Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays Everyone ! Appreciate your business during this past year and the support while Far Fetched Tales made the transition from Colorado to Florida.

Lessons Starting New Date: January 9, 2011

http://www.palsandpawsagility.com/pages/field.htm

6932 Morse Ave, Jacksonville, FL 32210

6 p.m. Beginner Agility Handlers over 10 years of age, dogs 1 year of age and over. Best if dog knows some commands ( sit, down, loose leash walks) this will make the experience for the handler more pleasurable. 9 week course $90 Avails for up to 10 dogs.

7 p.m. Canine Good Citizen Readiness Course Handlers over 10 years of age, dogs any age. Social skills are learned basic obedience, recalls, sit, stay, focus exercise. In addition a preparation for travel safety, how to have less anxiety at the vet's, and how to teach you dog relaxation exercises. Introduction to some agility obstacles. 9 week course $90. Dogs and Handlers at the end of the 9 weeks will be eligible to register to be tested for their CGC Test.

8 p.m. Ta-tical Agility Open Venue for all Levels

New courses will be featured with challenging skills for all levels. $5 per run proceeds from this class will be donated to K9's for Warriors. Fun of different courses, handling styles, and all to benefit a wonderful organization. 9 weeks of $5 per run, come out and play!

Please e-mail your intent to attend to: trainerpamela@gmail.com field is located on Morse Ave, Orange Park, FL.

Toxins and Pets

Thought: After a walk in the wet weather two friends return home with 4 wet dogs. While the friends are visiting over a cup of hot chocolate, the dogs are playing and drying off in the garage.

Meanwhile, it was time to check on the dogs. It's noticed that there is a piece of chewed plastic, reading the back of it the logo was for de-con mice poison. So an innocent play time turned into an emergency situation. Do not assume that fellow dog owners are aware of poison. A prepared dog owner is a happy dog owner. The manufacturer's 800 number came in very handy, once called, they were prompt to fax to the vet the contents of the poison. No harm done, this story had a happy ending.

2011 DOCNA NATIONALS

DIABLO HARLEY BOI.....4TH YEAR IN ROW! 2011 DOCNA NATIONAL AGILITY CHAMPION AND EASTERN REGIONAL CHAMPION. STEPHENTOWN, NY 2011

DOCNA 2010 Nationals

Obstacle Recognition

The repeated naming of the handler to the dog of the

obstacle is unnecessary since the dog is going over several of the same obstacles. Actually speaking to your dog for each move such as jump, jump, actually causes the team to loose valuable seconds.

Try timing yourself speaking the name of each obstacle, then with out. You will see seconds saved, I am sure. Randomly practice sending and calling your dog over 3 obstacles every time your practice, you find your dog will become more solid recognizing the name of the obstacles. 3x tire, 3 x see saw, etc.

2nd Annual Surfers for Autism

What a special time we spent today at the beaches of St. Augustine, Florida working with the 2nd Annual First Coast Surfers for Autism. Enjoy the photos of some very wonderful children.

Listen to me know or tell me later

Really interested in the comments of those new folks viewing the blog.....

What are you looking for to obtain a better working/friend relationship with your dog?
What type of dog training or classes are you wanting?


My question to the viewers of this blog ...
How do you feed your dog? Once a day? If so is that am or pm? Twice a day? Are you having weight problems with your dog?

Corgi's on the Beach

Wow...so much has happened in such a short amount of time.

1. We now live in a home with a fenced backyard. AMEN!

2. Member of the Jacksonville Agility Club

3. Leave for ...YES...the DOCNA Nationals ...Stephentown, NY on the 19th of September ..competing to keep Jo Dee and Harley's National Titles for the 4th year in a row!

4. K9's for Warriors will be working with dogs and our soldiers ...more news later to share on that regard.

Wishing all of you and those special 4 legged pals of yours the best....and if you need a better dog day....then call...970-640-2202! Hopefully, now since life is coming around, and more settled, after the big move....I will definitely be posting more regular on the blog. Off to practice my "clean runs".

Exercise and Your dogs heart rate

Maximum Heart Rates for Humans and Dogs
Sport scientists typically use heart rate measured in beats per minute
As an indicator of how hard an athlete can and should exercise
aerobically. There is an optimal "training zone" which is generally between 50-75% of the maximum heart rate. In humans, the maximal
heart rate is about 220 beats per minute, so the training zone is
about 150-175, depending on the age of the individual.

HUMAN CANINE
Problem is, dogs have maximal heart rates far above humans and
far higher than most Agility fanciers are aware of. During exercise,
the canine heart can beat 300 beats per minute, which would prove
fatal to any human athlete. At 300 beats per minute, the canine
heart pumps several times every second! By the time your own feet
begin to hurt and you're running out of air, your dog is actually just
getting warmed up. In reality, dogs have to work very hard to reach
the upper levels of their training heart rate zones. Workouts that are taxing for humans exert the dog much less. For example, running at a rate that exhausts humans is far below even the lower range of the canine training zone for a fit dog.

So is your dog really receiving enough exercise, just running loose in the yard? It’s been my observation, the dog will just go lay in the shade.

