Spring hike

Last week on my afternoon off it was a beautiful day; I got my errands run early and decided that Cory and I needed to go find a place to take a walk.

One of my favorite drives is out Middle Creek Road in Boone county. This time of year the wildflowers are beautiful, and it is always a good bet for seeing good birds. At the end of the road is Boone Cliffs, a little used park which is popular with birders but a bit steep for me with my bad knees (I have plans to make it to the top, but it will be on a day with no agility trials right afterwards and I will definitely need my walking stick!). So we started with a drive out Middle Creek.

Of course, I forgot my camera so these pictures were all taken with my Blackberry (whose camera is terrible). The detail is not great, but the drive was beautiful.

The entire ground was carpeted with wildflowers of many types. Wild phlox were prevalent, as were blue-eyed marys. Bluebells, larkspur, and a dozen other varieties I don't know the names of were all visible.

After driving down Middle Creek Road, I decided to head over to Middle Creek park. I had never hiked there, but had checked it out on the internet previously. A group of my dog training friends tries to get together on non-show weekends and find different places to hike with the dogs, and this was one possible site that we hadn't gotten to yet. There are about six miles of trails shared with horseback riders, and the overall traffic in the park seems fairly low.

Here's Cory in the midst of the wildflowers along the trail. The trails are very wooded and follow the creek; it was an absolutely beautiful walk.

Cory HATES being America's next top dog model ;-).

Here's a closeup of the blue-eyed marys. Aren't they pretty?


And here's some wild phlox, one of my favorites.

Here's Cory in the larkspur; can you tell he's had about enough of this posing business?

Here is a picture of the trail we followed; it was so pretty it was like being in a movie set. We had the whole park just about to ourselves that day. Unfortunately, wildflower season is also tick season. Yuck. I had found a tick two days in a row attached to Cory before the hike, but had forgotten to put his Frontline on before we went.

So I tried an experiment when we got home that night; I gave him his Comfortis, which is the once a month flea pill. We just started using it the end of the season last year and so far have had excellent results for fleas. It is not labeled for ticks; however initial reports seem to indicate that it has some effect on ticks but probably doesn't last a whole month. So I figured it would be a good experiment to see if I could observe any effect. (As of this weekend, I found one dead, attached tick on him 10 days post pill; I have found live ticks that he apparently carried in that crawled off of him and onto me or the floor, but no live attached ticks since giving it). Yuck. I hate ticks!

The trail meandered along the creek and eventually I realized that we were walking in the woods I could see from the road when I was driving. I wish I had known long ago there were trails there!

There were ample dead fallen logs to sit on and relax along the way. Cory gets impatient with my rest stops!

Even he was pretty tired though, it was quite warm (above 80) that day and after a long winter we weren't used to it! No gradual warming this year!

If you look closely at the picture below, you can see Cory in the creek. He was very happy when we found a spot where he could get down to it easily and promptly jumped in and laid down. Fabulous. He had just had his bath and groom out for a seminar that weekend...luckily he has a wash and wear coat, a quick rinse of his legs with the hose when we got home and a three minute brushing was all it took to get the creek stink off of him.

Spring is really here! My red headed woodpecker was back on Friday, much earlier than previous years! They didn't show up until May 16 last year, though they came back on May 4 and 5 the two years prior. Unfortunately I have not been home to watch my feeders much lately.

If you haven't started your flea prevention, it is getting to be time and if you have tick exposure you are LATE!

Showin' off at the Pet Expo

Last weekend Cory and I went to the Everything Pets Expo downtown at the convention center. We had never been before. Parking was a bit tight especially as there was a Reds game going on at the same time, but we eventually were able to find a spot, drag all our stuff through the parking garage and down the street, and made it on time. Cory was unfazed by the sights and the sounds of the city- except he thought it would be fun to chase the pigeons.

The Pet Expo goes on for three days and includes agility, flyball and dock dog demos, booths selling every kind of pet product imaginable, and lots of rescues with animals available for adoption. There were auditions to be on David Letterman's "Stupid Pet Tricks" and America's Top Dog Model. The dog below was one of my favorite sights of the weekend; his owner was participating in one of the "creative grooming" demos. Being a big Bengal fan, this one has to go in my keeper file!

