Balancing Corporate & Homesteading Lifestyles
Meet The Trainer: Sandy McConnell (North Dartmouth, MA) Southcoast Dog Training & Care, Inc.
Sandy McConnell is the owner and a Dog Trainer at Southcoast Dog Training & Care, Inc. Sandy develops customized puppy and dog training programs based on the needs of your dog. She provides private training and also facilitates group classes.
Prior to starting Southcoast Dog Training & Care, Inc., Sandy had been training people for more than twenty years in the military as well as in the corporate setting. Her main areas of expertise were instructional design and training. Sandy's varied background in instructional design provided the perfect foundation to become a dog trainer. Her ability to teach people based on their learning style helps facilitate the learning process which makes learning easier and more memorable.
Sandy attended CATCH Canine Trainers Academy in Little Falls, NJ, where she studied a variety of dog training topics such as, obedience, dog body language, dog training equipment, and solving behavioral problems. She has also attended workshops in Professional Dog Training Skills and Body Language, Behavior, and Problems Solving Skills held at at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center in Madison, NJ. In addition to her schooling, Sandy shadowed a professional dog trainer for two years who has over 30 years of dog training experience.
Sandy got her start in dog training by volunteering as a puppy raiser for a service dog organization based in Princeton, MA. She helped raise puppies to become ADI accredited service dogs. In addition to training pet dogs, she now assists owners in training their own dogs as service dogs and therapy dogs.
Sandy is a Veteran and was a member of the Army National Guard and a Military Police Officer for fifteen years. She was deployed with the 119th Military Police Company from Rhode Island and served as the Tactical Operations NCO for the Bosnian Peacekeeping Mission, Operation Joint Forge in 2000-2001.
What Makes Southcoast Dog Training & Care, Inc. Different
When I am training dogs, I am also training you. During our training sessions, I spend an hour with you and show you how train your dog. I tell you what the command looks like, demonstrate it, then I let you do several repetitions to make sure you are doing it properly. I keep my lessons fun, light, and stress free.
Because all dogs are different, they need different training approaches. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to dog training so we offer free, no-obligation consultations. During the consultation, we evaluate your dog AND your relationship with your dog to determine the best approach to training. We then develop customized training programs based on your dog’s needs and teach you how to communicate with her, creating a strong bond, so that you can have a more enjoyable relationship.
For more information on Southcoast Dog Training & Care, Inc., please visit their web site, or you can email Sandy directly at [email protected] or call 508-728-6687.
Training or Exercise Walk? Canine Circuit Training™ Is Your Model ! by Tom Schukay
Most dogs love going for a walk. It’s wonderful to watch them enjoy life doing what they love. That alone is reason to walk them! (If you have a dog that doesn’t like to walk contact me; that can usually be fixed!)
Dogs and puppies thrive having a regular exercise regimen. On the other hand adverse behavioral issues such as destructive chewing commonly result from lack of exercise. Walking and experiencing the sights and smells of outdoors is essential to keeping a dog mentally well-balanced!
Beyond providing exercise and mental stimulation there are of course other benefits to dog walking such as improving one’s own health and having fun being out in nature or getting around the neighborhood.
Then there is the training walk! As one might expect a training walk is a walk taken for the express purpose of dog training. A goal of this article is to help you discover, plan and execute successful training walks!
How Important Are Training Walks?
Until a dog is well-behaved the importance of training walks supersedes the importance of other kinds of walking. I recommend that for the duration of any dog’s training program no other kind of walk be taken (as will be seen, exercise and pleasure-walking components can and should be incorporated into training walks).
Training Walks And Behavior Modification
Incidents of bad behavior that occur on walks provide a key to understanding a dog’s psyche and to determining solutions.
When designing a behavior modification program one does well to consider all of the reasons why a dog enjoys (or perhaps doesn’t enjoy) walking. An analogy to human children is apropos.
Children can have widely different reasons for liking school. Some love learning. Others enjoy sports. Bullies might look forward to tormenting their targets at recess.
So it can be with dogs and walking. Some dogs love the outdoors, fresh air and social interaction. Others learn that outdoors there are dogs they can intimidate (or that may intimidate them) and people that they can bark at, lunge at or perhaps jump up on knocking them backwards, great fun! Some dogs love trying to pull the leash out of their owner’s hands to get loose and run free, or to chase after an animal or jogger.
There are fearful, protective and resource-guarding dogs whose sundry reactive triggers cause encounters with strangers and animals to not turn out well. For such dogs the circuit-training template easily facilitates the integration of behavior modification workouts.
