Article & Images Submitted by: Shannon MacBeth, Shakespeare's Legacy Labradors www.facebook.com/shakespeareslegacylabradors
"Empowering puppies to be all they can be with and for their forever families."
“Don’t push dogs past their desire” ~Jay Jack
Just like humans, dogs have different looks, personalities, temperaments, motivation, confidence and desires. This is why each of our puppies go through individual evaluations prior to being chosen by their forever families. This is to ensure everyone’s wants and needs are met. Not all dogs are meant for service, therapy or facility work. Some are not meant for hunting and retrieving. Some are not meant for a physically active family and some will shy away and become overwhelmed in a loud crowd. We need to do our best to honor these dogs, respecting their abilities and avoid forcing them to be what they aren’t meant to be. This only leads to aggression, repression and frustration for everyone involved, especially the dog.
"Empowering puppies to be all they can be with and for their forever families."
“Don’t push dogs past their desire” ~Jay Jack
Just like humans, dogs have different looks, personalities, temperaments, motivation, confidence and desires. This is why each of our puppies go through individual evaluations prior to being chosen by their forever families. This is to ensure everyone’s wants and needs are met. Not all dogs are meant for service, therapy or facility work. Some are not meant for hunting and retrieving. Some are not meant for a physically active family and some will shy away and become overwhelmed in a loud crowd. We need to do our best to honor these dogs, respecting their abilities and avoid forcing them to be what they aren’t meant to be. This only leads to aggression, repression and frustration for everyone involved, especially the dog.
However, in saying that, none of the training tips written here should cause even the slightest amount of stress for you or your dog. They are simply basic canine manners. Remember, a dog knows how to be a dog, innately, by dog standards. They don’t know how to be a dog by human standards or the expectations and boundaries they need to abide by. Let’s start with setting expectations around a door. Picture coming home from a hard day's work and you open the door to the aroma of a lovingly made full course meal of your favorites. The house has been cleaned top to bottom and the air is still holding a touch of cleaner. The children have been freshly bathed and their soap smell still lingers. What a dream, right?! All your favorite things and all your favorite smells. You quickly push the door the rest of the way open to allow the scents to fully fill your senses as you burst through it, excited to be home. This is what happens to a dog as the door opens to the outside world. They can smell the garbage at the curb that still hasn’t been picked up. The dog six houses up has recently walked by. Their favorite humans are on the swing set in the back yard and cows from the farm a mile away, have returned from the field. Their nose is working overtime and their need to smell more as well as explore as many of those scents as quickly as possible is all they are able to process, unless we train them properly. In the wild, they are free to follow where their nose leads at any time, day or night. In the human world they now live in, this is not usually the case. For their own safety, we never want them to bolt through a door, especially if there is not a fenced area for them to safely explore on the other side. Therefore, door manners are very important. This is going to be another building cue. If you have two doors (screen door and inside solid door), I recommend starting with the inside door. Start with having the dog sit calmly by the door. Open the door slowly. If the dog starts to move, close the door and ask them to sit again. Continue this until you can completely open the door without the dog moving. Every time they are successful in waiting, click and reward. Then comes the bigger test, the door to the outside world with all those smells. Repeat the same steps as before, just be prepared to close the door quickly and maybe have the dog on a leash to prevent their big escape. The end goal should be throwing the door wide open and the dog remaining in place, even as you’ve crossed the threshold without them. The dog should remain in place until given the cue “outside” releasing them to calmly walk through the door. Sound too good to be true? Believe me when I say it’s not; it just needs patience, commitment and clear communication with your dog.
Moving on, this next section is more about canine first aid than it is about training, however it is very important information to have in your doggy tool bag. I love summer, no schedules, lots of free time for adventures and exploring. Of course, we want our dogs to join us in as many outings as possible, but they depend on us to make the hard decisions on when and when not to include them. Leaving a dog in a hot car is NEVER an option. If you think I’m mistaken, please put on a full length, fur coat and sit in the car for the same amount of time as you plan to leave your dog in there. The temperature in a car, even with windows open a bit and sitting in a shaded area increases to life risking temperatures in a matter of mere minutes. Please, I implore you to check out your activity prior to adding it to your itinerary if you plan to take your dog. Determining if your activity is dog friendly can easily be found by checking out the location’s website or calling ahead of time. Are you traveling with your dog? Many communities have a doggy day care or kennel that would be willing to watch your dog during any non-dog-friendly excursions. If you see a dog in distress in a hot car, please call the NBSPCA hotline at 1-877-722-1522. However, if the dog appears to be suffering from heatstroke and is not responding to those outside of the car, please call RCMP for guidance.
