Jet Goes Sheepherding!

Our puppy Jet got her first lesson in sheepherding! It looks like she had a lot of fun. Jenn says that the herding instructor Claire is very knowledgeable. She gave me my first herding lesson too and she makes learning to herd easy. Check it out!

Jenn's Article on TTouch Body Wraps

Jenn is writing a series of article on the Tellington TTouch Method for the Association of Professional Dog Trainer journal, The Chronicle of the Dog. In the first article, Jenn talks about using wraps like the Thundershirt to help dogs calm and settle, reduce anxiety and arousal, and reduce barking. Wraps can be used at home or out in public and especially in dog training classes to help your dog focus. And, most importantly, I got to model wraps for the pictures.You can read the article here.

The series continues with articles on TTouch bodywork and balanced movement exercises coming soon...

Tick, Tick, Tick

So by now you know that you have lots of options for holistic prevention and management of fleas and ticks. Here is another really great Whole Dog Journal article about Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and how to deal with pests in ways that don't harm you, your pet, or the environment.

Oh my gosh, that thing looks like an alien! They are nasty little things, these ticks. But we are all being more careful this year, after Jenn got diagnosed with Lyme Disease last year. Here are some additional tick tips:

1. It's all about prevention. Use safe products to make you and your pet a non-welcoming host. There are many sprays on the market that don't have to contain DEET to be effective. There is now clothing available from Land's End with repellent in the fabric and good for up to 60 washes.

2. Check you and your pet everyday. Even if you use preventatives, it is still necessary to check all over.

3. If you find a tick, remove it properly. Don't just grab that sucker and pull it out with your fingers. Use tweezers or a tick removal tool, grasp at the head and gently pull out. 4. If you or your pet has had exposure to a tick bite, don't panic. But do watch for signs of Lyme Disease or other tick related illnesses.

5. Unfortunately, it is just not just about Lyme anymore. Co-infections are becoming more common in people and dogs, like babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, bartonella, mycoplasma, STARI, and not to mention Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and anaplasmosis.

These sites provides basic info on the human symptoms of Lyme and other tick related illnesses.

International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society

Lyme Info.net

This site provides information specific to dog symptoms.

Tick Diseases in Dogs

So, keep yourself and your dogs active, protected and checked for ticks over the summer.

You and Me and Fleas

Well, it is that time of year. When the little fleas and ticks really come out and want to take up residence on me. Just this morning, Jenn removed a tick from inside my earflap. Uggh. Is no place safe? Our first topic is fleas. Just look at that thing! Gross. Then we're going to talk about ticks too!Jenn's been concerned about how to keep us all protected without using pesticides that might cause long term health problems. With a 16 year old dog like Big Sandy, whose immunity may be compromised and a four month old puppy with a developing brain like our Jet, we have to be careful that the preventions we use aren't making us sick and don't contain neurotoxins.

Sure, the spot on products seem convenient, but there are also lots of pets getting sick from their use, as seen on ABC News.

Check out this Whole Dog Journal article on the dangers of spot on flea and tick products.

And Jenn has talked with lots of people who use spot on pesticides and still have flea infestations. Yuck! Could fleas and ticks be building immunity to these products? Is that why these companies are always coming out with stronger chemicals? Scary. So we're going to talk about flea control options that are more holistic for pets and for people.

Jenn's approach is based on Integrated Pest Management (IPM), a non-toxic approach to controlling insect populations. What's the number one thing you can do for fleas? Keep the environment inside and outside your home inhospitable to them. So, first we vacuum inside.
It is amazing how this simple task can control the fleas in your home. Jenn also washes our dog beds in the washer/dryer, which keeps the populations down where we sleep. Fleas breed most where animals sleep. Outside, we keep the grass mowed short. Tall grass is a breeding ground for fleas.OK, next Jenn treats all our floor and carpets with FleaBusters powder. It is a super fine Borate powder that gets down in cracks, crevaces, and carpet fiber. With pets out of the house, you spread the stuff around. Let is sit for a bit and vacuum it up. She does this once every two years. That's right, so it is really not a big deal. But if a flea egg, larvae, or adult falls onto the crevices in the floor, it is dessicated by Fleabusters. Poof!
Check out Fleabusters!

Next, we talk about products to spray on that will repel fleas and ticks from jumping on us in the first place. There are several great holistic flea/tick sprays with essential oils. A new product Jenn got is Best Yet, a spray made with cedar oil that repels ticks, fleas, chiggers, and the aptly named no-see-ums. You just spritz it on your dog's feet, chest and belly before going out and about. The best thing about Best Yet, is that Jenn can use it too. She sprays it on her feet, shoes, and pants legs to repel ticks. She can also spray our dog beds and other stuff around the house with it. It smells like cedar chips and feels light (not greasy at all).
Check out Best Yet
Jenn has also used Bug OFF Garlic. This is basically just powdered garlic that you can sprinkle on food. Small amounts of garlic can lots of benefits and can repel nasty critters too.

