Holiday Safety Tips

My children ask me daily, “When are we putting up the Christmas tree?” Considering the two Thanksgiving boarding dogs just left our home and a boarding and training puppy will be here next week, I wonder sometimes if they’d mind not putting it up at all? I don’t think leaving the ornaments in a box this year is an option, though… so it occurs to me a quick review of practical tips for living with children, dogs and holiday stress might be helpful.

The Decorations: Several years ago, a friend of mine made salt-dough Christmas ornaments with her children. They had fun placing them all over the tree. Coming back from a day of shopping, she discovered their Labrador had enjoyed them very much. Thankfully, the dog spat out the metal hooks. Raising Guide Dog puppies when I was a child taught me the importance of placing chew-proof, tail-proof, uninteresting ornaments on the lower half of the tree. The fragile, glass and keepsake ornaments and all the candy canes were always up high. Down low were the plastic and fabric ornaments. One year, when both my brother and I had puppies, my mom only built the top half of our artificial tree, putting it high on a sturdy box covered with an attractive table cloth. She was smart, my mom.

The Visitors: Granny’s coming. So are the unruly cousins. This is a great time to practice sensible management and prevention with your dog. Unless your dog is very well-trained already, keep him leashed for all greetings. Encourage visitors to feed your dog a small treat when he sits in front of them. Remember the 1-foot rule: Children are allowed 1-foot of freedom with the dog for every year of age. That means that children under 15 are never alone with the dog. Period. Supervise closely since dogs and children often have trouble reading each other's signals. If your dog has to resort to growling or snapping to create space, you have placed him in an impossible situation. Be sure your dog has a visitor-free zone where he can retire in peace. He needs the break more than you do.

The Food: Watch out for that fudge! Keep those treats enclosed in sturdy containers well away from the edge of tables where your dog might sample a taste. If food will be available on end tables or within reach of your tall dog, keep him leashed or put him in another room. Many a dog has suffered ingestion of toxic substances (such as chocolate and macadamia nuts) or an event of pancreatitis due to over-indulgence in fatty foods (sausages, cheeses, pate’). Finally, clean up immediately, double-bag and put the trash out right away. Those turkey bones won’t look good on the x-ray.

The Celebrations: If you include a special toy or treat for your dog under the tree, be sure to supervise the unwrapping and play. Many dogs do fine shredding (and not eating) the wrapping paper, but I have seen the results of ribbon wound around intestines and promise that a trip to the veterinary ER is not going to improve your holiday. Give your dog plenty of stress-reducing opportunities such as long walks, chew bones and time away from the crowd. He’ll thank you for it and you’ll appreciate keeping your furniture and sanity intact.

Finally, take LOTS of pictures, especially if you have a puppy! Your special 4-legged family member will bring an added dimension of fun and joy this holiday season, even if the memories involve a Griswold adventure… like a squirrel in the Christmas tree! Merry Christmas!

Benefit for Humane Society of Indianapolis: AKC Canine Good Citizen Test

On October 22nd, 2011, Sensible K9, LLC will be holding a CGC test at the Humane Society of Indianpolis! Is your dog ready to become a registered Canine Good Citizen? American Kennel Club CGC and STAR Puppy evaluator, Catherine Steinke, will be the judge.

Mixed breed and purebred dogs can be tested for polite greetings, basic obedience and ability to listen with distractions present. This fun test can open the door for further training, prepare your dog to become a therapy dog or just prove that all your training efforts have paid off! See if your dog is ready: test items can be found here: http://www.akc.org/events/cgc/training_testing.cfm
The Humane Society is located at 7929 North Michigan Road, Indianapolis, IN. Testing times will be by appointment only and will run in 15 minute intervals from 10am through 3pm.

You must pre-register for this event by signing up for a testing time . Contact Director of Canine Training Services, Connie Swaim by phone 317.872.5650 x135 or email cswaim@indyhumane.org The fee is only $10 and all profits go directly to support the mission of HSI.
Come join the fun!

New Dog Training Class in Indianapolis

Register now for new Sensible K9 Family Dog training classes at the Wigglebutt DogHouse! Start date is July 14th at 6:30pm. This class will likely fill up, so register with WDH today! Registration form and class info on their website.

