Hayes HappyDog Boarding and DayCare

01/30/2023

I've been lax about updating this page but time to get going again! The latest trend I'm seeing with dog folks is the "send your dog to me and I'll fix it quick" trainer. Especially the ones who will slap an e-collar on the dog and say it's trained. a big fat NO to that one.
Full disclosure, my dogs are trained field dogs and they are all collar conditioned-but the collar is a tool that can be very helpful and effective when used properly and can be equally damaging to the dog when it is not used properly.
As an example, a young couple came to me for help with their energetic rescue. The couple loved to hike with her on weekends but she was not reliable on the trail and had taken off numerous times. It had gotten to the point where they were considering leaving her home.
This dog was an excellent candidate for collar conditioning-she was young with a stable temperament and her owners had already put training time into her. So we began the process of introducing her to the collar.
At the end of the training the dog was able to hike freely on the trails but was under the control of the owners at all times. Her training put her in control of the collar correction-she knew the "rules of the road", basically to stay within eyesight of her pack. She enjoyed freedom but within the parameters that kept her safe.
In some situations like this one, training your dog on the collar makes sense but it is an intensive process and involves work and time. Like most things in life there are no easy fixes!

10/14/2021

We are starting a new round of puppy classes next Friday, October 22nd at 1PM. This class will be a limited enrollment class for puppies up to six months. We will meet once a week for four weeks and will help you to build the foundations of a strong relationship with your puppy through attention-work and teaching self-control. For more information or to enroll your puppy please email Nora at [email protected].

05/16/2021

Today in the park I saw a bunch of families and children enjoying the lovely spring weather. Several children began to play together as the parents socialized. Soon the childrens' play got rough with pushing and shoving, finally the biggest child, a little boy, pushed a small child down. She ran crying to her parents and was absent mindedly comforted and was sent back to play. Now the going got rough and the children were out for blood-kicking and shoving and spitting. Finally the parents noticed, broke them up and lectured them about playing nice.
Why does this scenario remind me so much of our local dog park? A group of adults interested in socializing and leaving the dogs to play with little or no supervision. When a scuffle breaks out the dog parents allow it until a real fight starts and then intervene. Meanwhile the dogs have already tagged or been tagged and backs are up. The kids, like the dogs, mind being shoved and knocked around and even the most gentle ones are forced to use feet or hands or teeth to protect themselves.
Whether we are the caretaker/parent of a dog or a child we are responsible for teaching them to play nice-ahead of time, not after they are banged up or bloodied. Why is this so hard?

02/15/2021

Today I received an early morning call from a customer. She has been coming to me for training day care and boarding for 13 years since her dog was a pup and today her dog was failing. Over the years as can sometimes happen we became friends and I also loved this dog. My last sad task was to find a way to help her help her beloved girl pass. The mobile vet came this am and left a heartbroken family. I feel privileged to be able to help but so sad they had to lose her.

02/12/2021

every once in a while I get feedback like this from a training customer-much appreciated-
"Sammy is doing great! It's like he's a completely different dog. His anxiety seems to be much more under control now and he seems much happier. We have mostly stayed out of the dog park, but he had a playdate there the other day with one of his friends and his behavior was excellent! He's also shown a huge improvement in his crate training! I've left him up to an hour and a half with little vocalization (maybe a whimper here and there) and he's kept the crate pan inside. I'm so pleased about the progress he made with you! "

01/12/2021

I have had a "soft" reopening due to COVID. Much less boarding as few are traveling. Day care operating and a good deal of training as folks are taking any puppy they can find to keep them company during stays at home. When I get calls for intermittent/occasional day care I am not taking on those new dogs. My day care is small and the dogs have been coming on a regular basis. I have a number of young dogs who come 2x weekly for socialization and/or training. My older/long term dogs come when they want-they know the program.
I feel a strong sense of responsibility to make the experience here a good one for the dogs. There is a good deal of structure and the play groups learn good manners-no bullying or out of control behavior. I cringe when I see large commercial day cares with frenzied play-not good for the dogs and fights or bites can result.
So...less $$ for me but the satisfaction of knowing I am delivering high quality care.

