Red Barn Ranch and Labradors, LLC

10/03/2024

http://www.nuvet.com/41569

08/17/2024

This conference is a fabulous opportunity to learn about the holistic approach to raising your dogs. Come join us!

Grave's Mountain is a lovely place and your dog is welcome to join you at this conference.

06/14/2024

Let's talk about this photo. It's cute, except it's not. I see a dog who cannot get up without telling the child to get off. How do you think a dog is going to do that?

The 7 Golden Toddler Dog Rules:
#1: If a dog walks away from you, you DO NOT FOLLOW.
#2: Always leave room for the dog to walk away from you.
---that right there is 90+% of dog bites eliminated---
#3: We do not climb on the dog.
#4: We do not grab or pull on the dog.
#5: We do not hit or throw anything at the dog.
#6: We do not touch the dog's food.
#7: We do not go into the dog's kennel.

I promise these are not overly difficult concepts for littles, nor will they rob a kid of their bond with the family dog. It will deepen that bond, while keeping everyone safe.

"Oh, it looks like Moose is walking away from you. She is saying she wants a break. Let's play with this instead!"

"It's Moose's dinner time! Let's give her space to enjoy her yummies."

"That is Moose's room(kennel) and only she is allowed to go in there."

"If Moose wanted a break, could she walk away from you right now? No she really couldn't. Let's move away from the play house. You can keep playing but now she can leave when she wants a break."

In conclusion, ***parent your child or your dog will do it for you, and you will not like how they do it.***

02/08/2024

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, 14 February. I will be “fasting” social media. No Facebook, no Instagram, no Messenger. I can be reached through our website,

Red Barn Ranch and Labradors, LLC, is a small family owned kennel nestled in the Shenandoah Valley, located in Jefferson County, Charles Town, West Virginia.

02/07/2024

😂

02/04/2024

Exactly!

We really don't need "Heel".

There's been a rash of commentary lately on the necessity for certain behaviors that fall under the category of 'obedience'.

Some folks seem to think that it's too much of an ask for a dog to sit every time the owner stops. They ponder the necessity of a dog to walk politely at the owners side. I don't care which side. Any side.

They equate that behavior as unnecessary because of the precision it requires to perform at competitive levels. They can't see the necessity of anything requiring that degree of focus in everyday life.

What would your average companion animal need with that much precision one would ask?

They don't really. It's not a perfect performance we're after when we're navigating the construction zone in a busy urban setting or when we have to navigate the sidewalk with other pedestrians with their strollers and their dogs.

No. We really don't need that attentive sit at heel when we have been crowded at the street corner by the busy mob that congregated around us while we wait for the crossing signal. We don't really need it at the vet's or the groomers either, when we're settling our bill at the cashier's desk in the lobby with cats in carriers and dogs yodeling greetings or threats to every passer-by.

We don't really *need* a heel, but it would certainly be nice to have it, I would think...

Wouldn't you?

The obedience being called in question is what people think is too much effort. What they need help understanding is that same obedience is what will help them control their dog in situations where that focused attention on them (handlers) is sufficient to move through a potentially difficult situation with dignity intact and no puncture wounds.

Those things require a lot of effort. It's easy to see how people get discouraged about training at all. There are so many choices, and so many poor examples of training gone wrong.

But for every moment a dog enjoys the reinforcement of engaging in risky behavior, think of how more convenient it would be if you didn't have to wrestle with bad behavior, when a simple "heel" command becomes the catalyst for reinforcement of a different kind.

Now wouldn't that be nice?

What would be even better is if folks understood that the obedience required for everyday living is the exact same obedience required for the highest levels of performance. It's all the same.

All of it.

01/31/2024

February is Canine Cancer Awareness Month, so all month long we'll be offering free educational programming featuring some of the biggest names in dog nutrition and cancer care like Angela Ardolino of CBD Dog Health, Rita Hogan, Canine Herbalist.
We dedicate this educational series to our friend, the late Apple TheGolden and other canine cancer warriors we have lost. 💔
Sign up today and be sure to share this with another dog parent you think could benefit! https://www.thewholesomedog.com/classes

01/29/2024

Here’s a free downloadable PDF about the hormonal effects of neutering. Know more, sterilize wiser 😻

https://foreverdog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Dexsexing-pdf.pdf

01/23/2024

01/21/2024

The heart of a Lab beats forever, even when the body grows old, the mind is strong nd determined. And loyal to the end. Bill Kercher photo

01/16/2024

Northern VA, DC & MD 1st Largest Natural Pet Wellness Summit. Join us, learn and network with experts in the pet industry field.

01/10/2024

Good Morning!

12/28/2023

I said what I said.

12/06/2023

Our Wait List is FULL!

12/04/2023

This article will help you better understand that there are some pretty darn effective natural antivirals, antifungals, and antibacterials that we can use to keep our dogs healthy and mitigate symptoms. Ideally, we want to be proactive and start building a strong immune system in our healthy dog rig...