Preparing Your Dog for Your New Baby" class we teach at several local hospitals, we point out to expectant parents that if their dog gets up and leaves if the baby crawls in the dog's direction, this is a clear sign the dog is uncomfortable with the child's presence. The other side of the coin is that, at least in some circles, fear is cited as motivating behavior even when there are no observable signs of fear. For example, some folks believe that despite offensive body postures, a threatening dog is actually fearful and is choosing an "I"ll get you before you get me" tactic. Because we can't ask animals how they are feeling, we use physiologic and behavioral measures to make inferences about their emotional states. If folks are now claiming we can no longer rely on these indicators then it seems we are back to anthropomorphic guess work in our efforts to determine whether an animal's behaviors are fear related or not.

Seminars

Seminar reservations are being accepted now for the following locations:

Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, CO. - Joplin, Springfield, St. Louis, MO. -

Evansville, IN - Louisville, KY- Daytona - Orlando- Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL.

Lost Dog

Dogs are more likely to run away due to relocation. So while a family is busy unpacking at a new home, they are to busy to notice the stress signs of their dog.

During this transition be sure to be mindful of your dogs signs of stress: Not eating, laying down away from everyone, not wanting to play, or acting timid.

Upon my move of 750 miles, my corgi "Joe" when I let him outside, Joe would lay in the middle of the yard away from the fence line in fear of the new surroundings.

Avoid the stress by offering the dog some of their favorite toys or treats while in their new environment. Keep the dog close by for the first several days. Strange new noises can startle the dog into a flight reaction, which causes the dog to run away. Introduce the dog to the new surroundings before unpacking, so you can observe the dogs reaction, and offer the dog assurance when needed. Walk the dog around the outside perimeter and treat the dog while doing this exercise. Follow the same ta tic for the interior of the new home. Keep walking and treating until you notice the dog is relaxed.

I teach a 3 -way process of recalls, which teach the handler of how to interact with their dog and be more fun / exciting than other outside distractions. One of the recall methods I teach offers an emergency call, which develops a strong bond between handler and dog.

Practicing recalls 3 times a day for 5 minutes is all that is necessary for creating a stronger "recall" for your dog. Practice recall training often, even if you have a veteran dog.

Predatory Behaviors

Predatory Behaviors in seven steps: orient, eye, stalk, chase, grab-bite, kill-bite, dissect. Dogs do not necessarily exhibit all of these behaviors even though they are designed to implement them.

Orientation on the prey animal starts the sequence. The dog focuses on the prey with an intent stare honed to perfection in the Border Collie, then stalks the prey with a slinking motion to get into position for the chase or pounce. The chase may culminate in a grab-bite or a kill-bite but the chain often breaks before the kill and ends with most dogs before the prey is eaten.

Predatory behaviors begin at different ages in different breeds; while Border Collies and some other breeds may stalk prey at 10 weeks of age, guardian breeds generally don’t develop this behavior until they are five-to-six months old. Herding dogs orient, focus, stalk, and chase livestock, but with few exceptions, the behavior chain is broken before the grab-bite.

Flock guardians exhibit none of these behaviors towards sheep because farmers place their puppies with the sheep before stalk and chase behavior are triggered, so the dog becomes accustomed to the sheep and never learns that they might be fun to chase and even kill.

Pointers, retrievers, spaniels, and other breeds developed to hunt and retrieve game birds also have an interrupted predatory behavior sequence. Spaniels flush their birds and pointers freeze when they scent their birds; both wait until the hunter completes the shot and sends them to retrieve the downed game.

Terriers generally carry the sequence through to the kill and are therefore still valuable as pest control. Dogs of many other breeds kill small wild animals and non-resident cats even if they get along with other pets in their households.

Size may determine mod us operandi, but not the instinct to do the job.
Once dogs get past about 25 pounds, size does not have a lot to do with the propensity to herd, hunt, pull, or do other canine jobs.

Predatory drift is when normal dog “play” crosses the line into predatory behavior.

Many things can trigger this such as:

1. Yelp
2. Over excitement
3. Pain

If dog’s are playing too rough and and the smaller dog lets out a yelp, this could possibly trigger predatory instinct in the larger dog, they then see the smaller dog as prey. As you could imagine this could lead to injuries.

Predatory drift can be particularly dangerous in a dog park, when a yelp could trigger a whole pack of dogs to attack another. If your dog is playing too rough with another, especially if one of them is smaller, keep a close eye to make sure their playing doesn’t get out of hand.

You cannot mistake this predatory instinct as an aggressive behavior, it is not a conscious decision the dog is making, it is a primal instinct. All dog’s are predators by nature, it was a necessary survival tool before they became domesticated.

Class Schedule for January and February

6 week Obedience Class $70 per dog Sundays classes at 1 pm and 2 pm class size limited to 5 dogs.

6 week Puppy Kindergarten Class Wednesday classes at 7 pm and 8 pm class size limited to 5 dogs.

Agility Lessons determined by weather, so classes are schedule as weather permits.

Call Pamela at 970-640-2202