He was not the only dog all dolled up for the event. The general public is not allowed to bring their pets, but between all the demos and the rescue booths there were LOTS of animals there. Between the Bengals dog and the poodle below, Cory was starting to feel underdressed!

One of the booths was manned by the CARE center of Cincinnati, one of the referral centers we use frequently. They offer 24/7 critical care abilities as well as specialists in a multitude of disciplines and we are very lucky to have them so readily available.

For those like Cory who came underdressed, no need to fear. You could fully outfit your dog in one of many appropriate outfits for the day. Cory decided on general principles that he would continue to appear "au natural".

The expo was aimed at ALL types of pets, not just dogs. Some people were a bit startled by the appearance of the critter below right next to them.

Looking at all the displays of cool collars always makes me so jealous of people who can put them on their dogs and actually SEE them. My dogs are so hairy that it's a waste of money. But that doesn't keep me from window shopping....

There were also booths selling all kinds of animal art and neat gifts. A new store called "Indigenous" in O'Bryanville is owned by the people who used to have "A Show of Hands" at Kenwood and is art done by local artists. They brought a terrific selection of their animal related items and I can see I am going to have to make a trip there soon.

One of the big exhibits is the Dock Dogs demo. It is a huge crowd favorite and lots of fun to watch. In addition to the experienced dogs, they allowed some of the other dogs who wanted to to participate. I think Cory might actually like this- he likes the water, unlike my two previous shelties. However, in the interest of keeping him looking good for his own demos we elected to pass this time.

I didn't want to use a flash, so my action shots are not the best, but I thought they were still kind of fun even if blurry.

It reminded me of the dolphin shows in Florida- if you stand too close to the pool you're going to get wet!

If you look closely at the picture below you can see a big open mouth going for the bumper in the middle of the splash!

Hamilton County SPCA had their van there with animals available for adoption.

A horse rescue had three week old foals on display.

The Cincinnati Police brought some of their mounted units in. They were corraled right next to the main demo ring and watched the agility with interest!

There were demos with frisbee dogs as well; my action shots of these were just no good with the slow shutter speed due to the low light.

The purpose of Cory and I attending was to participate in the demos put on by Queen City Dog Training Club. We did mostly agility demos throughout the weekend. It was a great chance for the dogs to get in a little practice with a high level of distraction, but without the pressure of a real trial.

Maryann and Edge below did a great job in the relay races.

Connie and her dobie helped to keep her team in the thick of it.

Mary Jo and Jamie were flying!

Cory and I both really enjoyed the agility relay races. We set up two identical, side by side courses consisting of jump-weave-jump-tunnel and back and had teams of four run each course simultaneously. The dogs had a BLAST- we typically don't run head to head in real trials, the courses were short with all the emphasis on speed, and Cory thought he had died and gone to doggy Disneyland. I was very happy with his weave pole entries which are still a work in progress, but he did fairly well hitting them at speed.

Sharon and Baylin enjoyed themselves as well- they are Cory's favorite tracking buddies.

Linda and Freya were zooming too!

We thoroughly enjoyed our Pet Expo experience. If you have a chance to go next year, come on down- especially if you have any interest in finding some fun activities to do with your own dog. All of the dogs demoing there are primarily pets; those of us who are addicted do pick our next dog with competition in mind, but these dogs are for the most part every day dogs who snooze on the couch all day and get to play at this one or two nights a week and on weekends. There is something fun for everyone, no matter where your interests lie. Your dog will love it!

I have not fallen off the face of the earth...

Yes, I KNOW I have been remiss in keeping up with the blog; but it's the kind of thing where either you're in the mood or you're not. Plus, if you're in the mood, you have to have the time. And something going on to write about. So here is a quick shortie post until I have time do do something more informative (and because Diane asked for more bird pix!).

Sunday was Queen City DTC's spring tracking test. This year it was at a new location, Valley View nature preserve in Clermont County. We had one TD entry which PASSED for a new Tracking Dog Tibetan Terrier from Kingsport TN. Sadly, none of the three Tracking Dog Excellent entries were successful. The pass rate for TDX is daunting- all the stars really must be in alignment!