Always consult a qualified canine professional before beginning any behavior modification program that goes beyond normal, at-home dog training.
Plan Your Work And Work Your Plan
Canine Circuit-Training™ embodies a dog training philosophy that I teach and often refer to. If you’ve ever heard the term before with near-certainty it was in regard to a human physical fitness event in which participants were invited to bring their dogs to add a unique element of fun to working out and secondarily for pet socialization. That and Cat Yoga (similar concept) are growing in popularity among pet owners who are into fitness. That’s a wonderful thing however what I’m advocating here is something quite different!
I recommend using the theory of circuit-training (a human fitness regimen that pairs aerobic walking with anaerobic workouts done at stations evenly spaced along a fitness trail) as one’s template for planning and conducting dog training walks.
A well-planned training walk is the most effective training walk! Good planning involves searching for teachable training opportunities.
Begin by planning several fun outings to scout out places along walking routes that will make good ‘training stations.’ For our purposes we’ll call the regimen done at each station ‘Training Activities.’
Suitable places include terrain features ranging from sidewalks, stairways and playground equipment in urban areas to strategically positioned sets of trees (for running figure 8s), picnic tables and small bridges in parks or rural areas, to name just a few. If you can find a parcourse with circuit-training stations you’ll discover that some of the outdoor exercise equipment and obstacles can be repurposed for dog training (whenever training around equipment for human use please make sure that dogs do not relieve themselves on the equipment and that you have poop bags on hand to pick up as needed).
These days more parks are installing enclosed areas with dog agility equipment. If you live near one, such a park is ideal for our purposes if you can gain access at times when no one is around (aside from other dogs being a distraction it’s bad etiquette to bring untrained dogs into an occupied dog park).
You’ll find that some walking routes have better options for certain kinds of training and others for other kinds of training. Providing varied training experiences in varied locations will make your training more effective and help build your dog’s confidence when in unfamiliar places.
Focus can be placed on specific aspects of training according to the individual needs of one’s dog but there are common protocols that everyone can employ to maximize training success! To keep training fun and your dog engaged it helps to adopt the mindset that you are ‘playing training games’ rather than ‘working through exercises’ (more on that in an upcoming blog). By the way (and especially at first) if you come up short for things to do at stations remember that the activities performed at one training station can be repeated at subsequent stations- just keep it fun!
You can also bring along or even go out in advance and pre-position training equipment (i.e. cones, mats or canine agility equipment); your options are limited only by your imagination! Additionally don’t forget to bring plenty of high-value training treats and fresh water to drink!
Canine Circuit-Training™ will greatly improve the effectiveness of your dog training. That being said, while anyone can try to do it on their own there’s no substitute for having the help of an experienced professional! Covering all of the details and nuances of every sort of training activity one can do on circuit-training walks would require writing a book. Selecting the appropriate training activities for individual dogs and getting effective performance from these may come easy to some but prove daunting to others, particularly beginners. I’m here to help! What better help could one have than the assistance of the one who designed this system!
Things To Avoid
Once you’ve determined and started working your routes, in short order your dog will come to know the stations and will look forward to training at them. In turn that helps their memory retention. To ensure that this positive training benefit works in your favor and that the mood always remains upbeat, fun and productive continually monitor your dog’s responsiveness and willingness to train.
Avoid drilling your dog too hard. Also avoid harsh, “commanding” and negatively inflected tones of voice. If your dog appears tired or burned out on the training it’s time to quit and shelf training until a better time; take care not to condition your dog to dislike training or going out for a walk!
In the event that you find you’ve chosen the wrong time to train (this happens from time to time with any dog) avoid any temptation to give up training and proceed with simply a “fun walk.” Doing so risks teaching a dog that acting up or shutting down can be a shortcut to going back to doing things the old way. It’s best to simply end the walk and return straight home.
If that happens do not express any disappointment; maintain a positive, upbeat demeanor at all times! Ending the walk will convey the proper message to your dog quite effectively. There’s no need or place for negativity. Be aware that in some difficult training cases this outcome may need to be repeated at different times and on different days. Be patient. Don’t give up; persistence always wins!
Dog walks are never a good time to catch up on phone calls, to text friends, get on social media or multitask. From the canine standpoint not paying attention is antithetical to leadership.
