Maddi and Paws

06/15/2024

It's that time of year again. This weekend and coming week will be in the 90s and above for the saint Joseph area. Keep an eye on your pups!

06/14/2024

My name is Madison, and I am the owner of Maddi and Paws. I am not a really vocal person when it comes to showing things on my account, let alone my personal life. However, I want everyone to know that this business loves and supports everyone no matter the color of your skin, your religious beliefs, how you identify, who you love, etc. This is a safe space for everyone. Treat each other with kindness and have empathy. No matter what walk of life that you come from, you are welcome here.

06/06/2024

If your dog is scared of fireworks, contact your vet NOW to get some medication relief. Don't wait until the last moment, you might not be able to get the help your dog needs!

⭐️ Thunderstorm season is upon us, and firework season is fast approaching. Keep an eye on this page to learn how to help your pets stay safe and comfortable during this noisy time of year. ⭐️

🐾 All animals need a place where they feel safe and can decompress. A safe zone is a special new area we'll create together for your dog. 🏠

🔇 The important aspects of the safe zone are that it provides a place that:

Avoids sensory overload 🚫🔊
Relatively quiet 🤫
Minimizes smells/odors – if you can smell it (e.g., household cleaners), then it is likely overwhelming for the dog. 🌬️
Not too bright, no flashing lights, no shiny or reflective surfaces 🚫💡
Creates predictability 🔄
This is your dog's space to get away from stressful stimuli 🐶
A place your dog can choose to go to if he or she wants a break from activity 🐾
Gives them quiet time to recover from stress (a key for developing resilience) 💤
Minimizes talking, petting, or training 🙅‍♂️🐕

For more information, email us at
[email protected]

06/02/2024

Got more professional photos back from one of Moose's FastCAT events. He just looks like he's having the time of his life. 🥺

Photo cred:

05/25/2024

Drum roll, please.....Moose got his BCAT today! It wasn't our favorite FastCAT setup, but everyone was really nice. It was a great day, and we got to add some new letters to his name. It'll take AKC a few weeks or so to catch up on his points and issue out the BCAT title. Can't wait to see if we can get our DCAT this year. Working on possible dock diving and another sport for the fall. Nonetheless, it's about the fun. As long as he's having a blast, I'm all for it!

Origins Northern Icon TKI BCAT

05/24/2024

Moose got to have his first dock experience today. We worked a lot on the ramp, building his confidence and having him understand that's how we get back up to the dock. Towards the end, he started to jump off the ramp a bit. Baby steps! Depending on how our next exposure goes, I'm hoping he will begin jumping off from the deck this summer or sooner. It's important to go at their pace so that they stay safe and confident during this journey.

We, of course, got distracted with the birds towards the end of our session. This location had chickens out, and I believe guinea fowl. Even a tiny tiny bird got his attention. But once he saw the guinea fowl he just wanted that so we ended the session before he made a wrong and unsafe choice (like climbing out of the pool on the side to go chase the bird). There's pros and cons to having a bird hunting dog. Not all bird dogs have this strong of an instinct. Some have way more drive towards birds. It's helpful during gun dog training, but it can be a con when trying to focus on something else such as the pool, lol.

Nonetheless, we had fun. We will find another location for our private sessions to limit him practicing the behaviors he showed today with the birds near the pool. Until next time dock! I'm hoping this will be our next sport to compete in. Let's see what 2024/2025 bring us!

05/20/2024

Today we visited another SniffSpot. This one is hosted by a trainer and she's extremely respectful of you and your dog's needs. In Bremen, with 1.3 acres fenced in and about 2 acres of paved trails. Today my future mother in law and I went to this sniffspot and took my rescue boy, Zorro, and her cattle dog Annie. Both are not fans of strangers, especially Zorro. He is absolutely terrified of them. This was a nice spot to get away, experience new things, without the pressure of strange people or dogs. We absolutely loved it and can't wait to come back with the older and more medically inclined pups.

I've been doing a lot of things with Moose lately, once plans changed I decided to take Zorro out for some mom time and he loved it. When you live in a multi-dog household (ours is at 7), it's important to spend one on one time with your pups, just like if you have multiple kids. That individual time is really important and they absolutely enjoy it. It can be hard managing multiple dogs especially when there's such a huge age gap (youngest being about 1.5 years old and oldest going on 19) paired with different behavioral and medical needs. This kind of life is not for everyone, it can be really tough at times, but I enjoy my crew and savor all the memories I can.