Go to www.WigglebuttDoghouse.com for directions and to register.

National Dog Bite Prevention Week

It's National Dog Bite Prevention week and my colleague Madeline Gabriel in San Diego has written a wonderful blog that says so well what I would say to you, that I thought I would just post it here so you can copy and paste. (I was going to link it for you, but it appears that is beyond my rather limited technical abilities!) http://dogsandbabies.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/ask-the-dog-part-1

Also, if you read part 2 of her message, you will be able to view simply the best dog-and-child training video I have ever seen. This is well worth watching and is under 7 minutes long. Have your child(ren) watch with you and then discuss the concepts.
http://dogsandbabies.wordpress.com/2011/05/17/dogs-like-kids-they-feel-safe-with-ask-the-dog-part-2/


Madeline makes this such an easy concept to pass along. The bottom line is that your child needs to ask 3 times before touching a dog.
1. Ask you, the parent for permission to ask the owner.
2. Ask the owner for permission to pet the dog.
3. Ask the dog if he wants to be petted.

Practice these ahead of time so that your child will become automatic when the desire comes up out in the real world. Your child is worth the investment of time and energy to work on dog bite prevention!

Kids and Pets

I was playing the game, Doggone Crazy, last week with children from our church small group. (If you haven’t seen this game, check it out, here: http://www.doggonecrazy.ca/ ) The children, aged 8-12, were having a great time laughing their way through correct answers about dog body language, appropriate interactions with unfamiliar dogs and so forth. One question stumped them, though – it was a true or false question: T or F – Adults make better dog trainers than children. To my surprise, they all agreed that adults were better trainers – and they were wrong!

I have found children to be great trainers in my puppy classes and while working with families in homes. Give me a 10-year old with affection for the family dog, time to train and a pocket full of dog treats and I will give you a better trained dog and a happier household in 2 weeks. Children make excellent dog trainers!!

Safety rules and common sense still apply – if you have a dog with any aggression issues, don’t turn him over to your child for training, for goodness’ sake! However, if you just need Fido to come when called, go into his crate on cue, sit for greetings and learn a few parlor tricks, see if your responsible 9-14 year old child has any interest. Chances are, they will make great gains in just a few days. I believe children can do at least as well as their parents – and often they do even better!

I have recently launched a new child-directed program, teaching young people aged 12-18, how to begin their own pet sitting businesses because I believe that children have tremendous potential to do good for people and pets.

If you have a teenager or a nearly –teen, please visit www.SensiblePetSitter.com and check out this great one-day learning opportunity! We are already found in 3 Indianapolis facilities. If you know a group of teens, you can set up your own class and receive one complimentary tuition!

Children never cease to amaze me with their potential. With a little direction, I hope to change the minds of children and help them realize just how talented they can be. I can’t wait to see what this year brings as children in the Indianapolis area become better dog trainers through Sensible K9 puppy classes and private lessons and start their own pet-sitting businesses after attending the Sensible Pet Sitter seminar! Look out, Indy – our kids are going to rock the pet world!

Show Me the Money!

Do you know the difference between a $1 bill and a $10 bill? Would you work harder in 5 minutes to get $100 or $1000?

If you invited me over to your house for dinner and then asked me to set the table, I probably would do so, especially if you were fixing a nice steak dinner! (Feel free to try this – and I love Waldorf salad.) However, if you asked me over for dinner but then said, “Hey Catherine, would you go dig up my septic tank and clean it out?” “There are companies you could hire for that," I would point out, and then I would get the heck out of there before the stink started. My guess is you would have to pay that septic company a whole lot more than a steak dinner.

Your dog has a value system too. Think about it: Does he get more excited for steak scraps or a dog biscuit? Cheese or Cheerios? Some of these foods have the value of a buck – the dog says, “Okay, since there’s nothing better to do, I will work for that.” You can train the new behavior easily then, if it’s a hungry dog and an easy task. But some things you ask your dog to do aren’t worth a dollar, and you find him walking away when you want to train. Depending on his interest in food and the food you choose, you may need to try something new. You need to show him the money – and you need to understand your dog’s valuation of various rewards.

