SHOW HANDLING

SHOW HANDLING - CONFORMATION

No age limit - Current Rabies & Distemper Vaccinations or Current Titer Required

Class Description

This 7 week course is designed for handlers who have no or some experience in the show ring. Experienced handlers who have dogs that they want to get used to the ring and a show atmosphere are also welcome to join these classes. You may attend with a novice dog or an experienced dog. This course covers gaiting, ring patterns, stacking and baiting. Many aspects of how to succeed at showing your dog in the conformation ring are covered in this course. Learn handling techniques that will make you stand out from the crowd! Get tuned up for an upcoming show!

Easy Ways to Protect, Educate Children

The statistics are scary: Every 40 seconds someone seeks medical attention for a dog bite, and the majority of victims are children under the age of 15.

According to data tracked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 25 different dog breeds were involved in biting incidents in 2006, a statistic that shows that any dog can bite if provoked.

To keep pets and people safe, veterinary professionals have joined forces. The third full week in May is National Dog Bite Prevention Week, and doctors promote year-round education of pet owners and parents. Teaching children how to approach dogs slowly and carefully as well as how to recognize warning signs are critical components of dog bite prevention. Remember, not all dogs are friendly and not all dogs want to be touched.

“Any dog may bite, even your family pet,” said Marie Wheatley, president of American Humane, an organization that works to protect children and animals. “Adults should always supervise children when they play with any dog, and they should teach children the best ways to approach and treat animals to avoid being bitten.”

Some children, eager to play or touch an animal’s soft fur, move quickly or lunge at dogs. Such abrupt actions can be misinterpreted by dogs as an attack, and dogs may try to protect themselves by snarling or biting.

Here are a few suggestions to help keep kids and pets safe:

• Never approach unknown dogs or dogs whose owners are not present


• Always ask an owner’s permission before petting a dog


• Stand still, like a tree, if an unfamiliar dog approaches you


• Never run from or scream around a dog


• If you believe a dog is about to attack you, place something (backpack, bicycle) between yourself and the dog


• If a dog knocks you over, roll into a ball, cover your face, and stay still


• Do not disturb a dog that is sleeping, eating, or caring for puppies

-Provided by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)

Dog Bite Statistics:

• Children under 15 years of age represent 70 percent of dog bite victims


• At least 25 different breeds of dogs were involved in 238 dog-bite–related deaths. Out of all the human deaths that resulted from dog attacks, 24 percent involved unrestrained dogs off their property and 58 percent involved unrestrained dogs on their property.

Dog Weight Problems

The single most important step in any weight-reduction program is acknowledging that obesity is unhealthy and that weight-reduction is necessary. Unless an owner is convinced that obesity is dangerous to their pet's health, the commitment for weight reduction will be incomplete and the diet program will be doomed to fail.

The aim of any weight reduction program is to decrease the caloric intake (i.e. less food) and increase energy expenditure (i.e. more exercise). The first step in a successful weight reduction program is to have your pet examined by a veterinarian. The reasons for this are two-fold: (1) to make sure there is no underlying medical reason for the obesity, and (2) to make sure your pet can safely be put on a diet.

Treatments

Once a veterinarian has examined your pet, it should be weighed and a goal should be set for how much weight is to be lost within a specific period of time. Ideally, your pet should be placed on a reducing diet (available from your veterinarian). These diets are balanced rations that have all the necessary nutrients your pet needs, but less calories than full rations. Commercially available "light" or calorie-reduced diets are good for maintaining weight loss or preventing obesity, but are not recommended for a weight-reduction program.

Three to four small feedings a day actually results in more energy loss (i.e. calories burned) than one or two large feedings. You should feed your pet the required daily ration of food but divide it into three to four small feedings. At the same time, keep your pet out of the kitchen or dining room when meals are being prepared or eaten, since these tend to be the times that begging occurs and snacks are more likely to be fed to pets. Snacks and treats are probably the single most likely cause of obesity in pets and they account for the failure of most weight reduction programs. All snacks and treats including milk bones and table scraps/treats, should be discontinued for the dieting pet.

In addition to following your pet's diet, be sure to take your pet for a brisk walk at least twice daily for 15 to 20 minutes. For cats, schedule at least two 15-minute play times daily. During the weight reduction program, you should monitor your pet's weight regularly. This involves weighing your pet on a weekly basis and then charting the weight loss on a graph. Weighing should be done at the same time of the day, preferably before feeding. Pets should be reassessed once the desired weight loss has been achieved so that the pet can be changed from a reducing diet to a maintenance diet. Otherwise, your pet will continue to lose weight.