Next up is the small, old/medical crew.

If you would like to visit this sniffspot, here's the link below!

Jamie's 1.3 Acre Fully Fenced Private Dog Park In Bremen
https://www.sniffspot.com/to/8s83n

05/14/2024

I received some pics of Moose's first FastCAT run back in the middle of April. Dog dad had to run with Moose for the first event run. Moose was so happy dad was running with him, then he saw me and picked up the pace. He absolutely loved it, and I can't wait to show more pictures as I receive them!



Photos taken by Pawz to Pose Pet Photography
https://www.facebook.com/pawztopose?mibextid=ZbWKwL

05/07/2024

Just in case you missed some of our stories, here's a little recap of what Moose and I have been up to. We tried FastCAT for the first time in mid-April. We are just 1 run away from our BCAT title. Moose's drive and arousal is increasing during these events as well as his engagement with me. We have been practicing at home some conditioning work for muscle building and pattern games to build more focus in distracting environments. We still need to work on his arousal when he's away from me and being handled by someone else. Overall, this is so far a sport we both enjoy and can't wait to see what the end of this year looks like for us! We are working on some things at home for possible new sports. I am waiting for some professional photos to get done so we can share his happy, goofy face with everyone.

04/17/2024

Client openings for current services and a new service!

I have openings for new clients who are too busy to implement the foundation training alone and in need of some training and guidance with their dog when it comes to reactivity on leash or general loose leash walking.

This service would entail me coming to your house, having a consultation (free), and setting up a session when I take your dog on a walk in the area that you usually walk with your dog, and begin training the foundations for whatever you're needing assistance with! This could be loose leash walking, reactivity to dogs/other people, frustration on leash due to not being able to say hi to others, etc. At the end of the walk/session I will go over what we did and how you can continue until the next session that I come over. You will also recieve a post session document with what we covered and steps on how to do the homework until next session. The session would be a 20-30minute walk/training (depending on how your dog handles things) with a 10-15 post catchup chat for a total of $40. It's a steal!

I also still have a few openings for private behavior modification sessions. I can help you with basic obedience/manners, reactivity, puppies, seniors, fearfullness, and acute aggression cases (moderate to severe will be referred out to my recommended vet behaviorist or trainer/behavior consultant). Free consultation, then a session is for 1 hour and at $70. This includes a post session document covering what we talked about, homework, and suggestions/future goals. You would have access to talk to me until your next session to ask any questions, review videos you might have recorded and more.

If you're interested message me or email me with any questions or inquiries.

[email protected]

04/08/2024

ADOLESCENCE:
As dogs go through adolescence, it’s safe to say things turn a little topsy-turvy! 🙃

If you’re currently at this stage and feeling like you’ve taken one step forward and two steps back, don’t panic! During this stage of life, there’s a lot going on in their busy little brains.

Here are three facts about the adolescent brain 🧠👇

1. The inhibitory neurons of the amygdala that help to dampen down emotional responses don’t fully mature until the END of adolescence.

2. Communication between the frontal cortex and amygdala, which is essential for skills training, decreases during adolescence.

3. Extinction memory is impaired during adolescence, so if your dog has a bad experience it’s much more likely to lead to a ‘hard wired’ fear memory.

Have patience and compassion as you support and guide your dog through this vulnerable period of brain development.

04/06/2024

Daisy got a fresh cut this morning and is enjoying a lickimat elevated on a big bowl on a bath mat. The big bowl helps her not to have to lower her head as much since she has a herniated disc in her neck. The bath mat helps her have traction since she has pretty bad hips now. Daisy has a list of health issues at going on 19 years old. It hurts me to see her declining slowly. I believe she has the early stages of canine cognitive dysfunction and that paired with everything else is just tough to see.

I don't know how much time I have left with her, but we are still keeping track of her good days and bad to make sure her quality of life is there.

In this moment, we have a small win for Daisy as she enjoys applesauce with a little bit of yogurt on a lickimat for some really easy enrichment for her. Peanut butter is too hard for her to stay and lick. I was happy to see her at the lickimat for a few minutes before she got physically tired.

I love you, Grandma Daisy. 2024 is your crusty dog Era.