In the wild a pack leader that lapses in attention (generally from advanced age or injury) presents a risk to the pack’s survival, would lose the pack’s respect and would not hold its position for long. A canine that lapses in attention for any other reason would never rise to pack leadership in the first place. It’s unnatural for leaders to not be paying attention to their surroundings and it will seem unnatural and unsettling for you to not be paying attention to yours.
Domesticated dogs and the wolves from which they descended share an instinctive trait for awareness of and alertness to the strengths and weaknesses of fellow pack members; this is deeply rooted in survival instinct and influences social behavior.
Dogs know when humans are not paying attention and the canine mind is sophisticated enough to evaluate and swiftly act upon that. If something happens requiring your immediate attention and you’re busy on the phone trust that your dog will note you were caught off guard. The dog will assess your slow reaction time as you juggle handling the phone with whatever needs to be addressed. If your dog has no confidence in your fitness for leadership how can you expect it to listen? You can’t!
It’s therefore crucial for effective training that you comport yourself as the alert and confident leader of your “pack.” Few things are as detrimental to success in dog training as a cell phone (retractable leashes run a close second). Do yourself and your dog a favor; turn off the phone and keep it in your pocket or purse while training!
When planning training walks remember to consider extreme weather and temperature conditions, time of day, your dog’s energy level and what level of training your dog is at.
Finally strive to avoid any negative mindset that views training as “work” to be gotten out of the way so that one can get on with the “more fun” parts of a walk. Instead make the regimen as fun as possible and you’ll find that both you and your dog will love training!
Train In Short Bursts
A key goal should be for your dog to form a positive association with training. At first and until you start making good progress it’s best to focus on a single training activity per station.
If training activities involve motion spend approximately 3-5 minutes per station then wrap up, giving your release word.
Time spent at training stations will vary according to what activity you‘re doing. For example if your goal with a dog in advanced training is to extend the duration of a Down-Stay in a distracted environment you might easily spend 10 minutes or possibly longer at that station.
When your dog grasps or has mastered a training activity and willingly complies or performs it satisfactorily there’s no need to keep drilling on that activity; it indicates that you are finished at that station.
Training in short bursts keeps a walk upbeat, fun and helps your dog to not become “burned out” on training. We want our dogs to enjoy, form positive associations with and always look forward to training walks!
The circuit-training concept by its very nature allows one to interject interludes of relaxation, enjoyable walking, play, exercise or combinations of these between the short but focused training segments.
Once dogs understand how training walks are structured you’ll find they will work diligently and with focus to get to the free time and fun interludes!
Your beginning and ending stations should be at home, at the door. Upon leaving make your first station the doorway to train (or reinforce) proper exit behavior. Returning home, reinforce proper entry behavior.
Match training activities to the physical dynamics of each station. For example, the wide stairway of a public building or apartment complex provides a great station for practicing Heel up and down stairs. Elevated platforms such as gazebos, band shell stages or even picnic tables make excellent stations for practicing Down-Stay.
With motion-oriented training activities your stations will comprise the duration of that training event (for example pace-change or U-turn practice along a designated length of sidewalk). It’s easy to follow that up with some leisure or fun walking!
Training becomes modular with this approach, enabling you to change up what’s run at your training stations at different times and on different days. You can easily adjust a dog’s training regimen to keep pace with progress and keeps things interesting. Think creatively about training stations and ideas will practically suggest themselves!
Circuit-training keeps the entire walk fun yet directed. Your dog will become conditioned to receiving and honoring human instruction throughout the duration of every walk and the end result will be a dog that “listens” better!
In Between Training Stations
The fun, interesting things that happen between training stations- leisure walking, exploring, play, exercise, sniffing out new smells and exposure to all sorts of pleasurable stimuli- are actually resources that you control and dole out. In your dogs eyes having control of these resources reinforces your status as “leader of the pack.”
This approach provides an effective means of rewarding your dog for successfully completing training activities and is extremely useful when weaning a dog away from food rewards to substitute more powerful, more meaningful reinforcers.
There is an art beyond the science of conducting successful and productive training walks. If your dog acts wild or misbehaves following a training station try immediately reverting to short bursts of training followed by quick returns to your in-between plan, repeating as necessary until your dog figures out what sort of behavior is acceptable. Even so still keep things upbeat, fun and rewarding to reestablish focus. Do not punish, simply alternate between training and resource apportionment to heighten your dog’s situational awareness and improve communication.
Every walk with a dog in training needs to be focused first on training. Physical exercise, important as it is, is of secondary importance. Dogs need both so plan accordingly but view training as the primary reason for every walk. Above all remember that your walks are ultimately about bonding and having fun together!
