Trish Wamsat's AdobeDogs Puppy and Dog Training
Training for Today's Dogs
I love California!
California is a wonderful place to live! It's especially great for dog owners. Whether because of we, dog loving boomers, as business owners (thanks for the concept, Jim) or the California tradition of just doing what makes us happy, our dogs are being welcomed more and more places!
We love to take our dogs with us, but sometimes we forget that they're dogs and at risk from things we might not be aware of. Following is a description of some, way to common, hazards and what to do if the worst happens.
Foxtails
Rattlesnakes
Heat
Strong currents
We love to take our dogs with us, but sometimes we forget that they're dogs and at risk from things we might not be aware of. Following is a description of some, way to common, hazards and what to do if the worst happens.
Foxtails
Rattlesnakes
Heat
Strong currents
disclaimer!
the information I've given, below, is information that I've gained over 20 years as a veterinary(vet) technician, and more than 30 as a dog trainer. I am NOT a vet and my advice should be run past your vet, to make sure he/she doesn't want you to have different information. I'm happy to answer your questions and if you get a conflicting view, I always recommend that you get another and even another, until you are satisfied that you have the BEST and most current information available.
Adobe Animal Hospital is an excellent source of advice, as, with more than 20 veterinarians, you'll almost always get a variety of answers that give you the ability to see and understand many sides of the same issue. You can call them at 650-948-9661 and there is someone there, to help you until 10pm. and 24 hours a day if you have an emergency.
Adobe Animal Hospital is an excellent source of advice, as, with more than 20 veterinarians, you'll almost always get a variety of answers that give you the ability to see and understand many sides of the same issue. You can call them at 650-948-9661 and there is someone there, to help you until 10pm. and 24 hours a day if you have an emergency.
FOXTAILS
I HATE FOXTAILS.
FOXTAILS ARE EVIL. They take a lot of the fun out of California, in the summer and fall. And winter and spring in some areas.
Here's a great link to a Wikipedia Foxtail entry with great pictures and explanations.
http://www.csupomona.edu/~jcclark/dogs/foxtails.html
Most important is to be aware of them. Definitely avoid big fields of them, especially when they are dry. Your dog can get a foxtail in his nose, ear, eye, foot, coat ANYWHERE. Foxtails are great travelers and can even end up on lawns. They can be under bushes, around fence lines, on sidewalks..... Those beautiful golden fields you drive past that look like prime doggie offleash territory? Usually, in California, those fields are fields of foxtails.
Just be aware. I tried to avoid areas with foxtails, for years. While my dogs didn't get them anywhere, but their coats and feet, we didn't really enjoy the outdoors. Beaches can be foxtail-free, but often, the walk to the beach is lined with them. Parks and trails are chock-full of 'em. But the beaches and parks and trails are part of why we love this gorgeous place!
SO The answer is, BE VIGILANT. Know what the plants look like and know when they are around. If you're going someplace where there are foxtails around, spray a cooking spray (like Pam) between his toes and around the large pad on the bottom of his feet. The spray works to keep the barbs on the foxtail from being able to get a grip and move forward. You can also use it AFTER exposure; it makes the foxtails (and burrs!) much easier to find and remove, and if you miss one, it's far less likely to penetrate the skin.
When you've been someplace where there are foxtails, brush your dog, thoroughly. A bath for more densely coated breeds can be very useful, too. At the very least, treat the feet with cooking spray or a strong conditioner (rinse the conditioner out) and check between the toes (pay extra attention to the "webbing" where the toes join at the foot) and around the big pad.
If you're out and about and your dog suddenly begins sneezing, it may be a foxtail. A "foxtail sneeze" is extremely violent and repetitive. The dog's head slams toward the ground, sometimes even hitting the ground or his front legs. Sometimes there's a spray of blood on the front legs. Sometimes the foxtail will actually be expelled with the sneeze, but often it requires being removed under deep, general anesthesia. Be sure to pay attention to which nostril is affected. The nostril with the foxtail will be on the side that's "pulled back" and the eye that squints the most dramatically. Tell the vet which nostril is affected.