12/11/2020

Getting calls from past customers always makes me happy and reinforces my belief in my skills as a trainer. Today an individual who came to me 13 years ago! Wow! Time flew! And.. cannot leave out my long term day care (some also training) dogs..Sophie here at 13 for some TLC, I've known her since she was a pup--and my pittie mixes Malakai and Lula, both grew up in day care. Makes my small home based day care boarding and training center feel like home and the dogs that come here are extended family.

11/07/2020

Lots of local requests lately for a trainer to help with dog training. One problem is everyone who has watched a show or trained their own dog is an instant expert and feels fine about giving advice. If you are looking for help you need to check that the trainer you are considering has bona fide skills and experience AND that their training style is compatible with you. Can you see their dogs-do they behave? What about references? Have they trained multiple breeds? Do they "get" you and your dog? And any trainer who says they can just fix your dog quickly and easily without your involvement is just plain talking malarkey. Good help is out there, just do your research.

11/06/2020

Lovely day to be out with a customer and her young lab-teaching him to wood walk.
We have so many outdoors spaces to take our pups out and they can really stretch their legs off leash. The best exercise for them!
The trick is to train your dog to check in and to stay where you can see him. A bit of work with big payoff.😊

09/17/2020

Yikes! So many calls during the pandemic for training. Many folks have taken on a new pup and perhaps have accepted a less than perfect match at a time when adoptable dogs are hard to find. For instance an older couple with a new large breed active pup (they would have liked an older dog but none were available)--or a family with young children at home and suddenly the kids are not going back to school and the parents are overwhelmed. Just no time to raise their new dog in the way they would have preferred. Please do not hesitate to ask for help. With proper safeguards (social distancing, masks etc) we are here make it work for you.

05/18/2020

A young couple came in to see me to talk about their dog. It's not uncommon for trainers to blame owners for the problems they are having with their dog And sometimes,for various reasons-inexperience, lack of time, lack of knowledge, the owner is at least partially responsible for their dog's issues. This time I saw a dedicated and knowledgeable couple at their wits end with a dog they loved but with very serious problems.
In the recent past their dog had bitten them and a neighbor. Both times the dog gave no warning and the bite was serious.
As we discussed the dog's past and upbringing I became more and more concerned. They had their dog since he was 8 weeks old and they had worked hard to raise him correctly and to take good care of him. He had started guarding his food bowl at 12 weeks and graduated to aggressively biting his owners and others as he grew older.
His owners did everything they could to help him. They described going to numerous trainers and spending a lot of time and money in an effort to fix him. Nothing worked and he was getting worse.
So here we go, I thought to myself. I needed to tell them what I was seeing and it wasn't good. Their dog was unstable-his erratic and sudden outbursts of aggression were symptomatic of a dysfunctional nervous system. Really tough stuff and really tough to handle.
They didn't blink, they agreed their dog was troubled and they wanted to see if there was anything that I could recommend that might help him. So we had a promising start to our training relationship-firmly rooted in the reality of his condition. We proceeded to put together a rehabilitation plan involving behavioral interventions and medication management. And we'll see.
What bothers me a lot is the time and money wasted on trainers who did not clearly assess the breath and depth of this dog's issues and recommended training plans that did not help him. They didn't "get" him. One trainer used an electric collar to shock him out of his aggression. Not good and not helpful. When a professional trainer takes money for their work they should have the experience to do the job. Unfortunately too many hang out their shingles and make a lot of money and blame the customer when the dog doesn't improve. So when you go to a trainer and it doesn't feel right or you don't understand them feel free to walk away. The good trainers are out there but it might take a while to find the right one.

05/07/2020

I lost my Pinky (the pretty girl on my home page) last August. My first young dog to die (she was just 7). After while I was able to write about her: A Breeder's Truth

