Clicker Expo coming to Lexington!

I am thrilled to announce that Karen Pryor's Clicker Expo is coming to Lexington , March 28-30, 2008. There will be sessions for all levels of training skill, from beginner to advanced.

Clicker training is tons of fun for dogs (and any other animal) and trainers, and is a powerful way to teach deeply ingrained and complex behaviors (check out Cassie's advanced behaviors at the bottom of my main page to get an idea of what clicker training can accomplish).

The registration fee might give one pause, but I promise that your training skills will advance enormously if you take part. I have studied under many of the instructors and they are delightful people and gifted teachers as well as outstanding trainers.

There is a $50 discount for registration by Nov. 30.

for registration information, click here

Woodford Humane Society in Holiday Parade

The Woodford Humane Society will be participating in the Versailles 2007 Holiday parade on Saturday, 12/1 at 5:30 pm. This year we are asking everyone to bring their own dogs, especially Woodford Humane alums, to walk. We’ll meet at 4:30 near Kentucky Lighting (on the north end of Main Street near Elm). The parade route is a very short trip down Main Street. You will be finished and on your way to other holiday festivities in no time. Be sure to join us for a tail-waggin’ good time!

For details contact Rena at 859-494-0036. Details are on the attached pdf flyer. Thank you and Happy Holidays!

Fazoli's fundraiser for Lexington Humane Society

Eat at Fazoli's and LHS gets 15% of your total check!!!!

During the week of October 22nd-29th Fazoli's will be offering a great deal to help support the Lexington Humane Society. For each purchase made at the Palomar Fazoli's location, 15% of your total ticket sales will be given to the shelter. What better excuse to not cook during the week and enjoy an evening dining out at Fazoli's? You must present a coupon at the time of purchase, which can be picked up at our shelter adoptions center, or the administration building. ( Take Exit 6 from New Circle Road.
Turn toward downtown Lexington.
LHS is less than 1/10 of a mile on the right. )

Please let Katherine Pinero, the volunteer coordinator, know if you would like to distribute coupons at your work or to your family and friends. We encourage everyone to participate!

Pet Health Seminar Sept. 30

Dr. Martin Goldstein D.V.M., will be holding a seminar on Animal Healing and Nutrition at the Kentucky Horse Park on September 30, 2007 from 2:00-5:00 p.m.

Dr. Goldstein is a graduate of Cornell School of Veterinary Medicine and is considered to be a pioneer in the field on Integrative Veterinary Medicine, which combines conventional medicine with alternative therapies.

He is the author of The Nature of Animal Healing: The Definitive Holistic Medicine Guide to Caring for your Dog and Cat.

You can learn more about Dr. Goldstein at his website

Cost is $30 per person.
The seminar is limited to 150 people, so reserve your spot today.
Contact: J. Seidelman at jeseidelman@msn.com

Dog Events in Georgetown, Oct. 5-7

Continental Kennel Club performance competitions taking place the weekend of Oct 5-7:
Friday night - weight pull.
Saturday - Obedience, Agility (precision), Junior Handler and a Conformation "Fun" Show, Sunday will begin promptly at 8 a.m. with Tracking/Article Search with Retriever Trial beginning at 10:00.

Saturdays event should end in time for everyone to get downtown in order to
view the Grand Horse Parade and Sunday, we will end in time to attend and
participate in the Blessing of the Animals and the Pet Parade!

For details, contact Denise or Tony at Thunder Vallies Animal House

Pool Party for Pooches - October 6

Another chance for one last swim of the summer in the pools at Spindletop Hall!!

Spindletop Hall is hosting a pool party for dogs to benefit Woodford Humane Society.
It will be held on Saturday, October 6th, 2007 from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Rain date is Sunday, October 7th, 2007. The cost is $10 per dog.
All dogs must have their rabies tag or proof of shot. Concessions will be available poolside at their Tiki Hut Grill.

It’s a great opportunity for your dog to socialize and get some great exercise.

Spindletop Hall is on the right side of Ironworks Pike, past the KY Horse Park if coming from I-75. Call 255-2777 for further directions.

