you use and if its a flexi get rid of them they are junk and a waste of your money.
thanks

Dog Parks

Hello,
Last night we took our pup over to the dog park with our friends pup they had a great time running and playing it was great dog parks are awesome to have in your town. but as the time went on this guy showed up with this mixed breed dog who doesn't play nice with other dogs he went in on the other side and his dog was growling and snapping though the fence at the two pups we soon got the pups away from the fence he was making friends with our pups and that's fine we didn't mind at all he tryed to get his dog to become friends she had calmed down some so he thought it would be OK to bring her over with our dogs we leashed ours to be safe his dog jumped on our pup bitting at her we got our pup away and my husband told him to control his dog or get it out. now you need to always be on the look out when you go to dog parks yes sometimes there are people there who think its OK to bring a dog who isn't going to play nice if a new dog does come in ask them to leash there dog and let the dogs meet that way if the new dog is showing any stress or growling you can always leave its better to keep your dog safe then have a fight yes we will take ours back again she had so much fun.
thank you

Does Your Dog Go Though The Door First?

Hello,
Here's A Question when you are taking your dog in or outside does your dog about run you over to get though the door? do you call the dog back to make them wait or just let them run by you? now ask yourself this. would you let them run out into a busy street? the answer is no so why do you let them run by you to get in or out the door before you? something you should do is put the leash on your dog and teach them to "WAIT" and this will make them behave better and not run you over plus if you have guests come over both young and old do you want that dog/pup knocking over your grandma? NO Dogs like us humans need rules they don't need to run wild in our homes or when we take them out.
Thank You

Training Collars

Hello,
It has been a few days since my last blog and here it is a topic that We feel is a good one to talk about Training Collars.
What type of training collars do you use? maybe you have a fav one? maybe you don't think your dog needs a training collar? or do you think a training collar is a choke chain? well here are my thoughts on it. Training collars are awesome there are so many different types of training collars out there you can use from the old school of choke chains now called chain collars and yes they do work good on dogs you just need to learn on how to use them just don't go buy one and put it on your dog just like a collar you have to fit them on if its to big or too small they wont work and can/will injury your dog always ask your trainer just not someone at a big box pet store how to fit them they are there to make money and they always don't care about your dog. now prong collars AKA pinch collars are a great way to train your dog again always ask your trainer to help fit this collar to your dog they don't slide over the dogs head as i once heard a so called trainer tell a customer, but you don't want to leave them on your dog for every long. now the limit slip collars are the best ones out on the market now as they will not choke your dog and as i was once told they will learn to respect the collar and they do as I have used all these training collars and will teach my students how to use these collars as well but they are a training collar and must be taken off after you are done with training as dogs have been injured when owners have left them on..
thank you

To Crate Or Not To Crate

Alot of people will ask. Should i crate train my dog? and the answer is yes there are so many reason why to crate and we will cover some of them.

Reason to crate your dog

1. its a safe place for your puppy/dog to be when your not at home
2. they can be in there crate when you have them i the back of a truck.
3. they learn to play and chew on there toys in there crate.
4. its there safe place to go when they need a place to get away.

This is how dogs end up in the pound.

1. your house will be chewed up while you are gone
2.while driving down the road your dog sees a cat and jumps out of the back of the truck
3.they chew up your new pair of $100. shoes
4. they get up on the bed while wet and muddy after playing in the pond.

Bad Weather Tips

Hello,

Some tips for when Bad Weather hits. its always best to make sure you always have a copy of your pets vet records both on paper and scaned on a flashdrive plus make sure you a have a tote with a sealed bag of food some treats an extra leash and extra ID tag in the tote and write on the tote in a marker your name and two phone numbers and the pets name that the tote belongs too that way if for some reason it gets lost it can find its way back to you.

For smaller animals like pet birds keep small plastic dog crates on hand with extra food and water dishes in them so you can move them fast to a safe place. and again a tote is a must if you have one pack for your self and family whats one more for the family pet after all they are a member of the family.

How Important Puppy Classes & Shots Are.

Hello,
Want to write now how important it is to get your new  puppies into a class as soon as they can. Even if it is a the trainer coming to your home for a couple of weeks to start them on a leash and heeling, this will help them start to develop into a good adult dog in later life. A good age to start is at about 7-8 weeks at age at this age as their mind is like sponge and they will learn so much. About new behaviors in those first few weeks after getting your puppy, it's always a good idea to talk with your trainer about classes and your vet about getting your pup on their vaccinations. However, you need to know a few things first if you take your new puppy out in public. NEVER, I mean NEVER, put him/her on the ground in public areas as the ground can have many germs for them to pick up like Provo or distemper. They will walk and get contamination on their pads their feet. Then they will lick their feet,  and wham bam you have a sick puppy on your hands. If strangers want to pet your puppy make them wash or disinfect their hands first as you don't know where their hands have been. Your main goal is to keep your puppy healthy and safe.  Even if you think a shopping cart is safe, think again! They use them to put trash in to carry out to the story, other customers will put their dogs in them and you don't know if that dog has gotten sick in that cart or potted in it. So, if you are going to put your new puppy in a cart take disinfect wipes and clean the cart. Then place a pad or blanket in it one so the pup's little paw won't get stuck in the grate in the cart, if your pup gets hurt in a business's shopping cart, that store is not responsible for a vet visit and you have made your pup scared to try another outing at a store.

Thank you and enjoy your new family member   Marsha

Fall Weather Coming

Hello,
With fall coming up on us, you might want to think about getting your dog(s) ready for it! First remember to make them a grooming appointment and make sure their summer coat is brushed out and ready for fall. Then you may want to start extra walks to enjoy the beautiful weather, but just like us humans,  you will need to warm up your dogs joints before starting off, so they don't hurt themselves on the walk. Don't forget to do a cool cool down with them also.  Just because it maybe cooler temperatures out, remember you need to always have water with you for yourself and your dog.