There was an elementary school right next to the first track and we were watching from the sidewalk. This absolutely INFURIATED a killdeer who had "built" her nest right next to the walkway. "Built" is stretching it a bit, since it isn't much more than a depression in the dirt.



First Mama Killdeer shrieked at me, puffed up, and (quite bravely I thought) ran right up to me doing her best to look terrifying.

When I did not reward her with the proper reaction of terror and hasty retreat, she tried tactic #2; fake an injury.

See, she drags a wing and tries to draw me away from the nest thinking she is easy prey. However, killdeer for lunch was not on my agenda and I still refused to vacate the area.

Oops, Mama K, you forgot that you started out with your OTHER wing hurt. You need to take your acting class over again.

Finally she retreated back to her nest where she ranted and raved at us through the whole time we were observing, and when we started back to the car she tried dive bombing us just to hurry us along.

You know, Mama Killdeer, not to point out the obvious, but if you had decided to lay your eggs in, oh, say, the 200 acres of grassland nature preserve 50 yards away instead of next to the sidewalk, you could have been relaxing and eating bon bons instead of doing sidewalk patrol. I'm just sayin'. You might want to think about it next time.

One of the tracking dogs also flushed up this deer as she ran her track; the deer took off running TOWARDS the sound of gunshots from the nearby firing range, which makes me not feel very optimistic about her long term survival odds.

She did look pretty and was fun to watch though. I had the pictures cropped down a little better, but somehow when I uploaded them they reverted to the original and I'm too lazy to fix it.

I have several posts written in my mind and I will try to get them up and be more regular again; I am doing my best to shake off the winter blahs and get motivated to do something productive!

Teaching a puppy to tolerate restraint

One of the most important lessons you can teach a puppy, if not THE most important lesson, is how to tolerate restraint. It is relatively simple and quick to do if you start it young as a puppy and it will make your life SO MUCH EASIER not to mention save a lot of stress on the dog and potentially save his life. Despite this, I would estimate 95% of my clients never teach this important tool. My puppies learn this as our number one priority, WAY above teaching sit, down, contact behaviors, or focused attention.

I discuss with EVERY new puppy client (usually at every visit) how to work on this. Five minutes a night is all it takes; if you start by 8 weeks it is a whole lot easier but it can certainly be started later. First, if this is not your own puppy we spend some time making friends with the puppy,
cuddling them and feeding them cookies, so they are feeling comfortable and good about us. I like the puppies to wear a buckle collar and I put them on a table, washer, top of a crate, whatever- but off the ground and out of their comfort zone. I frame the puppy's chin with my thumb and pointer finger and slide my other three fingers through his collar under his chin. ((I am right handed and usually do this with my left hand so my right hand is free). If the puppy elects to struggle, all pressure is on the back of his neck from the collar- roughly where his mother would put it. He cannot bite or mouthe me because of the way I am holding him. I flip back each ear and examine them, look at eyes, lift lips and look at teeth, open mouth, run my free hand down his back, and pick up and handle all four feet- all things you as an owner might need to do in the context of basic everyday grooming or handling as well as part of the veterinary exam. I EXPECT the puppy to struggle and probably whine and squeal a little bit. Puppies are dramatic- they put on dramatic displays and exaggerate their responses. Most pet owners see this, freak out and think they are hurting them, and stop- so the puppy has learned that throwing a temper tantrum gets them what they want. All I do is wait until they are done wiggling and vocalizing and then I praise and go on with my business. I DO NOT try to distract them with treats- I want them to think about and be aware of what I am doing, realize that it is NOT the end of the world and that struggling does not get them the desired result, and then reward the behavior I am looking for- standing calmly- by releasing them and THEN giving cookies as well as kisses, butt rubs, etc. If you use the cookies to distract them from what you are doing, they never learn the most important part of the lesson- they are bribes, not rewards in that situation. 90 % of puppies started at 8 wks or younger (ideally I would start at 3-4 wks) will cry once or twice, wiggle for about 10 seconds, and then settle down. On night two you will get about half that much before they settle. The other 10%, and older puppies, will put up more of a struggle; I like to do this while I am watching TV so if they decide to have a prolonged tantrum I can distract myself and keep from getting frustrated by focusing on the TV show while I wait them out. Cory as a singleton was one of the tougher ones- I find singletons in generally to be very possessive of their bodies, very intolerant of restraint, and somewhat bratty, and he was no exception. I am happy to report that by 10 wks old he was very good and I can now do just about anything I need to to him with no one to restrain him, including having him lie on his side for up to 2 hours while grooming or reach down his throat to pull out whatever he stole from the neighbor's trash.