Ciao Down For Paws

Fazoli’s and the Woodford Veterinary Clinic Small Animal & Kennel are teaming up to bring you: “Ciao” Down for Paws 15% of pre-tax sales used with coupon below will be donated to the Woodford Humane Society.

When: Monday, September 17 – Sunday, September 23 2007
Where: Fazoli’s in Palomar Center
Animals available for adoption will be present on Kids’ Night, Tuesday, September 18 from 5-8 Fazoli’s Coupons will be given to owners who adopt that night

K9 Cocktail Hour

Pet Parade in Georgetown, Sunday Oct. 7

There will be a pet parade Sunday, October 7th, at the end of Festival of the Horse in Georgetown.

There will be a blessing of the animals at the Church of the Holy Trinity on the corner of Broadway and Clinton at two and the parade will start at 3:30. The first 25 to sign in will get tickets to pick up gift bags at the end of the parade.

For more information, contact Denise at Thunder Vallies Animal House

Picnic With the Pups this Sunday!

This Sunday, Sept 9, the annual 'Picnic with the Pups' will be held from 12pm-5pm at Keeneland. There will be live music, contests, disc dog competition, food, and rescue groups with adoptable pets.

Proceeds benefit Bluegrass Animal Welfare League spay/neuter subsidy program. $5 fee.

Dog paddle this weekend!

Where: Woodland Park Pool

When: Saturday, September 8, 2007
(Rain Date: September 9)
Time: 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Cost: $10.00 per dog
with a limit of 2 people
$5 per person after the limit

All dogs must have a 2005, 2006 or 2007 rabies tag
or proof of vaccination!

Humans will not be allowed to swim

for more details, including directions to Woodland Park, see the Friends of the Dog Park site

storm & fireworks phobia

As promised, here is more info on solutions for dogs who are terrified of thunderstorms and/or fireworks:

Many of the dogs who react to thunderstorms are afraid of the sound of the thunder. The information below may help these dogs deal with this fear, and with fear of other loud sounds such as fireworks.
Some dogs react to other atmospheric conditions associated with storms, such as barometric pressure and other factors that are hard to measure. They are harder to help. If they seek a grounded surface such as an appliance or metal bathtub, let them (one German Shepherd I know gets on top of the family’s washing machine during storms).

There is a very thorough article at this link

Two therapies discussed in this article are particularly helpful for sound-phobic dogs: melatonin treatment and a pressure wrap (described under "Hug Therapy" in the article referenced above) I've heard that, in a pinch, a snug-fitting T-shirt has some of the helpfulness of the body wrap.

The hormone melatonin helps many dogs that are afraid of loud sounds such as thunder and fireworks. It can be purchased over the counter at health food stores. The dose for an average size dog (30-100 lb) is a 3 mg tablet, ideally to be given before anxiety becomes severe (once they're really stressed, it's less effective). Dogs weighing over 100 pounds may need 6 mg. Dogs weighing less than 30 lb should receive 1.5 mg.
The recommended dose can be given up to 3 times per day.
It is most effective if given before the dog becomes anxious. If thunderstorms are predicted and you have to leave the house, you may give your dog melatonin before you leave – it remains effective for several hours.

Before you buy melatonin, read the following excerpt from the site:
"It's important to read the labels on melatonin bottles very carefully. Some are mixed with herbs or nutrients that may not be safe for dogs. Make sure you buy the correct dosage for your size dog. Remember, there are 1,000 micrograms (mcg.) in a milligram (mg.) so a 200 mcg. pill contains only 1/15 of the amount recommended for a large dog.

" Because melatonin is not regulated by any federal agency, the quality varies greatly from manufacturer to manufacturer. If an inferior product is administered, it may not be effective in calming a dog whereas a higher quality product might be. We cannot recommend any particular brand that is best, so the best course of action is purchase the product from a supplier you trust and believe to carry better quality. “

The veterinarian who pioneered this therapy is Dr. Linda Aronson at Tufts New England Veterinary Medical Center. If your veterinarian is curious, the citation for her original case report is J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1999 Jul 1;215(1):22-24.

Sniff 'n' Mingle with Woodford Humane Society

This fun event celebrates this year's debut of the popular Limited Edition Calendar. Bring your dog and join in the fun! Better yet, contact the shelter and volunteer to give a shelter dog a night on the town!