Yesterday I went to my Golden Retriever club's annual banquet. It's the yearly round up of members' titles and achievements. Beautiful ribbons and trophies are given out to the accomplished handler/dog teams and we clap and cheer for each one.
In the past I have won trophies and ribbons with multiple dogs and I have felt the pride of achievement.
The past year was a quiet one for me I sat out shows to protect my sick female at home. Pinky was dxed with Lymphoma and the chemotherapy treatment impaired her immune system. I could not risk bringing dog show germs back into my home.
So for once I sat as a spectator and had room to think about the winners and losers. My Pinky will never be a winner ever again. She died in August a year and a half after her diagnosis. I have her daughter Gwen and her grand daughter Babe and I intend to train and compete with them.
Sometimes I see Pinky in her daughter- her quirkiness and some of her habits. Gwen just decided to not be a field dog just like her Mom. She's not a pressure player and didn't like the stress of the hunt tests. We're going to try agility and breed shows instead.
Babe, on the other hand, is a mini me of Cara, her great grandmother, and loves the field game and handles pressure well. Like Cara she is also very determined to do it her way, right or wrong and often wrong.
So here we are, Pinky is gone 6 months now and after 2 years of elective exile I am trying to figure out how to re enter the world of dog sports.
At the dinner a great deal of emphasis was placed on the worth of the successful dogs and their handlers. Great success clearly equaled great value. And I sat there thinking of my dead dog of her worth and value in her all too short existence. I know for sure that I wished she had her head more in the field game but I also know she meant the world to me and I did everything I possibly could to keep her on this earth with me.

So underneath it all, it is always the same, love is everything.

Pinky won her place in my heart maybe not in spite of but because she was so much herself, so clearly flawed as a performance dog-anxious and worried, jealous of my attention, demanding and needy. Beautiful to look at and capable of immense happiness when things went her way.
Just Pinky —a wonder how we found our way to loving each other and meaning the world to each other.
I must remember that as I continue on with her daughter and grand daughter. We are all worthy and good enough just as we are.

04/30/2020

One more time for the record! As a trainer I work hard to help owners find the best way to help their dogs learn to live cooperatively with them and to be good citizens. When dogs are puppies their dams raise them with tons of lessons and gentle corrections when necessary. Then, at 8 weeks or so, we get them and all too often the pup learns by being yelled at when she does something wrong. The training, the lessons, the raising up the puppy so desperately needs and relies upon to live successfully in this world just doesn't get done. And for many reasons--families are busy and distracted, training classes can be hard to find and pricey, etc.
But, underneath it all, I believe the real issue is we are profoundly uninformed about dog culture-what a dog really is and what a dog really needs from us. The dog is in its heart and soul a predator, meant to hunt and use its prey drive, cunning and teeth and nails to survive.
Yes, our dogs are "domesticated" but they are not little people and we need to try to understand them as domesticated predators to really get where they are coming from. They are hard wired to study us and test us to get resources from us. When they break the rules its not because they are disobedient-it is because they are asking us if we really mean what we say. And often they get mixed messages. Today its ok to be on the sofa-tomorrow its not ok. So the pup truly believes it is ok sometimes and will continue to try. After all the sofa is really comfy!
Where things often get really out of hand is when we take our dogs outside the family home. Especially when we try to introduce them to other dogs. This is when the blissful ignorance of their culture shows.We insist on shoving them headfirst into another dog's face or, just as bad, taking them to a dog park because, after all, they need their doggie friends to play with, don't they? Actually, no they don't!
A polite well socialized dog will never approach another dog head first-never. They will approach carefully from the side sniffing the ground and listening and feeling for the signals from the other dog-if the dog is accepting they will usually approach from the rear. Head first is an aggressive impolite approach and how many times have a seen a really nice but poorly socialized dog get nailed for doing just that.
And then the owner's reaction can be equally shocked.."he was just trying to say hi". Yes he was but he broke dog culture rules because he didn't know any better . The dog is not at fault the owner is.
So what can we do? Teach them how to be polite and well mannered. It's good for them, I promise. Try to observe and understand them for the dog they really are. Don't blame them for our failings as owners.
(more to come)

04/19/2020

Trader Joe's Chicken Meal and Rice Dog Food Review – Woof Whiskers

be careful

Trade Joe’s is the beloved “discount” grocery store where most everything they carry is their own private label products. Known for being a great value and a great variety of healthy and organic options, Trade Joe’s has a great following. What you may have noticed is that Trader Joe’s also...

03/31/2020

I have limited capacity but right now no boarding reservations because we are all staying home if possible. So I am reorganizing my business to be of service during the pandemic. I am inviting residents of Columbia and Berkhire county to prepare head of time to have a place ofr your dog(s) to stay if you become ill and cannot care for them. As much as possible please contact me now to prepare and plan.Take care and stay safe and well.

