Blogathon2011

Dogs go crazy too

By |2011-11-13T03:00:14-05:00November 13th, 2011|Categories: Blogathon2011|

Donate to help the people helping the animals. Crazy may not be the clinical term for it, but dogs can also go from being normal, healthy, high functioning dogs to behavioral car wrecks (also not the clinical term). Henry David Thoreau wrote- "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them." Many dogs refuse to go ...

Dogs I have loved

By |2011-11-13T02:00:02-05:00November 13th, 2011|Categories: Blogathon2011|

It's time for a bit nostalgia, which is way better than 2am angst. I was born into a household with a dog, a black mongrel with brown spotted eye brows. I heard once that Native Americans had a name for these markings on a dog, but damned if I can remember what it was. When I was around 7 years old he went missing on ...

Incompatible behaviors

By |2011-11-13T01:00:34-05:00November 13th, 2011|Categories: Blogathon2011|

This post was written for Blog-a-thon 2011 to help raise money for homeless animals at the Nebraska Humane Society. Click here to donate! If you have appreciated learning about fearful dogs on this blog you can pay it forward by making a donation. Remember any amount is appreciated, is tax deductible, and will be doubled. A $10 donation will be matched and earn the shelter ...

Bedtime story

By |2011-11-12T23:55:10-05:00November 12th, 2011|Categories: Blogathon2011|

Here's the scariest story I know. You can lie down if you like, but leave the lights on. You'll probably sleep better if you make a donation to help animals sleeping in shelters. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z9BWfZxaU0?rel=0&w=640&h=480]

Stress wreaks havoc

By |2011-11-12T22:00:00-05:00November 12th, 2011|Categories: Blogathon2011, Helping fearful dogs, Medications for fearful dogs|

Stress wreaks havoc on brains and bodies. The list of signs of how stress affects mammalian brains is long. These signs include physical changes; headaches, nausea, body aches. Emotional changes such as; depression, anxiety, agitation. And cognitive changes; confused thinking and poor memory. People can talk about how they feel and what they are experiencing. Our dogs are limited in how they can communicate how ...

My pledge to my dogs

By |2011-11-12T20:00:53-05:00November 12th, 2011|Categories: Blogathon2011|

Every now and then I find myself thinking that I am going to swear off dogs. I'll see the three I currently have through to the end of their lives and then that's it. No more dogs. This usually occurs when I am speeding to the emergency clinic, often after hours, a dog with a snout full of porcupine quills complaining in the backseat, or ...

Pride & preferences

By |2011-11-12T19:00:54-05:00November 12th, 2011|Categories: Blogathon2011, Helping fearful dogs|

Reward-based, positive reinforcement, progressive positive reinforcement, force-free, dog-friendly, truly dog friendly, science based....whatever you call it, it's how I want to train dogs, for two reasons, personal preference and professional pride. In general, I prefer to have relationships in my life that do not include conflict and bad feelings. For years I've worked as a leader for groups of adventure travelers, or those brave enough ...

Targeting

By |2011-11-12T18:00:59-05:00November 12th, 2011|Categories: Blogathon2011, Helping fearful dogs|

This post was written for Blog-a-thon 2011 to help raise money for homeless animals at the Nebraska Humane Society. Click here to donate! Teaching a dog to target is one of the easiest skills for them to learn. You can teach a dog to target with any part of their body. Nose targeting is usually the easiest since dogs are inclined to sniff things. But ...

Maybe I forgot!

By |2011-11-12T17:00:31-05:00November 12th, 2011|Categories: Blogathon2011, Helping fearful dogs|

Recently I got a juicer. I was inspired by a couple of documentaries to find ways to improve my diet and being a reluctant cook decided that drinking raw juice fit the bill perfectly. When I assembled the juicer and prepared to juice some beets I was so excited, I bypassed all the 'read these instructions first before operating machine' warnings. Looking at the new, ...

Give them a break

By |2011-11-12T16:00:13-05:00November 12th, 2011|Categories: Alternative treatments for fearful dogs, Blogathon2011, Helping fearful dogs|

When I volunteered at our local shelter and ran a 'working with the dogs' orientation for new volunteers, one of the suggestions I made was to give dogs a break. When most people volunteer at a shelter they usually think in terms of walking or playing with the animals. Both are wonderful things to do, but along with exercise and stimulation, animals living in shelters ...

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