Team Percy Pet Center

03/06/2025

Gauging interest in some new classes for the spring/summer!

I plan on doing some rally and obedience classes this spring/summer.

They would run for 6 weeks and cover novice rally and beginner obedience to begin, I would consider doing more advanced classes depending on interest. I would have them either during the week in the evenings, or on Saturday afternoons.

If you are interested in either of these, please let me know and what schedule would work best for you!

I am also considering doing some one-time classes/clinics focused on specific subjects like:

Safety around dogs (children and adults)
Responsible breeding practices (for when you are looking for a new puppy or are considering breeding)
Managing intact dogs in the same household
etc

If you are interested in any of these please let me know!

As always, please let me know if you are looking for something specific.

03/06/2025

Update on Dixon and Delta!

Dixon:

This guy is doing amazing! He hasn't had any accidents in his kennel for over a month. His training has gone amazing, he knows commands in English and French, he responds to the slightest pressure. I used him during a lesson last week for a distraction and he was focused on me the whole time, completely ignored the other dog even when she was barking at him, and laid on place and fell asleep for 45 minutes when my client and I were talking.

He loves being outside, except when it is cold, and has played with the other dogs almost every day.

He is also gaining weight like a champ and his ribs are no longer visible, his hips and backbone are still visible but I am hoping with more activity and continuing his current food intake he will fill out there as well.

Delta:

This girl is a handful!

I have been trying to make sure I work with her every day for at least a few minutes (anything is better than nothing), and I have been making sure she is almost always in command when I take her outside so she doesn't rush the door or completely ignore me outside.

She is showing some fear to new people but it is completely normal for her breed, I will be taking her out into public once the weather straightens up and working her in new environments and around people.

I may also take her down to a fellow trainer in Rockford that works specifically with dogs of her caliber and breed and get her evaluated for scent detection, tracking, or something of that nature.

I haven't taken any photos of her lately so I will have to post those later.

02/25/2025

Dixons DNA results are in!

The Terrier breeds are surprising, even though they make up a very small peecentage of his DNA finding those particular breeds is interesting.

02/05/2025

Dixon update!

There are a few things that we have to celebrate.

First, he has not had an accident overnight since the 29th! I have been exercising him on the treadmill every day for 2 30 minute sessions and it is making a huge impact.

Second, I have a DNA test for him! I am going to mail it back tomorrow and will find out what his mix is in a couple of weeks. I am very excited!

What do you think his breed is? I'd love to know what you think!

It is still very challenging to get him to gain weight, but I am thinking it could be breed related, some breeds tend to be slimmer than others so it will be very interesting finding out what he is for that reason as well. I am also very hopeful that through conditioning his body condition will improve.

02/02/2025

I forgot to post these yesterday!

Just in time for Valentines Day I have these heart shaped snuffle mats available.

Snuffle mats are wonderful enrichment tools, especially during the winter months.

These are on the smaller end so would work best for dogs under 50 lbs or with a slimmer snout but can work for most breeds.

These are to be used under direct supervision as they can be ripped up if your dog gets a mind to.

Please contact me if you are interested!

01/30/2025

Maisie/Dixon update!

Dixon:

This boy is doing great!

We are back to having daily accidents in the crate butwe are working on that, I think it could be that he is just the kind of dog that needs a job and he needs extensive daily physical and mental stimulation.

We have been doing daily treadmill work, 30 minute runs twice daily is what I am currently doing with him, I will see how he does on that and adjust from there.

I am also teaching him to climb a ladder because, well, he can and it gives him wonderful physical stimulation. So I am doing that for 15-20 minutes per day as well.

I am going to be training him tracking/trailing, shed hunt, and possibly some other scent related activities.

I am also going to be getting him a DNA test next month! I will post the results as soon as I have them!

Maisie:

I have decided to rename her Delta, she actually responds really well to it which I find amusing.

She is honestly doing very well, she is on an herbal detox blend currently and some different food that is fish based, hopefully that will help her body heal and regulate itself.

Her training is coming along nicely. She knows sit, down, and place, I have also introduced loose leash walking.

She also never sits still so pictures were a challenge, and all Dixon wanted to do was stand on the treadmill so I did what I could with that 😂

01/24/2025

Dixon training video!

PSA: Maisie had just been out doing constructive play for 10-15 minutes, the whining is just a GSD thing 😂

Ok, so I think this is everything I have taught Dixon. I haven't been able to work him since Sunday, I think. He is doing super well, but he definitely does better overnight after being worked with extensively during the day, which is nit sustainable for me because of my schedule, but alas, we try our best.

Here is what I want to mention for consideration.

At this point in time Dixon would be available for FOSTER to approved homes, he is not available for adoption at thus time simply because he does still have issues in his crate and I am still unsure of the cause, I am starting to think it is possibly a habit he developed/he spent an insanely extended time in a crate and he is no longer deterred by messes. With that said, he may be able to overcome this if he is monitored throughout the night and his routine is interrupted and redirected, because of my set-up, that is impossible for me at this time. Dogs also do much better in homes than in kennel settings, and while my kennel is very small and I am able to give one on one attention, it is not ideal for potty training.

As I mentioned, when he is worked with extensively he does better, I had almost a whole week with no accidents when I had time to work him. Knowing that, he would need someone that works with him and commits to at least 2 training sessions per day of varying lengths from 20 minutes to 1 hour, he could also do well in various sports so is a sport dog prospect.

Fosters would also need to commit to once weekly training session with me (free of charge of course) to take his training further and make sure he is still doing well.

I just wanted to throw that out there because it is something he would be ready for with the right person.