To discover what your dog thinks of various food items you might use for reinforcement, play this game with your dog:

First, choose 5 to 10 different types of food treats, keeping in mind that some people food is toxic to dogs and you should never use raisins, grapes, macadamia nuts, onion, alcohol or avocados, to name a few. Some things to try include his regular dog food, a teaspoon of peanut butter, mild cheese, hot dogs, soda crackers, Cheerios, banana, cooked chicken, lunch meats, prepared dog treats – you get the idea.

Have your dog Sit/Stay or have a friend hold his collar while you show him two treats. Place the treats on the floor (no practicing stealing from the coffee table!) about 5 feet away and at least 1 foot apart and then release your dog. Some dogs appear rather indiscriminant – going for whichever treat is closer – at first. However, once your dog realizes there are choices, you will see him begin to check them out a little before eating. You can then add a few more treats… and keep a log of which ones he prefers best. The more choices, the more discriminating your dog will become.

Years ago when I worked for a hearing dog program, we used a similar game to evaluate food drive in prospective adolescent dogs in a shelter. One dog watched carefully while we set out hot dog, a dry biscuit, cheese and freeze dried liver. When released, she quickly ran up to the line of food, ate the liver, then the cheese then the hot dog and finally grabbed the dog biscuit, ran away a few feet and buried it in the pea gravel. The whole test lasted about 10 seconds. When we finished laughing, we chose her for the program and named her Speedy.

Your dog may have a different reaction, but in the end, you will know your dog better. Then, when you need to train a difficult behavior, or work on desensitizing your dog to an unpleasant grooming task, you will know which food items are worth more to your dog. Don’t think of it as a bribe. Instead, consider what I would have to pay you to set the dinner table or clean out my septic tank… and then be glad you have choices about whether to accept the job or not!

Iced In!

We’re iced-in today. School is closed and kids are home. It’s Saturday in the middle of the week. If the power goes out, computer is down, X-box and Wii won’t entertain the children, but they can still have a lot of fun. Gather the kids and the dog, some tasty treats for both (popcorn is a great dual-species treat!) and let’s play some games.

Remember the one-foot-per-year-old when giving your child and dog freedom to play. For example, if you have a 10 year old child, you should be no more than 10 feet away, and paying attention to how your child plays with the family dog.

Things the children can do with the family dog, named Gypsy for our examples:

Children 2-6

• Bring her a toy or a treat, just drop it on the floor and walk away.
• Play the “I spy” game (“I spy Gypsy’s paw” – child gently touches paw – you give Gypsy a treat for permitting it. Change the underlined item to other body parts.)
• Help the child lay a “treat trail.” Someone holds Gypsy while the child walks away, putting down a treat every 2-3 feet, down the hallway, around a corner… and then a pile of yummies at the end. Return to Gypsy, release her and watch her follow the trail. (Hold your child’s hand to keep him from getting ahead of Gypsy in her search.)

Children 6-10

• Read her a story. Dogs don’t judge – just let the child read. You reward Gypsy for laying still next to the child. (Reward can be petting or massage to keep her quiet.)
• Brush her, under your supervision – some dogs may be sensitive to this, so reward her for every brush stroke with a tasty treat. (Stop before Gypsy’s tired of this.)
• Have the children do jumping jacks nearby while you reward your leashed dog for ignoring them.
• Round-Robin-Recalls. Have all family members sit in a circle. Give each person several tasty treats (for Gypsy). One person calls Gypsy. If she does not immediately come, the caller may pat the floor or show the treat. Gypsy comes and earns the treat. That person says the name of the next person to call Gypsy. Play as long as Gypsy enjoys the game.
  

Children 10-15

• Play the “shell” game – with your supervision: Get three small plastic bowls or cups. Put one treat or piece of food under one cup with Gypsy looking. Teach Gypsy to sniff the cup and knock it over to get the food. Start easy, then get more difficult as she gains experience.
• Play Hide-and-Seek Come. Hold Gypsy by the collar. Let your child show her a treat or toy and then run away to hide (easy at first) in another room. Have your child call Gypsy and release her. When she finds the child, she earns the treat and big happy praise! Repeat, changing roles.

Who says an indoor-day has to be boring! Children and young dogs have boundless energy. Enjoy the opportunity to make an iced-in day a relationship-building day for your whole family.