Part two is teaching that lateral down; I slide the puppie down my body with his back against me and his legs away from me so that he is lying on his side; on hand holds the front leg closest to the table and my wrist rests lightly over his neck, the other hand holds the rear leg closest to the table. Again, as long as he wiggles I do not respond, as soon as he relaxes I praise, rub his belly, and release. Gradually you stretch out the time and add in brushes, etc. This should be CALM and relaxing, you should not be flipping the puppy over like an alpha roll.

Part three is foot handling/nail trims. I like the puppy to stand on the table while I hold a foot; I DO NOT want anyone else holding him as I want HIM to learn the responsibility for holding still. I will pick up a front foot and hold it gently. Most puppies will cry and wiggle, some will start to twist all around to try and get away. Whatever; not recommended but your choice; I DO NOT LET GO but wait until they hold still and then praise and release and move onto the next foot. I will only correct for aggressive biting but I will not let go, even if they twist themselves in circles. Too bad, so sad, you might not want to do that next time. 80% of the reaction usually occurs on the first foot, by the time you get to the third foot they usually are getting the idea. Once they tolerate that I introduce nail trims one or two nails per night. Again, if started early most puppies are tolerating the handling in just a minute or two. If you wait until 12 wks to start, expect to wait out the struggling longer as this seems to start a more oppositional age, but it still can be done! I will not let the puppy fall off the table, but I will let him get a foot off so he realizes there is an edge and standing still is worth his while. I also recently saw an idea on Susan Garrett's training blog that I thought was excellent- use a metal spoon to tap on the puppy's toenail tips to acclimate them to the sound and sensation before going to regular adult nail trimmers (we also use human nail trimmers for the smaller puppies- much easier to use on the tiny nails, less likely to hit the quick, and quieter).

Timing your praise is critical- we all are tempted when the puppy is uphappy to croon to him and comfort him. SHUT UP! This sounds just like praise and reinforces the behavior you want to eliminate. Keep your mouth shut until you feel that first instant of relaxation and then praise like crazy. It makes a HUGE HUGE difference.

Although I do not use treats until I get the behavior I want, I usually use a fairly high value treat like squirt cheese once I do reward so the puppies find it is very worth their while to cooperate. It is very important that while you are doing this you do your best NOT to have to do anything that is painful or any scarier than what I have described above; I want the puppy to learn that restraint may not be their favorite thing, but it is a necessary evil and no big deal; they learn to trust me in a mildly stressful situation. By teaching your dog to tolerate this handling it will save them SO much stress through their lives! Nothing is more frustrating than an owner whose dog pitches an absolute tantrum because he has never had to tolerate any restraint until he has to go to the vet and have something unpleasant done, and the owner is unhappy with US. Um, YOU did not do your job to prepare your dog for a basic part of life, so now WE have to deal with it as quickly and atraumatically as we can- but it won't always be pretty. I can't even tell you how many patients I have who have suffered needless discomfort literally for years because the owner cannot treat them at home, and 99% of them could have avoided it by five minutes a night from 8-16 wks old.