What to do if your dog becomes overheated? Unlike humans, dogs are not able to sweat. They release heat from their body by panting alone. You’d think giving your dog cold water, the colder the better, would reduce their temperature. Unfortunately, this is a myth that could cause your dog their life. If your dog is panting heavily and appears to be overheated, try to cool them off by placing their paws in cool water. You can also add a cool cloth to their stomach and head. Water given at this stage should be no colder than room temperature. If the dog is given cold water, it tricks the brain into thinking they are cold because their insides are now cold, and their body will retain the heat versus cooling them down. If your dog is panting heavily, be sure to slowly offer them water as too much at a time could cause excess air to their stomach possibly causing a life threatening condition called “bloat” where air gets locked into the digestive system and is not able to be released. If you think your dog has heat stroke or bloat, these are both emergencies and a vet visit is required immediately.
When the weather is hot, walking your dog is also putting them at risk. If you are unable to place the back of your hand on the pavement and leave it there for 3 minutes, it’s too hot for your dog. Not only can this cause heat stroke but it can also cause very painful burns to your dog’s paw pads where healing is difficult and healing time is extensive. During a heat wave, plan to walk your dog on shaded trails or during cooler parts of the day, for example early mornings or after supper.
Need a boredom buster during those hotter days? How about a snuffle mat? What is a snuffle mat? You can find snuffle mats in pet stores and from online providers. They are mats where you can hide kibble and treats, and the dog needs to find them all by using their nose. You can easily make something similar by using a towel. Lay the towel out flat and sprinkle kibble throughout the towel, then roll it up and if possible tie it in a knot. Offer this new challenge to your dog and watch them use their nose, teeth and paws to unravel the food puzzle, enjoying every second. Have a shaded area in your yard that is also grassed? Sprinkle kibble and treats among the grass and encourage your dog to “find it” or “sniff time”. Among all the other amazing smells in the yard, they will be challenged to find their snack. Both of these will help work your dog’s brain, sufficiently tiring them out on days where walks and rides in the car just aren’t in their best interest.
Common sense, being prepared and putting your dog’s best interest first will help you both have a fun and memorable summer. Happy training!
Moving on, this next section is more about canine first aid than it is about training, however it is very important information to have in your doggy tool bag. I love summer, no schedules, lots of free time for adventures and exploring. Of course, we want our dogs to join us in as many outings as possible, but they depend on us to make the hard decisions on when and when not to include them. Leaving a dog in a hot car is NEVER an option. If you think I’m mistaken, please put on a full length, fur coat and sit in the car for the same amount of time as you plan to leave your dog in there. The temperature in a car, even with windows open a bit and sitting in a shaded area increases to life risking temperatures in a matter of mere minutes. Please, I implore you to check out your activity prior to adding it to your itinerary if you plan to take your dog. Determining if your activity is dog friendly can easily be found by checking out the location’s website or calling ahead of time. Are you traveling with your dog? Many communities have a doggy day care or kennel that would be willing to watch your dog during any non-dog-friendly excursions. If you see a dog in distress in a hot car, please call the NBSPCA hotline at 1-877-722-1522. However, if the dog appears to be suffering from heatstroke and is not responding to those outside of the car, please call RCMP for guidance.
What to do if your dog becomes overheated? Unlike humans, dogs are not able to sweat. They release heat from their body by panting alone. You’d think giving your dog cold water, the colder the better, would reduce their temperature. Unfortunately, this is a myth that could cause your dog their life. If your dog is panting heavily and appears to be overheated, try to cool them off by placing their paws in cool water. You can also add a cool cloth to their stomach and head. Water given at this stage should be no colder than room temperature. If the dog is given cold water, it tricks the brain into thinking they are cold because their insides are now cold, and their body will retain the heat versus cooling them down. If your dog is panting heavily, be sure to slowly offer them water as too much at a time could cause excess air to their stomach possibly causing a life threatening condition called “bloat” where air gets locked into the digestive system and is not able to be released. If you think your dog has heat stroke or bloat, these are both emergencies and a vet visit is required immediately.
When the weather is hot, walking your dog is also putting them at risk. If you are unable to place the back of your hand on the pavement and leave it there for 3 minutes, it’s too hot for your dog. Not only can this cause heat stroke but it can also cause very painful burns to your dog’s paw pads where healing is difficult and healing time is extensive. During a heat wave, plan to walk your dog on shaded trails or during cooler parts of the day, for example early mornings or after supper.
Need a boredom buster during those hotter days? How about a snuffle mat? What is a snuffle mat? You can find snuffle mats in pet stores and from online providers. They are mats where you can hide kibble and treats, and the dog needs to find them all by using their nose. You can easily make something similar by using a towel. Lay the towel out flat and sprinkle kibble throughout the towel, then roll it up and if possible tie it in a knot. Offer this new challenge to your dog and watch them use their nose, teeth and paws to unravel the food puzzle, enjoying every second. Have a shaded area in your yard that is also grassed? Sprinkle kibble and treats among the grass and encourage your dog to “find it” or “sniff time”. Among all the other amazing smells in the yard, they will be challenged to find their snack. Both of these will help work your dog’s brain, sufficiently tiring them out on days where walks and rides in the car just aren’t in their best interest.
Common sense, being prepared and putting your dog’s best interest first will help you both have a fun and memorable summer. Happy training!
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