What? Another Class?

This is the question I was asked the other day. Yep. Another class. This one is called "Clicks and Tricks" and it's offered at my favorite facility, Seattle Agility Center. I've found a wonderful instructor there (although they all are great.) Tawnya, the woman from whom I've taken several classes, said something that clicked at the end of our Rally class. I knew it intuitively, but I hadn't verbalized it. She said, "I'm glad you are taking Bella through more courses. It keeps her thinking and helps with your bond." I might add that it keeps me thinking also! I love working with Bella and enjoy learning more—and better—ways to do things with her.

I find this particular clicker class exhausting for both the B Girl and I. I am not adept at it yet (a little slow on the click and treat) and I'm sure this causes confusion with Bella, but we both like it and Tawnya is great. She drops little comments that are spot on and like all instructors, I'm sure she is thrilled when she sees a student "get it."

I am presently working on not using Bella's name as a correction. I think dogs are intelligent enough to get your tone of voice and know that their name said in "that" tone means they had better pay attention and toe the line. Yet I also understand Tawnya's advice that giving verbal instruction instead of just using the name as a correction is more positive and pro-active.

I'm ready! I'm ready! Whaddya want? High five? Spin?

Bella and I are clicking our way through rolling over (so far she is merely laying down, no "over" so far), high five with both paws (my girl is definitely right-pawed), spin (check!), grabbing and retrieving a basket (she nudges it, but has not mouthed it yet).

Old Fears

Lucy, our last dog, was attacked on three occasions by three different "packs" of pit bulls—always a gang of two. Although I don't blame the dogs (but the horribly negligent owners), I have an ingrained fear of pits because of those incidents. And it is the last attack where one dog took on Lucy's front and the other her rear that is seared into my brain.

So imagine my fear while walking Bella and K2 (whom I was caring for), when two pits rushed us. One backed off immediately, but not the other. K2 was at the end of her leash trying to distance herself while Bella was the target. The dog did not attack, but was growling, aggressive and kept his head over her shoulders. Bella's tail was tucked and in no mood to argue. I was trying to position myself between them (not smart), screaming and kicking at him while the owner was yelling and trying to grab him.

When the owner was able to separate him, I told her she had better leash her dogs; she had no business allowing them loose. She told me to get off her property. Huh? I'm walking in the middle of a city street with two leashed and licensed dogs. This is public property, ma'am, and your dogs are loose and aggressive. Déjà vu. It was too scary to relive this kind of scenario with Bella. I have woken each morning since and that dog is the first thing that comes to mind.

Dealing with Injuries

When we were in Baja, Bella injured herself several times. Having your best buddy hurt is hard in any situation. Down there, it was doubly traumatic for me as we were so far from the "big city." Compound that by the day of the week (did we have to wait through the weekend?) and potential language snafus, and Bella being hurt became a big issue.

All her injuries were play/exuberance induced. Chasing a ball while not looking where she was going, she ran into the front of a parked car hitting it hard enough to visibly move it. I thought she'd dislocated her shoulder. Luckily, with a couple of anti-inflammatories under her belt and a few days of rest, she was fine. Best yet, she started looking where she was running!

Then she cut some pads on her back paws. We were told that the yard, all sand, had once been a neighborhood dumping spot. For two months I raked the yard daily, always uncovering shards of glass. I figured I pulled out over 20 pounds of glass, rusted nails and wires, broken pottery and other sharp objects—but most was glass. One pad was cut severely enough that I wondered if it would ever heal back to a normal shape. And what about infection? Luckily, infection didn't set in and her pads are fine!

This was followed by another injury where she stopped putting any weight on a back foot. (Her poor back paws!) There is a ubiquitous, little grass in Baja that several dog owners warned me about. Of course, it is most problematic when it dries because its color becomes even more sand-like. And like foxtail here, this grass can also kill. I looked at Bella's paw (which is also sand-colored) and found nothing. My husband did the same with a magnifying glass. We even tried to clip the fur which was tough as her fur is already short, but we found nothing. I wanted to take her to a vet in the city, but we had to wait until Monday—two days away.

Luckily for Bella and us, a neighbor was a retired veterinarian from the states. Although he wasn't interested in practicing anymore, he was willing to look at Bella. The way he did it was interesting. Where we went right to the source—her paw—he said he always starts further away. One, he wants to calm the animal, but also, the injury may actually be elsewhere. He started at her hip and worked his way down to her paw assessing leg movement as he went.