Suggestions For Training Activities
Heel is a lot of fun and has many uses; it’s one of the best things to learn and practice outdoors! However I strongly recommend that owners first teach a Heel game indoors, off leash (also a separate article).
Once your dog catches on to how fun it is to stay at Heel position ‘no matter what’ as together you navigate around furniture and hug the perimeters of rooms and hallways as if you had terrain-following radar you’ll have created a favorite game that you can take outdoors! When a dog loves Heeling indoors and sees it as a favorite game teaching a formal Heel outdoors becomes close to effortless!
Keep Heel fun outdoors by practicing it intermittently using the circuit-training concept. Never require a puppy or a dog that’s beginning training to do long, oppressive walks at Heel. Instead train in short, fun bursts and increase Heel time incrementally.
Speed and direction changes add even more fun as your dog is challenged to remain at Heel in shifting scenarios and gets rewarded for doing so! Acquiring the mental skill to adapt to Heel under shifting conditions helps develop complex thinking abilities- especially problem solving- as a dog learns to think sequentially (gains the ability to anticipate, process and adapt to multi-step instructions and multiple-event scenarios).
Practice About-Turn, both left and right. With progress you can add other types of turns and movements such as Figure-8s. Learning to anticipate and perform abrupt turns with a human (be sure to give accurately-timed turning signals and rewards) keeps a dog on its toes and listening for your cues. Do this at Heel to increase the fun!
Practice “Automatic” (fast) Sits with using unpredictable timing. Be creative with combining Sits, Turns and Halts (i.e. give a “Come Around” cue, execute an About Turn and Sit your dog after a chosen number of steps. Wait, say, 10 seconds, call your dog to Heel and then execute another About Turn to resume your original walking direction).
Teach your dog to anticipate a “Stay” cue when approaching intersections. Pause for the desired interval and when ready give a “crossing” cue (“OK, Let’s Cross!”). Condition your dog to pause, check for cars at street crossings and then cross at a quick pace once all is clear (wave cars to pass if a driver is stopped and waving for you to go; insist upon them going first and cross immediately after they pass so that your dog gets used to crossing after cars go by, not in front of them). Convey a sense of haste with crossings (always having paused first) even if there are no cars; the idea is to condition your dog to never linger in roadways! After crossing have your dog ether sit or do something else away from the curb to get their reward.
Play versions of “Leave It” - “Take It” games using high value treats or favorite toys. Do these in both stationary and in-motion contexts (walking past the distractions).
Practice Recalls using a retriever training line even if you don’t have a retriever. Twenty feet is a good beginner’s line length. As your dog’s recall skill increases you may move up to a fifty-foot line and longer. Eventually a solid recall will become habit and you’ll no longer need the line. (Note: Helping to design a fun and effective recall game appropriate to the dynamics of your specific route is a training service that I provide!)
A large percentage of the recalls will be at full line length but by no means must you always wait until your dog reaches the end of the line. Change things up! Recall your dog sometimes from only halfway out and do some from only a few yards or a few feet out! Recall training is more effective and more fun when the distances are varied.
Even on botched recalls when you have to bring the dog all the way in using the line be sure to praise your dog every time with enthusiasm using verbal, touch and food reinforcement just as if they had completed the recall perfectly!
In Summary
We’ve discussed just a few of the powerful techniques at your command when employing Canine Circuit Training™ to make training more fun and effective!
A final note concerning dog walks; always keep child safety protocols in mind. Dogs communicate social status using physical signals that involve the higher-status dog placing its head or paws over the shoulders, the neck or top of the head of the lower-status dog. The signal infringes upon the lower-status dog’s personal space in order to ‘make a point.’
Dogs usually don’t respond well to receiving ‘statements’ like that from an animal whose status they perceive as being inferior to their own. Many dogs right off the bat, unless conditioned otherwise, will assume that toddlers, children with ages in single digits and even “tweens” are of lower status or at least would be violating personal space to make such a signal. From a dog’s point of view a small child towering over and reaching down to pet them on top of the head reads like an attempt to signal, “I’m over you!” A dog that doesn’t agree is likely to nip the child in a manner intended to convince a lower-status dog, “No you aren’t, don’t ever try that again!”
Misread signaling contributes to a large percentage of dog bites sustained by young children. For safety’s sake please ensure that any child allowed to greet and pet your dog initially pets only the dog’s chest and shoulder areas. Ensure that no child leans or towers over your dog while greeting or petting (this applies also to the children of relatives or friends who come by to visit even though they may know the dog). Always be safe!
