Do All Therapy Dogs Like Other Dogs?

The letter below is one written to a client at the dog daycare and boarding facility where I am the Training and Behavior consultant.

The dog's owner was justifiably proud his dog had passed the TDI (Therapy Dog International) test.  This dog was a wonderful therapy dog and she and her owner brought a great deal of happiness to people in the community.  

However, like humans, dogs do not excel at everything.  His dog, though wonderful with humans, did not like other dogs.  He did give me a few clues.  He felt uneasy at the dog park, did not have play dates with other dogs, and did not feel his dog would share a toy.

The names have been changed .

Good therapy dogs need to be the kind of dogs who ADORE people, all people, and want nothing more than to connect with them. It is, after all, the emotional connection that is often the therapeutic part of AAA and AAT.  It seems to me that dogs sort into 4 categories: 1) adore people, care little for other dogs, 2) adore dogs, care little for unfamiliar people, 3) adore members of both species and are thrilled to meet new ones and 4) adore neither dogs or people, except maybe their owner. Needless to say, only categories 1 and 3 are good therapy prospects.
Patricia McConnell, PhD.  Author of The Other End of the Leash, one of the best dog book I have ever read.

April 8, 2014

Dear Mr. Smith,

It is never easy to write one of these notes telling someone their dog is not a good candidate for daycare, especially when that dog has accomplished as much as your dog has and been such an asset to the community. 

In part the decision to stop Sparky’s daycare evaluation immediately was partly dependent on her therapy dog status.  Sparky obviously loves people.  She is wiggly, kissy, and sweet.  She is a great ambassador for her breed.  All too often I have clients say, “My dog did this, because she is a rescue dog.”  How I wish I had Sparky in my back pocket let them see how wonderful rescue dogs are. 

Sparky, however, is one of the dogs that Patricia McConnell described above as dog #1.  She went into the back with me, saw a line of kenneled dogs, and jammed on the breaks.  I put her into a nearby suite with an opaque door and she was content.  

After about a half hour I went to evaluate her.  She was delighted to see me.  I let her roam about my evaluation yard, sniff, come to me for petting, and get comfortable with the environment.  Then I let in our first dog, a young female pittie with excellent manners and a sweet disposition, a lot like Sparky.  She approached Sparky quietly for a sniff and Sparky snarled and punched her in the neck.  The dog paused and tried again, for a soft gentle greeting and Sparky repeated her neck punch. 

I opened a crate and the other dog ran in and leaned against the back wall, avoiding eye contact with Sparky. 

Since you obviously have put a lot of care into your dog I am sure you know one bad experience can turn a great dog into a leash reactive dog.  No one with a therapy dog needs a leash reactive dog. 

Because of your excellent walking habits and care, Sparky is happy with other dogs when she is on leash. However she does not want to be approached.  I would not ruin this for the world and stopped the evaluation before she had a chance to become uneasy with other dogs. 

I hope you agree with my decision.  Our primary goal is to ensure all dogs in our care are safe and happy.

With this note is a very nice article by Robin Bennet called, “My Dog Got Kicked Out of Daycare Today”.  I hope it explains anything I might have failed to make clear.  

http://www.robinkbennett.com/2013/07/21/my-dog-got-kicked-out-of-daycare-today/

In the mean time, if you would like Sparky to come to us for day boarding she can be one of our non-daycare dogs.  She will have a nice place to rest, regular walks, and people to talk to and play with and, if you provide it, a lunch time snack.  We would love to have her here, she is a very sweet dog, just not a dog who wants to hang out with a lot of strange dogs.

I look forward to Therapy Dog International Visits with you, Sparky and my dog, Ella.  She will appreciate Sparky's polite demeanor and I am sure we will have a fine time.  I am very proud we passed the TDI test and can join you and your fellows.

Yours,

Claudia Black-Kalinsky, CPDT-Ka
Cell:  912-677-2861
email:  Claudia@trainthisdog.com
Web: http://www.catnipnbiscuits.com/

Web: Train This Dog

Association of Pet Dog Trainers
Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers

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A New Love Story...

Meet Chloe...






...she is a boxer bloodhound mix just adopted in to her forever family! Her new family love her to pieces already and at only 4 months old, that bond and pup will grow with leaps and bounds. She has quite the extended family too and she has been making a few rounds as she learns some social skills. You can tell she is already enamoured with one of the youngest family members..

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The difference between Dog Training and Canine Behavior Modification

Training and Behavior Modification are two very different things.

You can train a third grader to play the violin, he may be the best trained violin player in town, but he beats up kids in the playground.  

Violin playing is training.

Fighting with fellow third graders is behavior.