If your dog holds one ear back, against his head, and shakes his head and ear, get him to the vet to check for a foxtail. Foxtails can migrate to the eardrum and rupture it, causing severe pain and hearing loss.
I have a foxtail phobia with my (and your) dogs. I've managed to relax a little, since moving to the farm, as there's no getting away from them, here, but I am still super vigilant. Some breeds will tell you when they have picked one up, in their foot (Collies, Poodles, and the like), and some dogs are bred to ignore them (sporting and working breeds), but all of them need to be checked frequently.
FOXTAILS ARE EVIL. They take a lot of the fun out of California, in the summer and fall. And winter and spring in some areas.
Here's a great link to a Wikipedia Foxtail entry with great pictures and explanations.
http://www.csupomona.edu/~jcclark/dogs/foxtails.html
Most important is to be aware of them. Definitely avoid big fields of them, especially when they are dry. Your dog can get a foxtail in his nose, ear, eye, foot, coat ANYWHERE. Foxtails are great travelers and can even end up on lawns. They can be under bushes, around fence lines, on sidewalks..... Those beautiful golden fields you drive past that look like prime doggie offleash territory? Usually, in California, those fields are fields of foxtails.
Just be aware. I tried to avoid areas with foxtails, for years. While my dogs didn't get them anywhere, but their coats and feet, we didn't really enjoy the outdoors. Beaches can be foxtail-free, but often, the walk to the beach is lined with them. Parks and trails are chock-full of 'em. But the beaches and parks and trails are part of why we love this gorgeous place!
SO The answer is, BE VIGILANT. Know what the plants look like and know when they are around. If you're going someplace where there are foxtails around, spray a cooking spray (like Pam) between his toes and around the large pad on the bottom of his feet. The spray works to keep the barbs on the foxtail from being able to get a grip and move forward. You can also use it AFTER exposure; it makes the foxtails (and burrs!) much easier to find and remove, and if you miss one, it's far less likely to penetrate the skin.
When you've been someplace where there are foxtails, brush your dog, thoroughly. A bath for more densely coated breeds can be very useful, too. At the very least, treat the feet with cooking spray or a strong conditioner (rinse the conditioner out) and check between the toes (pay extra attention to the "webbing" where the toes join at the foot) and around the big pad.
If you're out and about and your dog suddenly begins sneezing, it may be a foxtail. A "foxtail sneeze" is extremely violent and repetitive. The dog's head slams toward the ground, sometimes even hitting the ground or his front legs. Sometimes there's a spray of blood on the front legs. Sometimes the foxtail will actually be expelled with the sneeze, but often it requires being removed under deep, general anesthesia. Be sure to pay attention to which nostril is affected. The nostril with the foxtail will be on the side that's "pulled back" and the eye that squints the most dramatically. Tell the vet which nostril is affected.
If your dog holds one ear back, against his head, and shakes his head and ear, get him to the vet to check for a foxtail. Foxtails can migrate to the eardrum and rupture it, causing severe pain and hearing loss.
I have a foxtail phobia with my (and your) dogs. I've managed to relax a little, since moving to the farm, as there's no getting away from them, here, but I am still super vigilant. Some breeds will tell you when they have picked one up, in their foot (Collies, Poodles, and the like), and some dogs are bred to ignore them (sporting and working breeds), but all of them need to be checked frequently.
Rattlesnakes
Rattlesnakes are another danger to both humans and dogs. Snake bites can happen, even in some suburban areas. They are more common on hiking trails,
Rattlesnakes rattle to scare things away. Unfortunately, this sound often makes dogs want to discover what's making the noise, so they go to explore. Needless to say, most dogs are bitten on the face or front legs. It's often hard to tell that there has been a bite, right away. Your vet can tell by taking a blood sample and looking at your dog's red blood cells; a change in them occurs within minutes of a bite. Unfortunately, most of us aren't minutes from a vet when a bite happens..