Please feel free to contact me if you would like further information or help with anything mentioned above, or with any training matter that you may have.
Thanks for reading and have fun with training!
Copyright 2019, Tom Schukay. Do not publish commercially or reproduce without permission.
For more information about the author Tom Schukay, please check out his web site: Dogs Love Training!
Some Thoughts On What To Expect When Using CBD Oil With Your Rescue or Senior Dog
As President of The Pawsitive Cause Project, Inc, I have the great opportunity to work with a variety of rescue dogs. I am constantly presented with new situations and blessed with amazing experiences that teach me something new with every dog.
The Pawsitive Cause Project is a nonprofit providing CBD oil to rescue and senior dogs in need. Our mission is to contribute to the great efforts of so many in helping abused, neglected and unwanted dogs to recover, shine, and find the love and 'furever' home that they so well deserve.
CBD oil is one tool of many that is available as a resource for dogs. It is not a drug nor a cure. Note: CBD oil has many beneficial properties and the internet is full of information. I will provide some links and resources at the end of this article.
In short, research has found that CBD has many beneficial qualities. It works throughout the body's systems to create balance technically known as homeostasis.
A healthy well-balanced body is equipped to face many of the challenges thrown at it through day to day living.
Anxiety is one major issue with rescue dogs.
What is anxiety?
It is the mind and body's reaction to stressful, dangerous, or unfamiliar situations. It's the sense of uneasiness, distress, or dread that a dog feels before a significant event. A certain level of anxiety helps an animal stay alert and aware, but for those dogs suffering from an anxiety disorder, it is far from normal.
Studies have shown that CBD helps 'reduce' anxiety in both people and animals.
It sounds simple but is a little more complex. Dogs have innate behaviors hardwired in their system (instinct). These are usually not the problem. They also have learned behaviors developed through past experiences. For a rescue dog, past experiences are often traumatic, whether through abuse and/or neglect.
CBD oil is not a miraculous cure for anxiety. It is a "tool" to help achieve balance in the dog's body and mind so that retraining and conditioning may occur more easily as CBD helps to reduce the anxiety associated with the learned behaviors, conditioned responses and fears.
Without realizing it, we often reinforce learned behaviors so that they become conditioned responses.
Think about it, your dog is fearful of fireworks or thunderstorms. When a dog acts fearful and you respond with extra attention and attempts at comfort, this is reinforcing the fear and behavior. CBD oil is not going to miraculously make it all go away as much as we'd like a quick fix. However, CBD oil will help reduce the anxiety and should be used in conjunction with proper training to condition a new (positive) response.
In other cases, such as age and health related issues, CBD is a natural anti-inflammatory. When the body is performing at maximum capacity, the overall well-being is increased.
In summary, CBD oil is an incredibly powerful tool when used correctly (in conjunction with training when needed) and understood. It provides balance in the body so the body can perform at maximum capacity. When a body is performing at maximum capacity, it can do amazing things. CBD oil is NOT a quick fix or a drug. Results are usually seen 4 to 8 weeks after starting CBD. This may be seen in more active playing, navigating stairs more easily or getting up on the bed or couch. More immediate results are usually seen in cases of anxiety but often a dog's anxiety develops into a conditioned response that will require training and reconditioning. Although the anxiety is reduced, the conditioned response is strong.
There are many products available on the market for both people and pets.
- Full spectrum (all the hemp plant's terpenes and THC);
- Broad spectrum (all the hemp plant's terpenes with the THC removed); and
- CBD isolate (no terpenes and no THC).
Choosing the correct CBD oil is not always an easy decision. Different animals respond differently to the products.
I am not a veterinarian and the information provided is such that I have learned in my work and personal experiences with CBD and dogs. As with people, each dog is very different and may respond very differently to CBD. For medical advice always consult your veterinarian or health care professional.
Resources
- What is CBD?
- Dog Breeds: breed information and characteristics
- The Innate Makeup of a Dog
- What Is Innate and Learned Animal Behavior
- A Holistic Approach To Training
- Noise and Storm Phobias and Anxiety In Dogs
- What Is Counterconditioning And How To Use It
- Counter-conditioning and Desensitization
- Reducing Fear In Your Dog
Friends of Pawsitively Well
Meet some friends of Pawsitively Well.
If you have a furry or feathered friend that would like to be in one of our videos, send us a photo with your friend's name and location and we will add you in the next video.