It is probably easier to train a child with a reasonable amount of musical ability to scratch out a tune on the violin than it is to modify the behavior of a child who gets into fights in the playground.

Currently I have a client in my Savannah Dog Training Classes with a young dog who is sweet in every way.  She is friendly and gentle with people, and loves to play with other four month old puppies.  She is doing very well in her puppy class, quickly picking up commands and seems engaged with the training process.  Her training progress is excellent.

However, she had a very unfortunate experience with a groomer during her fear impact period.  During this experience she was brought in a back room, lifted from the ground, restrained, and her toe nails were blunted with an electric dremel.  

This is a perfect storm of fear for a young dog.  She was
1. removed from her person

2. lifted and restrained by a stranger

3. she was exposed to an unfamiliar electric implement (think of your dog's reaction to perhaps vacuums or leaf blowers)

4. and while she was struggling the implement was applied to her feet in an unpleasant way.

The groomer came out and said that the dogs was, "The Worst Puppy she had ever seen."

Honestly, I think this may be one of the Worst Groomers I have ever heard of.  The first puppy appointment at a groomer should be nothing but happy.  The owner should be in the room, there should be treats, a little gentle brushing, the dremel can softly tap the puppy's toes when it is turned off, and be turned on when it is not near the puppy.  The puppy should get to sniff the things in the room.  It should stand on the table, maybe get it's toes wet in the tub, and go home.

The unfortunate result of this experience is, when anyone but the owner tries to life the puppy from the floor she becomes hysterical, tries to escape, and if she can't she will snarl and bite, hard.

To help the puppy get over this experience we will be engaging in behavior modification techniques, particularly desensitization and counter conditioning.  Gradually we will try to build positive associations with strangers handling the puppy, touching the puppy's feet, and gently elevating the puppy.  This may take a long time, but since the dog is young and has not been practicing this behavior very long, we will make quicker progress than if the dog were mature and this were deeply ingrained into their personality.

This behavior modification is for the sweet little puppy who picks up training cues like SIT, DOWN, and WAIT almost immediately.

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DOT's a little late...

Welcome back to the Dogs on Thursday. I apologize that despite good intentions and new year resolution, the first post of the new year is a little late. If you are interested you can read the why here: www.mylifehasgonetothedogsandiloveit.blogspot.com

I know everyone who reads this blog is a true dog lover. They value their buddies as part of their families. I do as well. I so enjoy the

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2014 A Time for fresh Aaarfs!

2014, a time to start again. HoneyDew, Sampson and I thought this would be the perfect time to celebrate dogs everywhere, and what a better way then to start this blog up again. So that being said, this Thursday will be the first of 2014 Dogs on Thursday!

Please leave us a comment if you are still checking back on this blog as we would like to connect back up with all of you!

Mr. Linky will be

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Easy and Delicious Appetizers

Most of the people order takeaway appetizers for house parties. But the truth is that you can make some delicious and yummy appetizers and this is not going to take a lot of your time. As a matter of fact these appetizers will be winners at your party and are also healthy and nourishing. Most of the appetizers you buy from the shop have a lot of cheese, all-purpose flour and are deep fried in oil. When you make them at home you can be sure about the ingredients and their health benefits. You can add your own personal touch to the party by making your own delicious appetizers. Here are some ideas.

Homemade Grilled Prawns

Ingredients

Extra virgin olive oil - 2 tablespoonsCrushed garlic - 2 clovesBread crumbs - 1/2 cupSeafood seasoning - 1/2 teaspoonUncooked prawns (Peeled and deveined ) - a poundSeafood cocktail sauce

Directions for making these delicious appetizers

Combine olive oil and crushed garlic cloves in small bowl and make it stay for half an hour.Combine the bread crumbs with seafood seasoning and mix well.Dip the prawns, one at a time in the olive oil-garlic mix, and bread them in the bread crumbs.Now thread the prawns onto metal skewers. Grill the prawns, covered, in medium heat for 2-3 minutes or till they turn pink. Serve with seafood sauce.

Cherry tomato and basil bruschetta

Ingredients

cherry tomatoes - 6 or 7baguette French bread or similar fancy bread- 1olive oil - 1/4 cupgarlic - 2 cloves mincedvinegar - 1 teaspoonbasil leaves, chopped - 6 - 8salt, to tastecrushed black pepper, to taste

Directions for making these delicious appetizers

Blanch the cherry tomatoes in hot water, remove the skin and seeds and chop.Mix the chopped tomatoes with garlic, chopped basil leaves, olive oil and vinegar in a bowl. Add pepper powder and salt to taste.Slice the baguette bread into half-inch thick slices. Brush them with the olive oil and rub with minced garlic cloves and bake them at 250 degree Celsius, till they turn golden brown in color.Take them away from oven and serve with the tomato- basil mixture on top. Do this just before serving the Bruschetta; and then serve immediately. These delicious appetizers can be eaten without any dip sauce.