03/23/2020

As a micro business we are hit hard by the pandemic. Day care and boarding are open but most of my customers are home and sheltering in place. Very necessary. I have instituted new policies for the dogs that are coming: Customer beeps horn, I go outside (so no customer enters kennel) and use my own leash to take dog in,same process to go home. Lots of safety built in for my customers-no touching of buzzer, door handle etc-6 feet enforced. As clean and as virus free as we can possibly make it! Stay safe🥰 and healthy

03/19/2020

A sign of the times-we are open for business but with virus protection policies in place:

Kennel now practicing virus safety—

• Please DO NOT ring buzzer
• Gently honk horn
• I will come out to greet you
• I will have kennel leash-attach to your dog's collar
• Bring your leash home with you
• Please practice at least 6 feet social distance
• At pick up—repeat steps as outlined above

Our goal is to work together to keep everyone safe and healthy!!

03/14/2020

This is a tough time for micro businesses like mine. Many boarding cancellations (and I do understand why). My fear is that really necessary services like mine will no longer be available when the coronavirus crisis ebbs. No answers just questions righ now.

01/31/2020

I have decided to share info that I send to my puppy families with the public. Hope it helps!
Sadie’s Allergy Story

Sadie has been itching/licking her body and chewing on her feet for most of her adult life. Her mother Pinky had similar allergic issues. The vet said seasonal allergies but I noticed she seemed to be bothered year round. We have tried Zyrtec or Benadryl but it only treats the symptoms and does not get at the root cause of the allergy. She has been treated with ketokonazole orally on two occasions for yeast between her pads due to her constant licking, which keeps the area moist and allows the yeast to proliferate and cause more itching and licking creating a vicious cycle!

This summer has been the worst. She developed a rash all over her stomach which progressed to her private areas and then her tail. She spent most waking hours licking the areas. We couldn’t even go for walks because she would have to sit down to lick literally every few steps!

The allergies just seemed to be overwhelming her so we finally saw the vet again. He gave her a Cytopoint injection which works like your dog’s own immune system. It’s not a chemical and it works quickly and can last 4-8 weeks. Virtually no side effects and no suppression of her immune system! My husband had previously been given, by another vet, Apoquel which, like Atopica, is a chemical that suppresses the immune system. I didn’t want to use anything like that. Her immune system is the only defense she has!

The vet also recommended we have her allergy tested which involved just a simple blood draw. He said it would give us a good starting point. If the results said she was allergic to nothing we could then look at food as the culprit. If she was allergic to just a few things we could do immunotherapy (i.e. allergy shots) and if she was allergic to a lot then we would go in another direction altogether.

It turns out she is allergic to a few things; some grasses, corn pollen, but most highly to dust and storage mites. Unfortunately, you can’t avoid these things so we have started her on immunotherapy, Allercept drops. We give her drops under her tongue twice a day. It’s a formulation made especially for her that contains small quantities of the offending allergens. Virtually the same idea as allergy shots for humans. It can take 1-3 months to start to see results so we will continue the Cytopoint injections for now, if needed.

I did plenty of research on these products on my own but am fortunate to have a breeder and a veterinarian who worked with me to arrive at what we deemed to be a workable and safe solution. I’m hopeful this will be the answer for us and Sadie is already back to enjoying life! I’m especially happy to be doing things for my dog that I feel are safe, and not chemical in nature or immune system suppressing!
Jami

Finally see below really bad foods all listed by the FDA as suspect for heart disease in our dogs:
Acana
Zignature
Taste of the Wild
4Health
Earthborn Holistic
Blue Buffalo
Nature’s Domain
Fromm
Merrick
California Natural
Natural Balance
Orijen
Nature’s Variety
NutriSource
Nutro
Rachael Ray Nutrish

01/29/2020

Calls for spring boarding are starting to come in. (yes spring might come some day). Common theme is an anxious question about how busy and noisy it is here. I can be very reassuring about that. My average number of dogs for boarding is 5 (in very busy summer weeks 7 max). I respect dog culture and try to make sure each dog gets what they need-I have some young dogs that like to party hearty and some older dogs that want to be left alone. Majority of the dogs I take are repeats, some coming here from puppyhood.