Meet 13 Year Old Tito
The Pawsitive Cause Project is excited to announce our newest sponsored dog Tito.
Meet handsome and sweet 13 year old Tito. Just like us, the years have started to catch up with this baby. For years he has lived a full and active life with his person especially enjoying trail runs and tagging along on mountain bike rides.
Recently Tito has found getting up more difficult and in the last 6 months, he can no longer jump up on the bed.
On April 16, 2020 Tito started his CBD oil. He is taking Kannaway's Pure Gold Broad Spectrum. Tito is 93 lbs. He is taking 12mg 2x a day. We started with a low serving size, which will likely need to be increased, once he has started the oil and become used to it.
Updates:
4/18/20 - Tito slipped and fell on the step walking into the house. His legs gave out and he couldn't get up. He needed to be picked up and was really sore after the incident.
NOTE: He is not a fan of the oil (taking it off the spoon) and ducks his head when he sees it coming but is taking it.
4/22/20 - "Tito is good! He had a good day today ... was a little sore at the beginning of the walk.
4/26/20 - "He seems to be ok ... his mobility is still wonky but I think the pain level has gone down ... seems to be more manageable.
5/3/20 - Tito starting having some tummy issues and after several conversations his mom decided to change his diet to raw and discontinue with the oil because it wasn't clear where his tummy issues were coming from, so we agreed it was best at this time.
Behind The Scenes At Pawsitively Well
I wanted to do something a little different and give you a glimpse of behind the scenes at Pawsitively Well.
I am Tammi, founder of Pawsitively Well. By day, I work full time in the transportation industry. My job is to ensure all our company trucks and drivers are in compliance with state and federal laws. By night, I am Pawsitively Well: web designer, writer, animal advocate, CBD educator and advocate AND mom of 4, grandmom of 7, and animal mom to 2 dogs, 2 cats and a "penny" pig (guinea pig).
I have ALWAYS loved animals and passed that love on to my kids and grandchildren.
As the "mom" of 2 rescues, Nova and Finn, I always try to do the best for them. Nova has a stomach of steel; Finn however would occasionally have stomach issues when we started a new bag (same brand) of dog food. My solution ... making my dogs' food! They have not had commercial dog food in a year now.
This has proven to be a slight challenge recently because of the grocery store's limited supplies of chicken and frozen vegetables (because of COVID-19), but I believe we are prepared. For back up we have Honest Kitchen. (See our review when we tested this several weeks ago.)
Pawsitively Well has been a long time in the making ... a dream. The dream developed into a plan when I started learning more and using essential oils. They are a great alternative to many of the chemical based toxic household products BUT essential oils can be equally toxic to animals if used improperly. I love essential oils and their diversity and amazing benefits. I am currently working on my certification as an animal aromatherapist. (If this is something of interest to you, check this out for more info.)
At the same time, I was learning more about CBD oil but very confused about all the information ... sometime conflicting information. So many people saying so many different things that I didn't know where to start. Sometimes you just have to jump in and learn out of necessity and experience, so that's what I did and haven't looked back.
Many people are selling CBD these days, from gas stations to liquor stores and web sites. It is everywhere. I wanted to do something a little different: combine my knowledge and experience with animals over the years along with my knowledge and experience with essential oils and CBD and provide a resource for animal health and wellness as well as for people).
Click here to learn more about my CBD and hemp lifestyle products.
Although I sell CBD oil, the purpose of Pawsitively Well is to provide resources to help people make informed decisions in providing the best for their furry friends. It's also about highlighting those that are making a difference in the care and welfare of animals.
Watching the results of CBD for my family and dogs, an idea started. Wanting to do something to make a difference and combining my love for animals and knowledge and experience with CBD oil, The Pawsitive Cause Project was born. It's a project to provide free CBD for rescue dogs in need. (Click here to learn more about The Pawsitive Cause Project.)
Often rescue dogs are faced with physical and psychological damage that takes medical care, time, patience, and lots of love to heal. CBD is a natural option to assist in the process.
If you would like to learn more about CBD and its benefits, contact me for info on how to join our weekly "Hemp For Humanity" informational presentations.
CBD is not a medicine or a miracle cure, however it helps the body maintain healthy and balanced systems (homeostasis) so that the body can naturally heal and stay healthy.
Just as you would not expect immediate results from taking a single vitamin, CBD oil works in a similar fashion. So although some may experience results quickly such as anxiety relief, others may take longer to "notice" the results.
Click here learn more about the dogs we are helping
Click here to learn more about how you can help.