My old cocker was one of those dogs that took three people lying on her to do her nails, and ended up with everyone covered in poop, pee, and anal gland juice. I swore I would NEVER have a dog I had to do that with again and I never have :-). I run up against maybe 1 puppy a year in my practice that, started at an approprate age will be really and truly difficult to teach this too- and boy, I wouldn't take that puppy home on a bet! Those puppies do better using the operant conditioning techniques I would use with a wild animal to teach them to allow handling- but I think they have missed the important point of the lesson in learning to tolerate restraint in many instances. Essentially it has been trained around rather than through. Virtually all of the rest do great with it, if only as many of the owners would do the necessary follow through at home! With adult dogs and older puppies you may be better off to use the operant approach as well (see my post with a good video on the subject by clicking on nail trims in the index to the right of this page) as they are likely to resist more and we don't want to turn this lesson into a huge conflict. In general I prefer to teach almost everything I can by shaping and positive reinforcement, but this is one situation where I want to work THROUGH the puppy not liking what I am doing rather than around it- he doesn't have to learn to love every bit of it, but he does need to learn that he MUST tolerate it, it is not optional, and he does have the power to make the situation be short and non-traumatic if he cooperates. I think dogs taught this way are much less likely to decide to stop cooperating when the time comes that we DO have to do something particularly unpleasant; plus, they have learned how to deal successfully with stress in small doses, which makes for a much more mentally balanced dog who deals with life in general much better.



The video below goes through this process rather quickly with Poppy, a 12 week old Maltese puppy. This is Poppy's second visit, so she had experience with this at her first visit when she was 8 or 9 weeks old. You can see she wiggles a little, but settles down pretty quickly and is not especially upset by the experience. This is pretty typical for what I see, although certainly many puppies will resist a little more, especially on holding that first foot the first time. I think Poppy has decided that playing by our rules is well worth the cookies and cuddles!

Happy New Year and happy blue moon! Cory, the kitties (Tyler is pictured above since he did not cooperate for his Christmas pictures) and I are looking forward to our second long weekend in a row. Last weekend, of course, was spent doing family things and enjoying a visit with my sister who lives in Taipai. This weekend is mine, all mine, and we are entered in an agility trial starting as soon as we get out of here at noon today and every day through the weekend. Plus we'll probably enjoy dinner with friends to celebrate the New Year tonight, although we'll all be in bed early so we can be back at the show at the crack of dawn tomorrow! I figure it IS a blue moon, so maybe Cory will do well!

This blog is now officially a year old and I must apologize for my lack of postings of late, and my laziness when staying on topic. I promise to do better and do more veterinary and training related posts this year. I am working on a couple coming up but am trying to wait to get some video to go along with them. My New Year's resolution is to do better!

So on to a new year and a new decade; Happy New Year to all!

An exercise in futility....

Two cats, one dog, three Santa hats, three jingle bell collars and a camera, plus a little fresh turkey for treats...seems like that SHOULD be all you need to get good Christmas pictures. The truth is that I needed at least half a dozen helpers and a staple gun to have had any hope of success!

Here's the best we could do; I'm not thrilled with any of them but maybe we'll try again later. Pictured are Cory and Toby; Tyler declined to be photographed.

Why didn't we take the pictures in front of the tree, you ask? Given that I have two 8 month old kittens this year who climb the door frames and the posts in the basement, I thought this might be a good year to skip a tree...we made due with outdoor lights and half a dozen poinsettias instead and left the rest of the Christmas decorations boxed up in the garage this time.

When Pigs Flu.....

You can't turn on the news these days without hearing about "flu" of one sort or another. Swine flu, avian flu, dog flu.......it makes the head swim! Here is a brief synopsis of the significance of influenza to your pet. I have no flu pictures, so I decided to belatedly post some halloween pictures instead!




This is my very favorite Halloween costume ever- our beloved "Grouch" who passed away last December dressed as him namesake, Oscar the Grouch. You have to admit there is a distinct resemblance! (note: green Kool Aid does NOT come out of the fur. For a very long time).

Back to the flu. Type A influenza viruses can affect many different species. In GENERAL, influenza virus is species specific- that is, dog flu affects only dogs, not humans. However, type A influenza viruses are known to mutate and cross species, which is why a while back we had a big concern about avian (bird) flu and this year's hot topic is swine flu. In the case of canine influenza (H3N8), it is thought to have mutated from the equine flu virus. Canine flu first showed up about five years ago in groups of racing greyhounds. It is common practice to feed these dogs raw horsemeat and it is thought that that may have been a factor in the virus jumping species (just one of many reasons we do NOT recommend feeding raw meat). The outbreaks at greyhound tracks have occurred in clusters and seem to have a higher incidence of severe disease than the cases we see in the general canine population. The largest number of cases have occurred in Florida, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Colorado, but cases have been reported in more than 30 states including Ohio and Kentucky.