It's a good idea to take Benadryl with you and give your dog the appropriate dose (1mg per pound of dog ie. a 60 pound dog would get two 25mg Benadryl and a 25 pound dog would get 1 25mg Benadryl) immediately upon finding that the dog has been bitten.
DON'T panic and don't try to suck venom out of the wound. If your dog was away from you and you think he was bitten, DON'T go looking for the snake! It's bad enough that your dog was bitten, we don't need you to be bitten, too! Your vet will be able to tell, indisputably, with a simple blood test. WALK your dog calmly to your car and get him to a vet. Very few dogs die from snake bites, in California, especially if they get treatment within the first 8-12 hours.
Your dog will need to be hospitalized for observation and treatment for pain, shock, envenomation and any complications. Your dog will probably swell up like a balloon and, surprisingly, it's actually better for your dog to be bitten on the face, as the skin can easily expand to accommodate the swelling, unlike the skin on a front leg. If the skin can't stretch with the swelling, it can cause circulatory problems, further complicating the recovery.
There are rattlesnake avoidance training classes you can take your dog to, if you will be in an area where snakes are a danger, or if you live in a snake area. As with all trainers, some are better at this than others. Some train all dogs the same way (bad) and some take the dogs' personalities into account and train each dog as an individual (good).
**I have never been a part of this type of training so all of my advice, below, is based on my knowledge as a trainer and what I've heard from people who have taken their dogs to this training.
DO:
Pay the money for a trainer VERY experienced with this type of training; most trainers use a shock collar (euphemistically called an "e" or electronic collar), for this, so skill with timing and the level of "correction" (strength of the shock) is CRITICAL.
Ask for the trainer's resume. How long has the trainer been doing snake avoidance training? How many times has the trainer actually performed the training, him/herself? (he/she may have assisted with the training for years, but not actually handled the dog/equipment but for a couple of times. practice makes perfect) What different breeds has the trainer worked with and how do they find they need to change their methods with the different breeds? Has the trainer noticed that there are different personalities in each breed and how does the trainer evaluate the dogs' personalities so that each dog gets the best training?
Make sure the trainer is using LIVE rattlesnakes and ask what measures they take to protect the dogs (and humans!). Most trainers will either temporarily sew the snake's mouth closed or cut the "fangs" off (I'm told that the fangs soon grow back). Ask about the permits required to possess and use the snakes, in CA. It HAS to be live rattlesnakes and they really can't be restrained in a container, because the dog has to smell the snake as it would smell in it's habitat, in order to get the full benefit of the training (and you don't want to expose your dog to this training and have it associate the wrong smell!).
DON'T
Allow anyone to take your dog from you, to train for this.
Assume the trainer knows what he/she is doing.
Rattlesnakes rattle to scare things away. Unfortunately, this sound often makes dogs want to discover what's making the noise, so they go to explore. Needless to say, most dogs are bitten on the face or front legs. It's often hard to tell that there has been a bite, right away. Your vet can tell by taking a blood sample and looking at your dog's red blood cells; a change in them occurs within minutes of a bite. Unfortunately, most of us aren't minutes from a vet when a bite happens..It's a good idea to take Benadryl with you and give your dog the appropriate dose (1mg per pound of dog ie. a 60 pound dog would get two 25mg Benadryl and a 25 pound dog would get 1 25mg Benadryl) immediately upon finding that the dog has been bitten.
DON'T panic and don't try to suck venom out of the wound. If your dog was away from you and you think he was bitten, DON'T go looking for the snake! It's bad enough that your dog was bitten, we don't need you to be bitten, too! Your vet will be able to tell, indisputably, with a simple blood test. WALK your dog calmly to your car and get him to a vet. Very few dogs die from snake bites, in California, especially if they get treatment within the first 8-12 hours.