01/22/2025

A MESSAGE FROM THE YEAST GUY....
Know what cases I love?! Gut issues. Dogs with bad poo scores, food intolerances, leaky gut, all that kind of thing. I always think "I know just what to do here". And the results are invariably pretty good, so you feel great.

The trickier cases are those suffering chronic itch with no known cause (termed idiopathic, by vets).

The vets clearly struggle with this one. Unfortunately, their very pro-drug approach offers no actual SOLUTION to the problem. As most of us know on here, the long-term application of steroids and creams and injections and antibiotics and antihistamines is not only a fruitless focus on symptoms, but as these products negatively impact the gut flora, they make the problem, which is a gut problem, so much worse.

So by the time a chronically itchy dog lands with us, they're in a bad way.

Up until recently, we would do all the usuals with itchy dogs - explore food, single protein diets (looking for food intolerances), supplements, herbs (as best we know, but then you talk to Rita Hogan and realise you know nothing!) - but if and when that fails, and it often does with such cases, we would have nowhere to turn.

I urge anyone who is at this point with their own dog or client, when the gut is healed, the poos are good, food intolerances have been explored and the supplements are not working, to consider an internal yeast dysbiosis.

Yeast is the forgotten part of the biome. Yes, they make up less in number but they are 20-200 times bigger than bacteria. Worse, our old advice of "starve the yeast" actually can make things WORSE, forcing the yeast to the gut membrane for sustenance, penetrating through the gut membrane, causing furious inflammation. Worse, when there, it covers itself with a biofilm to protect itself.

And your vet won't diagnose that as extra numbers of yeast cells in the p**p is NOT expected. Remember it is likely in hyphal form in the gut wall. When it grows it simply grows larger, it's not budding in the digesta for the yeast to see in the poo sample.

In fact, by doing a stool test and seeing the bacterial flora is awry (from the yeast infection!), it can lead you down the wrong path of bacterial pre and probiotics, never focusing on the issue at hand, which is why they work for some (when it's a bacterial issue) and not for others (when it's yeast).

And yes, the damage wrought by yeast at the gut lining can lead to not only mega inflammation but gut membrane damage and eventually leaky gut (with subsequent food intolerances).

THIS is the missing piece of the puzzle for us canine nutritionists.

THIS is why the intolerances keep building, despite our best efforts.

You can work on that diet all you like but in these cases we haven't removed the enemy at the gate that is letting everyone in.

Sounds complicated, but it has a simple, natural solution that involves 5 or 6 ingredients. I put them all together in Yeast Defeat and it's really working well.

This is what it's step 4 on the image below. If the dog is still itchy after those first 3 steps, I use it. If it works, it was yeast. If it doesn't, that's information you needed and it cost you lesss than €30 to get it.

Want to learn more? Come to my talk on "Advancements in Probiotics" in Orlando 13th May with Dr. Judy Morgan's Naturally Healthy Pets, or check out my quick 5-step protocol for itchy dogs (pictured) on drconorbrady. com, that will walk you through the yeast part.

The more you learn about the biome the less you realise you know.

01/21/2025

Product reviews!

I wanted to purchase some products to make sure they were good quality before I posted them onto my website.

All the products that I talk about in the video and a couple more that I have purchased in the past will be posted on my website, I will update this post with the link as soon as it is finished.

Also, I apologize that it is a longer video, I can get very talkative 🤣

01/17/2025

Happy 3 months to Dixon!

Why am I celebrating him being with me for 3 months? Because 3 months is how long it takes dogs to truly settle in to a new place, and while it obviously isn't an exact an science, it does serve as a benchmark.

Dixon was surrendered on October 16th, I am posting this exactly 3 months and 1 day since he came.

And this week has been his best yet! We have been training daily since Sunday, he has made leaps and bounds in his training and is a brilliant dog!

He is still on 2 cups twice a day, but today was his first accident overnight since Sunday/Monday night.

He is learning some flashy things because I have already trained him obedience, I can't take him outside for training sessions (weather), and he is so smart, I can't keep repeating the same thing over and over again.

Anyway, I just wanted to share, I also think he looks especially snazzy in the leather collar (that is technically Indy's).

I'll be sharing some training videos soon!

01/16/2025

Amazon wishlist for Maisie!

It isn't a lot of things but it will be very helpful for her.

The Animal Essentials remedies will be to detox her body and rebuild her gut health. The Four Leaf Rover supplement will be for longer term gut support.

The dog food is fish based because it adds great omegas to her diet and is a more novel protein so it is much less likely that she will have a negative reaction to it.

Maisie Supplies - Amazon Gift List - https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/1D0QDH1TRO6Y6

01/14/2025

Welcome Maisie!

Maisie was Surrendered yesterday due to her owner having health issues and no longer being able to care for her properly.

Maisie is a black tri (possibly sable) German Shepherd, 15 months old. She does have some allergies we will be working to resolve.

So far she is the sweetest girl on the planet! Not vocal much and doesn't mind the other dogs.

I will be training Maisie obedience, getting her allergies under control, and teaching her manners, getting her ready for a forever home.

01/09/2025

01/08/2025

Update on Dixon!

I just did his first nail trim and it was great until I got to his left front leg... then he got tired of it and started getting a little snarly, I kindly informed him that biting the hand that feeds you is not the greatest choice in the world and he got lots of treats when he allowed me to finish trimming his last 2 nails.

He had spilled the treats so I let him clean those up as a reward.

Then he decided he was very comfortable on the table and is now laying there while I am typing this, not sure why he likes the grooming table so much but he was like that last time too.

He also seems to be feeling much better since I put him on the meds I mentioned in the last update. He still needs to gain weight which I am hoping will happen now that he is feeling better.