11/15/2019

oh boy, do we ever have puppies-a beautiful litter of TEN! Very blessed. Dusty is turning out to be a wonderful mom

08/08/2019

Training SNAFU. This week I visited three families with dogs that want to bite or have bitten them. Very serious stuff and a really big concern. All of the owners love their dogs unreservedly but I saw an unfortunately all too common dog/owner relationship unbalance where the owner hugs and kisses and loves on the dog and the dog practices shunning or rude behavior. So why is this unbalanced relationship so common? One big reason is that too many of us really believe that if we love our dogs enough they will want to do anything for us and will be perfect. Not so much on the dogs' side-canines are meant to test-they are hardwired to test limits for a very practical reason, that is how they learn about boundaries and also how to get more things for themselves if they are successful . So testing rules and boundaries is not "bad" behavior-it is normal behavior. When we respond with more petting and loving or even worse inconsistent efforts to rein in the "bad" , the dog will eventually become confused and lose respect for us (why is it ok to jump on you and not auntie Mary?!). Eventually a smart and very determined dog can resort to nipping the hand that feeds her if she feels she can get away with it. And she is still not being "bad" , just showing her owners that something needs to change to help her learn polite behavior.
Next : Why conventional training does not work

07/12/2019

Lately I have been getting a lot of calls from folks whose dogs are misbehaving. Common problems are nipping, jumping up,not coming when called etc. Almost universally the owners are surprised and delighted when they learn that modern training techniques are really very effective and almost all problem behaviors can be improved or eliminated. The old days of jerking dogs' necks with chain collars and barking commands at them are long gone. Good riddance. If your pup is driving you crazy find an experienced trainer and fix the problem!

07/02/2019

This is my day care and boarding kennel. I have deliberately kept the numbers of dogs who stay with me low (max 5-7). The majority of dogs who are regulars here have grown up with me (Sophie sets the record of 10 years). As the owner/operator I have a great deal of experience and doggie know how. I get them and their culture and I work hard to ensure their comfort when they are entrusted to me. All too often I hear about other day cares (usually large commercial settings) where dogs are injured or just plain neglected. Here is what I suggest you question when you look for a suitable day care setting for your pup: How many dogs are out together at any one time? Who looks after them and what is their experience? (and if I hear once more.."our staff loves dogs" I will screech..you love your dogs.. the staff doesn't have to..they do have to care about them and know how to take good care of them!"). Large day cares, in my opinion, are often set up by people who have little real experience and make a profit by pitching a whole bunch of unrelated dogs together. No fun for any dog. Please be careful and ask questions always.

06/18/2019

Hayes HappyDog Boarding and DayCare

REMINDER Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dog Certification 11am this Saturday Claire Teague Center Great Barrington. FMI or to sign up [email protected]

06/18/2019

REMINDER Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dog Certification 11am this Saturday Claire Teague Center Great Barrington. FMI or to sign up [email protected]

05/27/2019

Canine Good Citizen and therapy dog classes open for enrollment now. Tune up your pup this summer! FMI [email protected]

05/16/2019

NEW Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dog Classes starting Wednesday 6pm, Roe Jan Park, Route 22 Hillsdale NY. Pre-registration open now class size limited. Please email [email protected] to sign up

01/24/2019

A heads up..."The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently issued an alert about reports of canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs eating certain pet foods containing peas, lentils, other legume seeds, or potatoes as main ingredients. DCM is a disease of the heart muscle that leads to reduced heart pumping function and increased heart size. The alterations in heart function and structure can result in severe consequences such as congestive heart failure or sudden cardiac death. While the most common cause of DCM is genetic, on rare occasions other factors can also result in the condition, particularly in breeds that are not frequently affected."

01/24/2019

trainers have a difficult job. I love it but sometimes I think it would be nice to hear positive feedback..sigh.. not very often but sometimes, every once in a great while this happens..
"Hello Nora,

I wanted to thank you for coming to our house and helping us to make a decision about our boy.

It was incredibly helpful to get your input from your many years of experience with working with dogs.

We returned him to the shelter the next day and they were very understanding, and also I think appreciated having more information about him.

It was a tough decision but absolutely the right thing to do. It’s been amazing the transformation in (their older rescue) since he left. She’s back to her happy playful self, her positive little attitude back. I can’t believe how we were so busy watching and caring for our new rscue that we missed picking up on what was going on with her.

Hopefully, in the future we will again be looking for another dog. When we do, I would love to somehow be able to get you to help us in choosing the “right” dog for us.

Again, many thanks,