Once the ideal weight has been reached and to make sure your pet does not regain the lost weight, be sure to avoid in-between meals snacks, make sure your pet gets enough exercise daily, continue to chart your pet's weight on a graph and feed a restricted-calorie diet. Regularly scheduled visits (e.g. every three months) to the veterinarian to monitor your pet's health and weight may help prevent relapses.

Dog Bloody Diarrhea

Parvovirus

Canine parvoviral enteritis, caused by the canine parvovirus, is a highly contagious disease in dogs that affects their digestive system. Before the late 1970's, parvoviral enteritis did not even exist and most of what we now know of this disease has been discovered since then. It is now known that the diseases is transmitted via the oral/fecal route. Huge numbers of virus are shed in the stools of infected dogs for up to two weeks after infection. Since the virus is extremely hardy, it can survive and remain infectious for months in the environment and is extremely difficult to kill with disinfectants.

Dog Parvoviral Enteritis Symptoms

Once an unprotected dog is exposed to the virus, it only takes about 5 days to show signs of the disease. These signs can include loss of appetite, lethargy, fever, vomiting, and profuse and usually bloody diarrhea. Death occurs in severe cases, usually as a result of dehydration, overwhelming infection, or shock. This is especially true in young unprotected dogs (especially puppies between weaning and six months of age), although dogs of any age can become infected. Certain breeds such as Rottweiler and Doberman pinschers are at higher risk.

Parvoviral infections can occur inside the uterus during pregnancy or shortly after birth, causing acute inflammation of the puppies' heart muscles (called myocarditis). While this was quite common in the early days of the disease, this rarely occurs now since most dams are protected against the virus (usually via vaccination) and pass on their immunity to their puppies.

Parvoviral enteritis is often suspected when bloody diarrhea occurs in a dog. A simple test is available that can be performed quickly and inexpensively at a veterinary hospital. Fortunately, most dogs recover with early treatment. In fact, if an animal can survive the first 3-4 days of illness, a full recovery can be anticipated barring an unforeseen complications.

Dog Parvoviral Enteritis Treatments

Since the virus is so tough and can survive in the environment for such a long time, it is almost impossible to prevent exposure. Vaccination is the only truly effective way of preventing and controlling this disease. Your veterinarian can advise you on which vaccination schedule is best suited for your dog.

When should i start dog training ?

Formal obedience training - puppy training in a class situation - can start anywhere from 9 to 12 weeks of age.  Most schools like to see the pup receive a series of 2 vaccinations given before starting in a class - for the pup's protection, as well as the protection of all other pups in the class.  A Bordatella (a type of kennel cough) vaccination and negative stool sample also need to be done beforehand.

TRAINING of your puppy - the stuff you teach them at home - should start the DAY you bring your puppy home!  This does not mean training needs to be intensive right away.  Training at this stage should be done in many little lessons, in short spans of time (5-10 minutes per session).  Then it goes on from there!

Puppies and dogs learn from the instant they are born.  At first their world is small and their learning comes from their mother, other littermates, and the whelping box (their environment).  By the time they are weaned and sent on their way to new homes, they have learned a vast amount of things - all from their mom, their littermates, and from any environmental influences they had.  Hopefully, if the pup comes from a reputable breeder (or from a mixed-breed home with understanding about raising puppies), they have had a good foundation set for future learning.  This is one of the biggest reasons to purchase a pup from a knowledgeable and reputable breeder.

Learning comprises many factors:

• Socialization - positive exposure to many different people, animals, environments, surfaces, situations, sounds, etc, and teaching the pup how to best react to new things


• Innate personality - there is a set type of personality all animals and people are born with.


• Environment - an enriched environment will provide positive experiences and socialization.


• In-home work with potty training, crate training, leash & collar training, teaching appropriate stuff to chew on, your household routine, words, basic home manners.


• Training classes outside the home - where you teach your puppy the essentials of obedience commands, manners, and ability to do everything with the distraction of other people and dogs.


• Serendipity - what the up learns on his own - a huge part of early learning!

As you are reading this article, YOU are learning, but so is your dog!  What is your dog doing righ this moment?  One big thing pups learn is that when your are busy or distracted, they are free to make their own decisions, good OR bad!

At what age should training start?  The answer is "RIGHT AWAY!"