Click here if you would like to submit an application for a dog in need.
I love to participate in events. In addition to CBD oil, I sell pet themed coffee mugs, hand crafted (by me) organic hemp dog toys, handcrafted (by me) lava stone bracelets and much more. I am perfecting my recipe for organic dog treats and they will soon be coming.
As I am writing this, my day time office job has transitioned to home because of shelter in place state orders. My job at this time has been deemed critical, so I luckily am still employed. Three of my four kids have lost their jobs (temporarily we hope) due to COVID-19. Every day things are changing. With an office in place already, the transition has been easy and my fur babies have made my days so much easier. They sleep under my desk (the dogs) or on my desk (the cats) and have done a lot to reduce my anxiety in this difficult time.
If you are looking for ways to supplement or replace your current income and would like to learn more about the business opportunity, click here, or if you would like to simply learn more about CBD, contact me for a link to our weekly informational Zoom call. (no sales, simply informational)
In my "spare time" I love working out doors, gardening, and photography. If you'd like to check out some photographs, visit my photography site.
Remember, we can make a difference one animal at a time ... and every animal matters.
Stay healthy! And thank you for your support!!
Visit our page CBD Benefits For Animals or Resource Links to learn more.
Creating An Emergency First Aid Kit For Your Dog
Creating An Emergency Kit for Your Dog
As caregivers for our beloved companion animals, we do our very best to keep them safe and well but sometimes things happen beyond our control. In some cases, your immediate actions are critical to the best outcome. The key is preparation. What better time then now to prepare an emergency kit to have on hand should you need it.
Below is a list of suggested items for your dog's first aid kit. There are many commercial kits available online, if you choose not to make one yourself.
Items to include in an emergency kit:
Information About Your Animal:
- Records of pertinent medical and surgical history
- Vaccination history
- Heartworm status (dogs), FeLV/FIV status (cats)
- Current medications, doses, and dosing frequency
Information About Your Vet:
- Veterinarian contact information
- Local emergency clinic numbers and locations
Medications:
- Several days supply of chronic medications (Remember to check expiration dates)
First Aid Supplies:
- Blanket
- Exam gloves
- Thermometer
- Water based lubricant - for use with rectal thermometer
- Saline - wound flushing
- Muzzle
- Tweezers
- Toenail trimmers, Quick Stop / silver nitrate sticks
- Scissors (blunt and sharp tipped)
- Syringes without needles
- Antiseptic solution/wipes
- Rubbing alcohol
- 3% Hydrogen peroxide - to induce vomiting when indicated (do not use on wounds)
- Bandage material
- Adhesive tape
- Cotton balls/swabs
- Antihistamine - for allergic reactions - see here for dosage recommendations
- Activated charcoal - for ingested poisons
- Cold pack
Other Supplies:
- Canine first aid book
- Slip lead
- Towels/blanket
- Old credit card - to remove bee stingers (Learn more about how to remove a stinger)
- Flash light or other light source
Make sure you check the kit every few months and keep an eye on any medication expiration dates and replace items as needed. And, of course, keep the kit out of reach of pets and children.
How You Can Help Your Local Rescues In This Time Of Need
With the pandemic, loss of jobs and social distancing fewer pets are being adopted, but they haven’t stopped coming into shelters. Adoption and rescue groups need your help getting these animals out and into homes! Here are a few ways that you can make a difference.
FOSTER (OR ADOPT!)
With everyone staying home, it’s a perfect opportunity to step up and foster or adopt a cat or dog or other small animal.
If you’ve been considering adoption, now is a great time. With many people at home, its the perfect time to welcome a furry friend into your family.
DONATE ITEMS
Rescue groups are in desperate need of pet food, cat litter and cleaning supplies. They need hand sanitizer, bleach, disinfectant wipes, baby wipes, etc. No one is unaffected by this shortage.
The good news is that you don’t need to go to the shelter to donate but can do it from the comfort of your own home. Many rescues and shelters have online wish lists with links to the most needed items. Most shelters that are closed to the public are still able to receive donation deliveries.
SHARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Adoptable animals are in need of extra exposure because of the cancellations of adoption events and many shelters.
Through the use of social media, you can help provide additional exposure by sharing your local rescue's list of needed items and available animals.
VOLUNTEER
Some shelters have reduced or limited volunteers, but others are desperate for help. Many shelters are short staffed because employees are staying home to care for their children and many shelter volunteers are over 60 and need to minimize and avoid social contact with others. Because of the staff and volunteer shortage, people are needed to clean, call vet references, take photos for social media, and socialize the animals.
