Cleveland's Source for Dog Training News and Information
Rally Obedience News
Second Annual Rally Trail
North
Coast Dogs is hosting it's 2nd annual APDT Sanctioned Rally Obedience trail
this June 26th and 27th at Cleveland
Metrobark (3939 Payne Ave.). We'll have level one, level two and
juniors competitions.
For more information or an event premium email Jon Corrigan or call 216-221-DOGS.
You can learn more about APDT sanctioned rally obedience on the APDT web site.
North Coast Dogs next Rally-O class starts Tuesday, May 25th at 7:30. Call to sign up.
Rally Prep Events
North Coast Dogs is hosting some events to get you ready for the Rally Obedience Trial. These are show-and-go events with great opportunities to learn technique plus time for questions and answers. Ginger Alpine is moderating the practice / seminars. The first one is coming up this month.
Rally Shown-and-go / Seminar
Sunday, May 23rd at 2:30 p.m.
$10
RSVP Jon Corrigan or call 216-221-DOGS
Ginger
Alpine Becomes Rally Judge
North Coast Dogs Trainer, Ginger Alpine, has recently earned the distinction of Rally Obedience Level One Judge from the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. Ginger has worked very hard to establish the successful Rally-O program at North Coast Dogs. She has also be influential in popularizing the sport in our region.
Congratulations. We're all very proud of Ginger for this and her many other accomplishments.
AKC Sanctions Rally Obedience
The American Kennel Club has also sanctioned Rally Obedience competitions
effective January 1, 2005.
Read related article.
NCD Dogs on the Web
We're
learning a number of North Coast Dogs graduates have their own personal
web sites.
Michael Bryan's dog, Woody (right), recently earned his Canine Good Citizen Certificate with North Coast Dogs. Woody has had his personal web site since birth!
Another "North Coast Dog," Hogan, has his own web site and business. Rob and Maria Merhar founded Hogan Bandanas in honor of their beloved and accomplished Jack Russell Terrier.
Does your North Coast Dog have a web site? We'd love to hear from you. E-mail Michael Baugh and we'll feature the site in our next newsletter.
From Shelter to Super Star
Once
upon a time her name was Shelby (right), a Golden Retriever Mix who somehow
got side tracked on her life's journey. No one is quite sure how she
ended up at the APL, eight years old, in need of a dental cleaning and already
developing cataracts. Her last owner only kept her three weeks.
Her life before that is a mystery.
For nearly a month Shelby waited at the APL. The staff there loved and cared for her. But what Shelby really longed for was a home -- a place to call her own. Did she know how dire her odds were? Senior dogs often don't fare well at shelters. Everyone wants a puppy. Few want an old dog. Few want a dog like Shelby.
Early in March, Mellisa Watson loaded her two senior Goldens (Libby and Ellie) into the car and headed to the APL. She wasn't going to drop them off. Certainly not. She was going to find them a new brother or sister. Mellisa was going to find Shelby.
"It was a perfect fit from the fist moment," according to Mellisa. Shelby was a delight from the start. She instantly won herself a new home, a new path in life and a new name. Mellissa named Shelby "Snaves Lee" after her veterinarian, Dr. Snavely at Detoit Dover Animal Hospital.
Yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks! Snaves Lee joined a North Coast Dogs Family Dog class March 23rd. She was already a well mannered girl. but now she has tons of tricks to show off including roll over, sit pretty, dancing, jumping through hoops (literally) and crawl. Snaves Lee is now headed to CGC class where we're sure she'll be just as bright a star.
Shelby is a full-time house dog companion. She also accompanies Libbie, Ellie, Mellisa and Melissa's mother to work at Watson Pneumatics everyday. You can reach Shelby by e-mail or through North Coast Dogs.
Flea Season
By
Jonathan Corrigan
Although it was snowing just the other day, flea season is quickly approaching. As many of our dogs and owners are beginning to be more active during the climate change, we just thought we’d send out some useful information about fleas and flea protection. A single flea can be picked up just about any where and can quickly go from a single irritation to an all out infestation. Other than just being annoying, fleas can cause some dog allergies and if ingested can give your dog another parasite called the tape worm.
There are many different preventative measures that can be taken to assure
your canine family member stays bite free this summer. A few of my favorites
are Frontline, Revolution, and Advantage. These three products are all available
from your veterinarian and are applied once a month to protect your dog
from fleas. Frontline and Revolution also have other added protections.
To assure that all of our clients remain itch free this summer we strongly
encourage all dogs be on some type of preventative. You can discuss options
with your veterinary clinic and see which one is best for your dog.
Where to Go – Simple Potty Training
By
Michael Baugh, CPDT
Yes, you can potty train your dog no matter how young or how old she is.
The truth is your dog really doesn’t know where she’s to eliminate and where she is not. Dogs only have two criteria for where they relieve themselves. First, it shouldn’t be near their food or sleeping place. Second, it should be absorbent. That means grass is a good bet. But your carpet and rugs also fit the bill. Now the question. How do we show the dog which place is our first choice for her toilet?
Begin by eliminating any chance your dog will eliminate in the house. To achieve that you will have to make sure your dog is always interacting with you (supervise, supervise, supervise) or safely confined. The one question you should never have to ask yourself is “where is the dog?” This is called errorless potty training. There is now no chance your dog can make a mistake – unless you do.
At the same time, show your dog that eliminating outdoors is an excellent choice. As soon as your dog has completed urinating or defecating, give her three delicious treats one after the other. You are now showing her that she can trade in her urine and feces for treats! Do it right on the spot. Don’t wait for her to come back in. If you are clicker training, click and treat right after she’s done.
If you’d like to show your dog exactly where she is to eliminate, take her to that spot on her leash. As soon as she’s done, treat or click and treat.
It’s important that you never punish your dog for eliminating. Mistakes you catch should be handled by calmly but quickly taking your dog outdoors to her potty spot. Punishing or even yelling will encourage her not to potty in front of you . It won’t teach her anything about indoors versus outdoors. Missed mistakes are just that. They are ancient history. Let it go. Do a better job of supervising or confining next time.
If you are potty training a puppy, take her out every hour. Older puppies can only physically hold it about an hour for every month in age they are (4 month old puppy = 4 to 5 hours maximum). Expect your puppy to eliminate more than once on every journey out (two puddles and two piles as author, Joel Walton CPDT puts it). Take your puppy out immediately after sleep, play or feeding.
Potty training can take as little as a few weeks and as much as a few months. In either case, experiment with giving your dog more freedom a little at a time. Your efforts now will pay off significantly in the long run.
(picture of "Woody's first Dump" courtesy: Woody Bryan's web page)
Class Alert - Fly Ball and Agility on Sundays!
We're starting new fly ball and agility classes on Sundays in May!