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It’s That Time of Year, When the World Falls In Love…. Holiday & Seasonal Care for Pets

    English: Rottweiler Head Deutsch: Rottweiler Kopf
    (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

    It may be the time of year when the world falls in love, but the holidays stretching from Halloween to New Year’s can be a particularly tough time on household pets, especially with parties, house guests, and distracted owners. This stress can manifest in a variety of unpleasant ways, from house-training accidents to chewing to even fearfulness or fear-aggression.

    Fortunately there are a number of things we can do to mitigate the stresses and dangers to our pets. Read on, and with a little preparation, you and your pets can be full of good cheer.

    Laev and our houseguest McCoy the Skeleton

    Happy Halloween! Tricks & Treats for You

      Michael Jackson dancing with the living dead.
      Michael Jackson dancing with the living dead. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

      In the spirit of the holiday, I’d like to present you, Dear Reader, with a trick, a tag, and a treat.

      What, you’re not familiar with the middle part of that phrase? It’s a new Halloween tradition. Trust me on this.

      Want to know what that undead-Michael Jackson has to do with all this? Read on. (Hint: he’s part of the tag bit.)

      Laura on ground laughing as Laev rolls on back

      Laura’s Coming to Wisconsin! 2-Day Clicker Workshop

        Laura laughing with Laev being silly
        Dog Training is serious. Always very serious.

        We interrupt this blog for a word from our sponsors!

        I’ll be in Wisconsin in a couple of weeks for a Core Clicker Seminar, a two-day hands-on intensive workshop for beginning to intermediate trainers and handlers. This is, if I say so myself, a pretty good training seminar. 🙂 And there are still a few working (and auditing) spots open!

        Social, Civil, and Savvy: Training & Socializing Puppies to Become the Best Possible Dogs

        When You Should NOT Socialize Your Dog — Part 2

          This entry is part 2 of 2 in the series When You Should NOT Socialize

          So all that chat in Part 1 about how to avoid creating problems while socializing a puppy was nice, but you’ve got an adult dog — and whether you made some socialization mistakes or whether you inherited a bad socialization legacy along with the dog, things just aren’t the way they should be. Is there hope?

          Yes, of course there’s hope! But again, here is where mistakes happen in the name of “socialization.” Don’t make them.

          dive bomber pushup

          Getting My Butt In Gear And Into Shape — Training Myself

            This entry is part 1 of 2 in the series Behavior Training & Physical Training: OC for Fitness

            One of the toughest things about being a behavior professional is that one doesn’t have many excuses. When I do something stupid, I can easily identify it and the triggers (if any) and a way to avoid it the next time by choosing an alternate behavior instead. That doesn’t mean I will, but it means I can, and then I can feel a bit stupid again for failing to choose the better behavior.

            It also means I know better than to feel bad about a past decision instead of simply focusing on new behavior. But, y’know, the cycle repeats.

            Right now, though, I’m applying my professional knowledge with good results, and I’m blogging here to keep up my motivation and, maybe, help someone else do something similar!

            fireworks

            Storm Watch & Storm Success, Part 6 – Phobias & Emergency Management

              This entry is part 6 of 7 in the series Storm Watch

              Okay, so you’re well into your new conditioning plan, with graduated protocols in place to reduce your dog’s noise fears or phobias. You’re taking it slowly and making good progress. But suddenly it’s Independence Day or Guy Fawkes, with fireworks going off all around, and a thunderstorm rolling in to boot, and you know you’re not ready for all this. How do you survive tonight?

              from "How To Live With A Calculating Cat"

              An Easy Pill to Swallow: Training Dogs to Take Pills the Easy Way

                This entry is part 1 of 4 in the series An Easy Pill to Swallow
                from "How To Live With A Calculating Cat"
                from “How To Live With A Calculating Cat”

                There’s a fabulous cartoon series on how to get a cat to swallow a pill, in which the feckless humans tried to plead with the cat,  ratchet the defiant jaws open, disguise the pill in delicious food, etc., all without success.* I have to give the dogs pills occasionally, and I’m far too lazy to want to go through a hassle each time — nor can I count on always having a food product gooey and smelly enough to disguise the offensive pill.

                So I’ve taught the dogs to take pills plain, on cue.

                Laura on ground laughing as Laev rolls on back

                Laev Throws Me a Bone

                  I was sorely tempted to skip Schutzhund practice tonight, after my last post, but I went.  And it was a good thing I did.

                  (Long post, so here’s the summary — 300 Peck rocks, Laev nearly breaks my neck, and I am happy about it all.)