Check out Bug Off Garlic

Lastly, and I guess it goes without saying, that no matter what critter prevention methods you use, you still have to check yourself and your pets everyday, especially for ticks. The topic of ticks is coming up next...

Puppy Food Bowl Guarding

Recently, our puppy Jet, started becoming guardy around her food bowl. Jenn and Jet were working on a food bowl exercise in Junior Puppy Class, when Jet started eating faster and freezing as Barbara, the instructor, approached the bowl. These are signs of guarding behavior, as is growling. Guarding objects is a normal behavior for puppies. I did the same thing when I was Jet's age. Puppies must be taught from an early age that guarding things from people is not appropriate and that people approaching us when we have something is actually a good thing.
So Jenn has been working with Jet when she feeds her to ensure that Jet learns that guarding isn't necessary.
First, Jenn started hand feeding Jet her meals. No dumping the whole meal into the bowl at once. Jet works for her food by doing commands in exchange for handfuls of food for few minutes. Some of the meal is then placed on a plate and Jet has to sit and wait calmly for the plate to be put on the floor before she can start eating.Once Jet has begun to eat, Jenn approaches the plate, putting something better into it each time each time.Jenn works on approaching from different directions, at different speeds, always adding goodies to Jet's plate in the process. Jenn then works on gently touching Jet as she places the higher value food onto the plate. Jenn only does this when Jet has made progress and is relaxed around her food dish.With practice, a person approaching predicts something really good. So Jet will look forward to people coming up to her food bowl, or anything else in her possession. Jet will need to practice with Eric and other people too.

Food bowl guarding is a highly modifiable behavior in dogs. It is important to address the issue as early in the puppy's life as possible. For older dogs, consulting with a professional trainer is sometimes needed. For more information on guarding behavior, click here for a great Dog Star Daily article.

Mud Monster!

How does a perfectly clean and freshly bathed puppy turn into a Mud Monster?
Well, first you take a clean Jet puppy and give her a bucket with water in it...
After a good sloshing, she finds some pine straw and dirt to tumble in...


And voila! Mud Monster!!This brings back fond memories of my own transformation into the Bucket Beast! The Bucket Beast is way scarier than the Mud Monster if you ask me. We'll have to work on Jet's technique to get her on par with the Bucket Beast.

Jet is 4 months old and 28 pounds!

Our puppy Jet is getting big. She weighs 28 pounds and everything is growing. Her legs grew this week and her muzzle. She's starting to look like a doggy instead of a puppy. But she's really still a baby and we have to give her lots of guidance and support as she learns the house rules.

Tellington TTouch Training

There's been lots of excitement with the arrival of Linda Tellington-Jones! She's staying with us during a Tellington TTouch Training session at Paws4Ever in Mebane. There are people here from all over the country to learn from Linda. The Tellington TTouch Method is a gentle, respectful training method that helps people communicate with and comfort their animals. Here's Linda with Big Sandy. Big Sandy gets TTouch bodywork every day from Jenn. TTouch can really helps older dogs that have arthritis and aches and pains live a more comfortable life. TTouch is also great for puppies. It's an easy way to help puppies learn to accept gentle touches and handling exercises. It can help puppies that are chewing, teething, and need help settling themselves. Here's Linda and Jet...
Actually, we all benefit from TTouch...
And Linda is a wonderful teacher.
I helped during the training out too. Here I am doing some work in the labyrynth with Deirdre, a TTouch practitioner from Florida.
We go through the labyrynth together, and Deirdre gives me gentle signals to stop and balance after each turn.
Here we are helping a cute little dog that sometimes reacts to other dogs. I'm walking and pausing as the other dog goes by. The little dog stayed very calm...we pause and turn together...And then we walk out...Deirdre and I were pretty awesome! And I'm so glad that I got to participate in the training. I'm even happier that Jenn knows the benefits of the TTouch Method and I know it will help me have a better life with her. If you want to learn more about TTouch, check out the TTouch website.

Puppy Socialization Trips to Weaver St. and Phydeaux

Jenn has been taking our puppy Jet on field trips around town. This is for Jet's continuing socialization to people, places and things. It is very important to get puppies out into the world, meeting as many friendly people as possible and learning to be polite as well. One day, they went to Weaver Street Market. Jet waited for people to stop and give her treats for sitting.Another day, Jet when to Phydeaux, the grooviest dog store in the world. Jet really loved the staff and she got to wiggle her butt and get attention.Then Jet got to pose for a photo.You can learn more about how to socialize your puppy by reading this article by Dr. Ian Dunbar called "Socialization with People".

Upside Down Puppy

Well, it finally happened. Our puppy Jet is sleeping upside down just like me.Upside down is by far the most comfortable position for sleep. Check out my gallery of upside down sleeping photos...at 10 weeks...5 months...
9 months...2 years old...