Fried Onion Rings

Ingredients

Large onions - peeled, and sliced into 1/2-inch thick rings - 2Buttermilk - 2 cupsSalt, to tasteBlack pepper powder, to tasteFlour - 1 1/4 cupsCorn flour - ¾ cupOil - 3 cups for frying

Directions for making these delicious appetizers

Combine the buttermilk with salt and pepper. Dip the onion rings in this mixture and keep for half an hour.Combine the all-purpose flour and corn flour with salt and pepper. Keep aside.Pick the onion rings from the buttermilk marinade, coat in the flour - corn flour mixture and fry in hot oil. Serve these hot immediately with ketchup.The Danish term for delicious appetizer is l?kre forretter . To see a few more other great recipes for meal starters, please visit this website: isabellas.dk . Rate this Article

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Sjef Jens has published 14 articles. Article submitted on August 16, 2013. Word count: 447

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Simply Healthy Dinner Recipes are a Breeze with a Well-Stocked Pantry

With today's hectic urban lifestyle, working professionals often resort to fast food after a busy day at the office. It's convenient but also unhealthy. Fixing dinner shouldn't have to be a chore. Even if you're no culinary whiz, simple healthy dinner recipes are possible if you have a well-stocked pantry. The idea is to avoid the need to go grocery shopping every time you cook, because it cuts through the food preparation time.

Knowing what to keep on hand makes it easy for me to cook a delicious, nutritious meal every night of the week that doesn't involve burgers, fries, pizza or anything deep-fried. The benefits of cooking my own meal over opting for take-out are fairly obvious - I control the amount of salt, fat, sugar that goes into everything as prepackaged food items contain preservatives and additives that have no business in my food or my body. Eating real food goes a long way in improving my mealtime habits.

Still confused on what to pick at the grocery? Allow me simplify things by sharing food items that could be staples in your home. Adjust it according to your family's lifestyle and eating habits and you'll be whipping up a meal in a snap.

Flours - unbleached white, wheat, rice, cake, almond

Sugars - brown, cane or beet, powdered, turbinado or demerara

Dry Pastas - a few different shapes and sizes

Grains - couscous, rice, barley, quinoa, oats, flax, cornmeal

Oils - olive oil, canola oil, coconut oil, peanut oil, sesame oil

Vegetables - onions, potatoes, garlic

Canned/Jarred Tomatoes - sauce, diced, stewed, paste

Spreads - peanut, almond & hazelnut butters, jam, jelly

Natural Sweeteners - honey, maple syrup, agave

Vinegars - balsamic, white, red wine, apple cider, rice wine

Specialty Sauces - hot sauce, Tabasco, oyster sauce, mirin, rice wine, soy sauce

Nuts - almonds, walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, coconut

Dried Fruit - raisins, apricots, dates, cherries, cranberries

Dried or Canned Beans- black, navy, pinto, kidney

Canned fish/seafood - tuna, salmon, clams, sardines, anchovies

Specialty Items - artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, olives

Herbs and Spices - oregano, basil, parsley, rosemary, cumin, peppers and many more

Salts - kosher, sea salt, pickling salt, rock salt

Baking Ingredients - baking powder, baking soda, yeast, cream of tartar, chocolate

Extracts - vanilla, almond, lemon, peppermint

Beverages - coffee, tea, cocoa

You don't have to buy everything at once. The trick here is to consider the food items you eat regularly. Make a list of the foods you eat at least once a week because chances are you will need the same items when you replenish your stock. Build up your pantry gradually. Remember to also clean out your pantry occasionally and dispose of anything past its expiration period. A well-stocked pantry makes grocery shopping easier because you only need to buy perishable items (meat, vegetables and other fresh ingredients) and not every herb, sauce or condiment needed for a particular recipe you have in mind for dinner.

I cook from time to time so I'm pretty much familiar with the stuff I have in my kitchen. Mom says I make the best buffalo wing sauce while my raspberry vinaigrette dressing recipe is fast becoming a favorite at family gatherings. I've recently experimented with marinades using what I have in my pantry and I'm close to perfecting what I consider to be the best marinade for chicken. Now who says cooking is boring, huh?

I credit my love for the culinary arts in keeping me healthy all these years. I am now conscious of what I eat and even more with the food preparation. To eat healthy, I made healthy choices in what I eat all the time - meals and snacks. Eating a healthy, balanced diet provides me the necessary nutrients I need. These nutrients give me energy and keep my heart beating, my brain active, and my muscles working. And it's all thanks to my well-stocked pantry.

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