The vet looked both at the bottom and the top. Bingo! Looking at the whole foot from the top (not just between toes), you could see how swollen one toe was. He surmised she had probably sprained a toe and suggested we put her on anti-inflammatories for a couple of days. He said if there was any abscessing to let him know immediately as that could mean the grass seed was an issue. However, after several days she was fine.

On our drive back home in the states, late one night before bed, she jammed a stick into the back of her mouth, slicing skin open. Awful! Blood everywhere! I was frantic, but luckily we were back in the states and I knew we could get to a vet early in the morning.

All her injuries were from play though that doesn't make it any easier to deal with. But wonder if your pup is seriously hurt? Considering how I hate the sight of blood (fainting would not be too off the mark), how does one handle a pet's injuries?

I feel lucky that none of Bella's incurred injuries in Baja were life threatening. Quite a few years ago, I attended a Pet First Aid class put on by a local shelter. It was brief, but a good class; we each received a pet first aid booklet that I keep in Bella's traveling bag. Recently I learned that a neighbor teaches a more intensive pet first aid class and is trying to put together a local offering this spring, which I'd love to attend.

Today I received a link via Bark Magazine on how to deal with a bleeding pet. Because many of us take our dogs traveling and those dogs participate in many of our sports—hiking, mountain biking, skijoring, etc.—the chance of a pup getting hurt is not all that unlikely. I urge you to look into pet first aid classes offered in your community. It's a great feeling of security knowing you are better able to help an injured pet until you can get it to a veterinary hospital.

Choosing a Day Care for Your Pup

Some good friends recently adopted a young rescue dog. This pup is very lucky as she is with her pack 24/7. The owners are self-employed, so their new dog, K2, is at work with them all day. They are also quite active, so K2 gets to jog, hike or play daily, plus her owners set up play dates with neighborhood dogs. K2 arrived at their house with beautiful doggie etiquette and the ability to communicate well with her other four-legged friends. This pup doesn't need doggie day care, but we did discuss how valuable it can be. There are now so many available, the question is how do you choose the one that is most appropriate for your favorite four-legged friend?

I wrote about my experience with doggie day care when Bella was a young girl. My husband and I are retired so Bella is rarely alone, but I was concerned she wasn't getting enough time with other dogs.  The first place I checked out, though less expensive and closer, didn't have a large enough people-to-dog ratio. It seemed a recipe for disaster. The place I ended up taking her I liked a lot, but with two exceptions: it was too far away and its policy for a mandatory four hour stay was inconvenient. Bella went once and that was it, although I would have continued if they were closer. She hasn't been back to a day care since.

However, if you are away from home for long stretches of time and your best buddy is on his own, doggie day care might be the perfect solution to relieve his boredom. Recently I've come across a series of articles on the Internet with guidelines for choosing day care that suits your wallet, peace of mind, and your pup's temperament. Bark Magazine has an excellent article and a great tip sheet that is definitely worth perusing if you are thinking of this activity for your pup. I feel the people-to-dog ratio is critical and Riverdog, where Bella went, was great with this—around 10-15 dogs to one person plus an office staff that was available should the need arise. In addition, they "matched" Bella's playing style with other dogs so she was neither overwhelming or overwhelmed. They also had "quiet time" interspersed in the four hour visit so dogs had an opportunity to cool their jets.

The different articles I read also encouraged prospective doggie day care-ites to watch the day care in action to see how activities and interactions are handled. If you are not allowed to observe, go elsewhere. (Many also have cameras in the rooms so you can watch how your pup is doing while you're at work.) If they have a breed exclusion policy—put on the brakes—it indicates misunderstanding the difference between behavior and breed. The facility should require all dogs be current on vaccinations, are in good health, are sociable and well-behaved. What is the training and knowledge of the staff working with your dog's group? How do they handle a medical emergency? Not all dogs are good candidates for day care. The energy level and commotion of multiple dogs running around may overwhelm your buddy. Obviously, finding the appropriate doggie day care for your pup is critical if you want your dog safe and happy!

Here are some other articles I liked:
Selecting a Dog Daycare
How to Choose a Doggie Daycare
Choosing Doggie Daycares and Kennels
Choosing a Good Dog Day Care

Good luck in your hunt; your pup will thank you for it!