Beastie Ball coming in November

Lexington Humane Society's Beastie Ball - reservations available now:

"Bark" the Date! This year's Beastie Ball titled "Hooray for Hollywoof” will be November 10th at Marriott's Griffin Gate Resort! To go on and reserve your table now go to www.lexingtonhumanesociety.org

Taking the lead with worried dogs

So often our dogs' behavior contradicts our human intuition, as in the following very common predicament: "Poor Rover is afraid of __________ [fill in the blank: thunder, the vacuum cleaner, strangers, …]. At first he just seemed a little worried, but the more we've try to comfort him, the more fearful he's become. What on earth is going on?"

As loving caretakers, our first impulse is to soothe and console our dogs when they act afraid: “it’s ok – it won’t hurt you”. Unfortunately, your dog doesn’t understand the words of explanation, all he knows is that when he acts scared, people pet him and speak kindly. That’s how you praise his other good behaviors…so to his doggy mind the logical conclusion is that you are praising him for acting scared. He obliges you by acting (and feeling) even more frightened the next time.

Uh oh, how do we get off this track?

The best things to do when your dog acts frightened or worried about anything are:

1. Set an example of cheerful confidence.

• You may say something in an upbeat tone of voice: “wow, what a great storm!” or “hey, there’s a cool person over there!”
• If your dog is frightened of an object, and you can get close enough without forcing your dog, it may help for you to confidently touch and speak to the object (I once patted and conversed with a parked bulldozer - luckily there were no human witnesses!)
• Do not force your dog to approach the object or person.
• Do not allow a stranger to approach if your dog is frightened. Explain that your dog needs some space right now.
  

2. Ignore frightened behavior and watch for any curious or confident behavior that you can reward.

• By watching his body posture, ear and tail position, and the skin around his mouth and eyes in many different situations (fun as well as scary), you will learn to judge his attitude with precision.
• Do not pat or stroke your dog when he is acting worried – there is a better way to distract him: see #3 below.

3. If possible, take his mind off the Scary Thing by asking him to focus on you and perform a trained behavior that is very easy (I like to teach finger-targeting for this).

• If he is too scared to perform, get him further from the scary thing if possible.
  
• Reward each performance of the behavior with a treat if he will take it. If he won't take the treat, try getting further from the scary thing and gradually working toward it.
  
• You can give a double reward for taking a step toward a scary thing by tossing the treat away from the scary thing. He gets the treat, plus he gets to go further away. This will make him more willing to move toward it again.

In my next post I will share some specific information about thunderstorm/fireworks phobia.

Yappy hour for Woodford Humane Society

You and your dog are invited to Dudley's for Yappy Hour-a dog friendly event raise funds for the Woodford Humane Society.

Tuesday, August 21 5:30-7:30pm (weather permitting)

Dudley's, 380 S. Mill Street, Lexington
$25

Bring your dog (one per human please) Yappy Hour will be held on the Dudley's patio. Join us for doggy goodies, hors d'oeuvres, wine…and doggie art! South Hill Gallery is to come out and will let your dog paint a piece of plexiglass with different paint colors on it and let the dogs walk through it and then onto a sheet of paper. They will then take a pic of the dog and get it framed - part of the profit will go to WHS!
The WHS dog pictured here is Shasta

xylitol alert

Do you have sugar-free gum in your purse or pocket? Is your purse or jacket ever within reach of a curious dog? Do you ever share your own food with your dog?

Some sugar-free foods, including many brands of sugar free gum and some snacks, contain a sweetener called xylitol that is very dangerous to dogs. It causes a crash in blood sugar levels, leading to collapse. A news item from the American Veterinary Medical Association reports that "These signs can develop quite rapidly, at times less than 30 minutes after ingestion of the product ... Therefore, it is important that pet owners seek veterinary treatment immediately."

A 2006 article from the University of Tennessee reports that
dogs who survive the immediate crisis sometimes succumb to liver failure later.

I recently read an account of a dog who suffered xylitol poisoning when her owner shared some sugar-free pudding with her, so check the ingredient list if you like to share your own goodies with your dog!