Working with the animals also has many benefits. Animals can reduce anxiety and provide a distraction and dogs and cats aren’t part of the social distancing recommendations.
DONATE CASH
Many rescues rely on annual fundraising events and adoption fees to support their work. With the cancelled events, drastic drop in adoptions, and continuous number of animals still needing help, donations are as important as ever. Donating cash at this time is not an option for many, however if you have a few dollars to spare, the rescues need your help now more than ever.
I understand that we are facing an unprecedented time of fear and uncertainty and everyone is feeling its effects, including our animals. The good news there are things that you can do to help the homeless animals in your community.
What does your dog’s behavior say about you?
Although dogs learn through training, they also learn through their incredible powers of observation. Your daily routine and responses to situations, influences your dog's behavior.
Dogs learn by association. If an action has a positive outcome, they repeat it; if it has a negative outcome, they avoid it. It's great when you are training for a desired behavior but are you inadvertently training undesired behaviors simply by your responses?
We are creatures of habit, and our dogs know us better than we realize. They know our daily routines and habits, and how we interact with them will define much of their behaviors.
He knows whether it's time for work or play by the clothes you wear. The lid coming off the treat jar means a "cookie" is coming. Your posture and eye contact are worth a thousand words to him.
In short, much of a dog's behavior is a reflection of its handling. Many times we give in to something that seems like an little request, not realizing the long-term results. Begging is a big one. Once your dog learns that you will share your tasty treats while eating, you'll never eat alone again. If you're anxious when you take your dog to the vet, he will pick up on your anxiety and instinctively think he needs to worry as well.
Since dogs learn by association, there are just three possible results to any of your dog's behaviors:
- Things get better (reward);
- Things get worse (punishment);
- Nothing changes(neutral).
What are your responses teaching your dog?
Have a cat? Your actions and responses are training her as well ... or has she trained you, like mine has?
My cat has "trained" me very well. She sits at the door and cries to go out. I hear her cry and I let her out. Funny thing though, I don't let her out if it's dark. I'm not sure if she distinguishes "dark" or just knows my night-time routine, but she stopped crying to go out at night after a few days.
Dogs also learn from other dogs and can pick up wanted and unwanted behaviors from each other.
I adopted Nova in 2014 and she was the perfect apartment dog. She almost never barked and didn't think twice about people walking by, always happy to just sit quietly and observe. In September 2018, we welcomed little "big" brother Finn into the family and everything changed. Finn, true to his Catahoula breed is "protective" of his property and will bark if someone comes on the property or people walk by. Guess who now is more alert and protective to anyone coming near the property? You guessed it, Nova. She is actually much more in tune to anyone passing by then Finn and alerts him so they both can stand guard until the "intruders" have gone out of view.
Sometimes training from observation of other dogs is all a dog needs:
There are more complex tasks that dogs seem to learn by observation as well. Some are of sufficient complexity that it would be difficult to design a program to train dogs to do effectively. An example of this is the work of Saint Bernard rescue dogs. The breed was named for the Hospice founded by Saint Bernard. It was located in the Swiss Alps on one of the principal roads that connect Switzerland to Italy. The hospice provided winter travellers with a refuge from wind, cold, blizzards, and avalanches. The dogs assisted the monks in their searches for travellers who had strayed off of the main road. The monks seldom left the hospice without dogs, because the mountain fogs can come on suddenly and with no warning, making it impossible to see even one foot ahead. Without the dogs the monks would never find their way back to the hospice. Together the monks and dogs have saved thousands of travelers. These rescue dogs work in three dog teams. When a lost traveler is found, two of the dogs lie down beside him to keep him warm, while the third returns to sound the alarm and bring back help. These dogs are never given any special training, and no one is exactly sure how one would go about training a dog to do this task in any event. Young dogs are simply allowed to run with the older experienced dogs when they go on patrol. In this way the dogs learn what is expected of them. Ultimately, each dog learns his job, and also decides for himself whether his professional specialty will eventually be to lie with the victim or go for help. (Source)
So remember, the next time your dog acts in a certain way, your response will either reinforce the behavior to continue or stop. Don't give in to every dog behavior just because its quick and easy unless you're ready to deal with a lifetime of that behavior or putting in the extra time to correct what could have been prevented.
Sophie Gamand: Making a difference with Flower Power
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Previously living in NYC, now living in Los Angeles ....