Your dog will need to be hospitalized for observation and treatment for pain, shock, envenomation and any complications. Your dog will probably swell up like a balloon and, surprisingly, it's actually better for your dog to be bitten on the face, as the skin can easily expand to accommodate the swelling, unlike the skin on a front leg. If the skin can't stretch with the swelling, it can cause circulatory problems, further complicating the recovery.
There are rattlesnake avoidance training classes you can take your dog to, if you will be in an area where snakes are a danger, or if you live in a snake area. As with all trainers, some are better at this than others. Some train all dogs the same way (bad) and some take the dogs' personalities into account and train each dog as an individual (good).
**I have never been a part of this type of training so all of my advice, below, is based on my knowledge as a trainer and what I've heard from people who have taken their dogs to this training.
DO:
Pay the money for a trainer VERY experienced with this type of training; most trainers use a shock collar (euphemistically called an "e" or electronic collar), for this, so skill with timing and the level of "correction" (strength of the shock) is CRITICAL.
Ask for the trainer's resume. How long has the trainer been doing snake avoidance training? How many times has the trainer actually performed the training, him/herself? (he/she may have assisted with the training for years, but not actually handled the dog/equipment but for a couple of times. practice makes perfect) What different breeds has the trainer worked with and how do they find they need to change their methods with the different breeds? Has the trainer noticed that there are different personalities in each breed and how does the trainer evaluate the dogs' personalities so that each dog gets the best training?
Make sure the trainer is using LIVE rattlesnakes and ask what measures they take to protect the dogs (and humans!). Most trainers will either temporarily sew the snake's mouth closed or cut the "fangs" off (I'm told that the fangs soon grow back). Ask about the permits required to possess and use the snakes, in CA. It HAS to be live rattlesnakes and they really can't be restrained in a container, because the dog has to smell the snake as it would smell in it's habitat, in order to get the full benefit of the training (and you don't want to expose your dog to this training and have it associate the wrong smell!).
DON'T
Allow anyone to take your dog from you, to train for this.
Assume the trainer knows what he/she is doing.
Heat
I wish I didn't need to write this paragraph; that it would just come under the heading of "commo
n sense", but I've seen too many problems to not mention it.
WHEN IT'S HOT MAKE SURE YOUR DOG IS COOL AND NOT FORCED TO KEEP UP WITH YOU.
In emergency (if your dog is clearly hot but has stopped panting, it's an emergency. If your dog refuses to get up, it's an emergency. If your dog is panting so hard he can't listen to you or wag his tail, it's an emergency) get the dog's feet (pads) and underside wet. Especially the inner thighs. If you have rubbing alcohol, use that. You can use an ice pack, wrapped in a t shirt or rag, between the dog's thighs, to help lower his temperature. DO THIS AS YOU ARE DRIVING TO AN EMERGENCY HOSPITAL.
n sense", but I've seen too many problems to not mention it.WHEN IT'S HOT MAKE SURE YOUR DOG IS COOL AND NOT FORCED TO KEEP UP WITH YOU.
In emergency (if your dog is clearly hot but has stopped panting, it's an emergency. If your dog refuses to get up, it's an emergency. If your dog is panting so hard he can't listen to you or wag his tail, it's an emergency) get the dog's feet (pads) and underside wet. Especially the inner thighs. If you have rubbing alcohol, use that. You can use an ice pack, wrapped in a t shirt or rag, between the dog's thighs, to help lower his temperature. DO THIS AS YOU ARE DRIVING TO AN EMERGENCY HOSPITAL.
STRONG CURRENTS
Many dogs love to play in the water. Some like to swim. WATCH OUT FOR WHAT YOU ARE SENDING YOUR DOG INTO!
Strong currents can sweep your dog away, causing him to exhaust himself and increasing the risk of drowning. We hate to think it could happen, but it does. If the current is too strong for people to swim in (look for signs) then think twice about letting your dog swim there.....
Strong currents can sweep your dog away, causing him to exhaust himself and increasing the risk of drowning. We hate to think it could happen, but it does. If the current is too strong for people to swim in (look for signs) then think twice about letting your dog swim there.....