Here is Cory's costume for this year- Peter Pan, which seemed appropriate! Unfortunately I forgot my camera and had to make due with my cellphone, so the quality is not the best!

Because canine influenza is a relatively new virus, very few dogs will have any natural immunity and the morbidity (rate of infection) may approach 100%. Approximately 20% of dogs affected will show no clinical signs, but will be contagious to other dogs. The vast majority of dogs will show mild symptoms similar to "kennel cough" syndrome- initially sneezing and nasal discharge followed by a cough which is characteristically a softer cough than the "goose honk" we hear with kennel cough. Fever may be present (rarely seen with kennel cough). A small percentage of dogs may develop the severe form of the disease which presents as rapid progression to severe, often hemorrhagic pneumonia. Racing greyhounds seem to be much more likely to develop the severe form. Less than 1% of dogs who are exposed will die of the disease. Dogs may be contagious BEFORE developing symptoms, which can make controlling spread of disease difficult.

Stevie, our clinic cat, dressed as "The Little Mermaid" this year. His costume is a little difficult to appreciate (sadly the bikini top and tail are hard to see!) but the expression on his face says it all!

Last spring a vaccine for canine influenza was given conditional approval. At this time we are not recommending its use for our patients. In general, we try to avoid using new products such as this the first year it is available, particularly when it does not have full approval as is the case with this vaccine. Locally canine influenza does not appear to yet be presenting a significant threat. In addition, it is important to know that this vaccine does NOT prevent your dog from developing symptoms; it decreases the severity of the symptoms and lessens the length of time the vaccinated dog is contagious to other dogs.

At this time, canine influenza does not appear to pose a significant health threat to our patients as the overall incidence in our area is low, and the vast majority of dogs who do become sick will have relatively mild symptoms. It is important to keep in mind however that some dogs do develop more serious symptoms; our recommendations for vaccination may change if the disease becomes more prevalent. It is likely that dogs who are most at risk would be dogs who attend dog shows and training classes, stay at boarding kennels, or go to the groomer or dog park. If more cases of canine influenza begin appearing, our recommendations for these dogs may change.

This is Boris Wedig, one of our patients who sends us pictures of his Halloween finery each year. Boris and Stevie seem to share a similar opinion of dressing up...they think it is more trick than treat!

Canine flu has not been reported in people and is not considered a health risk to humans. However, in the news last week it was reported that a cat had been diagnosed with swine flu (H1N1) which it appeared to have contracted from its human owners. This appears to have been another case of a type A influenza virus jumping species. Also within the past few weeks there have been a handful of cases of H1N1 reported in pet ferrets. Ferrets in general are more susceptible to the influenza viruses than dogs and cats, and so it is not totally surprising that this could occur. At this time, it is not believed that cats or ferrets (or other household pets) will harbor the swine flu virus and serve as a source of infection to humans- it actually appears that the opposite was true and the humans transmitted the disease to the animals.

Based on our knowledge of influenza viruses, it is wise that if you are experiencing symptoms of flu that you avoid close contact not only with human family members but with your pets as well (no sleeping on the bed!) and wash your hands frequently. The same holds true if your pets are the ones with symptoms. The risk of transferring infections is very, very low, but not nonexistent. Also, it is more important now than ever that if your dog develops respiratory symptoms such as sneezing or coughing that you see your veterinarian to ensure that any evidence of severe disease is caught as early as possible. Our diagnostic lab is now offering a panel which tests for the eight most common causes of canine upper respiratory disease. This panel is not inexpensive and is not something we would necessarily recommend for every dog with symptoms, but for dogs with more serious evidence of disease or who may serve as a source of infection for large numbers of other dogs it may be a valuable source of information.

Natasha Wedig, Boris' "sister" in her Minnie Mouse outfit. She doesn't look any happier than Boris and Stevie!

So follow the common sense advice above, be vigilant and observe your pets closely for respiratory symptoms, and stay tuned for new developments. We hope both you and your pets stay healthy and happy this flu season!