Pup to Dog Training A good start for your family dog.

Today fellow IACP (International Association of Canine Professionals) member, Tammie Hisatake-Bumgardner, DVM of Buck Creek Animal Clinic will be our guest blogger. It is a little long but the info coming straight from a vet who also does search and rescue in extreme heat is the best advice for keeping our dogs safe in the heat.  Dr. Tammie has graciously given permission to cross post from the IACP message board. If you wish to use Dr. Tammie's material you must contact her for permission.  Below is her post. 
 

I am back from vacation. Washington DC was lovely and the weather was comfortable.  The weather on my return to Texas is beyond HOT. I want to remind everyone to keep your dogs in during the afternoons. Some days I will not put dogs out to play till 6:30 or 7:00 PM. I keep them in doors at about 98 degrees. If you own a dog that has a short nose (English Bulldog, Pugs). I would be even more careful. 
 A fellow trainer called and told me of a spaniel that walked 45 minutes per day just collapsed and died walking in the heat last week.  This was a young healthy dog. Please watch for excessive panting, high tempurature (the dog's) vomiting and diarrhea.  Remember dogs do not sweat like we do. They need plenty of fresh water.  Exercise or train only in the early or late part of the day when it is cooler.

Exercise Induced Collapse is a medical syndrome that is being studied in Labs. Apparently the Lab is not the only breed that can have it-is also occurs in other active dogs like the Malinois. Here is the link to read more about it. It is genetic and can be fatal.  To read more go to the following link  
http://www.cvm.umn.edu/vdl/ourservices/canineneuromuscular/taylor2008/home.html

The link below goes to an Atlanta news station's report on where the impressive sums of money that HSUS (Humane Society of the United States) collects is spent. I am posting it because it is not from an animal organization that could have a slant either for or against animal rights groups so the information is from what I hope is a balanced source.  There is a difference between animal welfare and animal rights.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta8GdABQPHA  Rest assured your local Humane Society does need your donations and it will benefit homeless animals.

Effective dog training can be boiled down to the dog is learning all the time. We are training our dog each time we interact with our dog (whether we mean to be training or not).  This is especially true with puppies.  As dog owners and (therefore a para professional dog trainers) our canines are learning everything from “I can beat you out the door” to “I have to sit and wait from my food”.  This means I can train my dog to be even higher strung by always squealing and racing around the house with the dog or I can teach it to be calm on command.  You dog needs time where the two of you are calm together so the puppy learns how to be around you.  You can train your dog to do this -to be calm on command. We forget this because it is so much fun to chase and play with a puppy. We must teach the puppy to be calm when the game is over.

This may seem a little off topic. I attended the annual Open House for the Vet School at A&M (with my son's Boy Scout Troop). It was an amazing event.  I learned much about the new hip joint replacement surgery. They have an entire physical therapy plan for the recovery that includes a water treadmill. The water takes the dog's weight off the new joint till the dog recovers.  The surgery is very pricey but if I were to have a dog that needed it I would only take them to A&M-this is extremely high praise since my blood is burnt orange.

Spring time usually means we begin a cycle of lawn care. I am reading "Organic Lawn Care Manual".  I don't know if the lawn care suggestions are good (give me time to try them) but I want to remind pet owners that pets are more susceptible to the effects of chemicals in the lawn.  In the April 2004 Journal of Vetrinary Medicine Association a study showed a 5 to 7 times increase in bladder cancer for dogs exposed to chemically treated lawns.   Read and follow the directions carefully on both organic and nonorganic lawn care products. Carefully consider the impact of lawn chemicals on your pets before you use them.

TheTexas Legislature is considering several bills concerning pet dogs. A good place to learn more about the non animal rights view (which is very different from the animal welfare view) is at Texas Responsible Pet Owners  www.rpoatexasoutreach.org . Many of the bills are well intentioned but they will target the wrong people.  One bill will actually put good dog breeders out of business while protecting the puppy mills. Good breeders rarely make money at breeding so burdening them with more fees makes no sense.  Please contact your legislator to let them know you want to be able to enjoy a companion dog and you want to choose from reputable breeders not the puppy mills.  There are still about 14 more pieces of bad dog legislation pending.

Although the Kingdom of Pets has responded to my emails the improper use of my name and content continues.  This has continued for two weeks now. They will not remove their affiliates website.  Daniel Stevens has not  responded to me (or Kingdom of Pets).  It seems I will need to find  another solution.  I am still not associated in any way with either Kingdom of Pets or Daniel Stevens.  I do not endorse any of their products or methods.

We are reaching a time of the year when familes consider getting a puppy. Many families are thinking the kids will be home in the summer to spend time with it. Their target date for the puppy is usually end of May when school lets out.  It is a good plan. Now is the time to start thinking about the dog that fits your family. You want to think this through before getting the puppy so you do not give into impulse (puppies are very cute) and choose a dog that does not fit. Don't give in to the cute puppies at gas stations and on the side of the road.  Read first-one of my favorite websites that gives accurate temperament info is www.dogbreedinfo.com.  BTW, there is nothing wrong with a mixed breed dog. I have two very good ones. Also, most trainers will spend some time helping you get the right dog so consult a trainer. We are experienced with dogs and can help get the right dog for you and get you dog started properly.