03/12/2024

I had enough strength today to take Moose on a sunset walk through some neighborhoods. A lot of things have changed within the last few months. 1 being my financial status. There's been times when I truly can't even afford the gas and small $10 fee to a sniffspot due to the financial responsibilities I have in my life of various things.

Lately, I've felt like a bad dog mom because I financially can't make it to those sniffspots or attend those classes, etc. I've been comparing myself a lot lately to others. (Like that is not a common thing among social media goers.) I have to remind myself that I am not like everyone else, though, and they are not like me. Days without flareups are increasing, but there are still days my flare-ups take up a lot of energy and ability out of my day. There are days I get stuck in my feelings of how I haven't been training the pups like I should or how I haven't met all of their needs. The list goes on.

At the end of the day. I am not a bad dog mom. I just need to remember to take into account my needs and limitations like I do with my dogs and adapt. I couldn't afford a sniffspot today but had enough energy for a walk, and Moose finds fulfillment in neighborhood walks? Then a 2 mile cement/grass sniffy walk it is! Yes, a decompression walk in open fields or a hike would have been better. But, this walk in the city, for Moose, was better than being stuck inside. He's tired, and I'm able to relax now a bit, knowing I met a little of both of our needs tonight. The old ladies will enjoy a snuggle session with me while Zorro enjoys a frozen kong.

Do what you can with what you have available to you. We will get back to a true decompression hike again soon.

12/27/2023

12/25/2023

Before we had Christmas dinner and a guest was arriving, dog dad and I took Moose, Zorro, and Justice out to the pastures to run around like crazy and then we ended it with some recall games. Once home they all got a frozen kong and a chew to help bring everything down and relax them after a fun trip out to the farm. We kept grandma Daisy at home since she seemed really tired today.

I absolutely love these pups. Zorro did great in the pasture and hasn't been here for several months. His engagement with me was better and he had fun playing the recall games. He dragged a 30ft line while Moosr and Justice were offleash. I can't wait to get these guys out here together again.

12/17/2023

I was going through old videos and came across Moose's trick dog novice video. He was 17 weeks old in these clips. I miss him when he was this size sometimes!

12/15/2023

"Horse p**p is delicious"
- Moose probably

Moose enjoyed his romp in the back pasture before getting my nephew from school. I really enjoy this kind of time with him.

12/10/2023

This was our first time at a together, and we had a blast! Moose did really well staying near me and checking in when he couldn't see me anymore. His recall was great. He honestly surprised me how well he did. It always surprises me the training that has stuck from when he was younger and things we don't train daily on. I can't wait to spend time in the woods off leash with him again. It was something I think we both needed.

12/07/2023

Happy 1st birthday, you big doofus.🎈🎂 Moose, it's been a crazy year, and I can't wait to see how the next year will unfold and what we will accomplish together.

11/18/2023

Justice, you're the first dog I was ever able to call mine. My first personal pup. You came into my life when I was 15 years old. You came to me at roughly 6-8 months of age. I never met a miniature pinscher, let alone heard of them. I didn't have the best resources to base the early training I did with you. I did damage by listening to a very well known "dog trainer" who isn't a real ethical one in any way. Thank you for being able to tolerate the best you could with the methods and ideology I was implementing onto you. I know it could have been way worse, but I still regret doing the things I did. Especially when you already came from being crated majority of the day and you were malnourished, the last thing you needed was stress and fear by the person who primarily cared for you.

You turned 12 years old this month. Still my quickest pup when it comes to training. Between you and Annie, you two have shaped a lot of my mechanics with how quick I needed to be with marking and troubleshooting prevention for behavior chains and so much more throughout the years. It's been almost 2 years since you lost your eye and that has come with its own issues behavior wise.

Even on your spicy barky days I still love you so much and appreciate how much you enjoy engaging with me, playing with me, cuddling me, now and especially back then when I was going through such a dark time in my life. As your face continues to gray and turn white and your body isn't acting the way it used to, I'll try my best to keep you mentally and physically safe and enriched.

Happy birthday, my spicy old girl.

11/10/2023

please keep this tidbit in mind for any animal you may put enclosures out for.

11/10/2023

Did you know that cats can be trained? Just like dogs, cats can highly benefit from training. Especially shelter cats with behavior quarks. This is Pumpkin Spice, and she came to us with her very young kittens. We believe she is not even a year old herself or just about a year old, so the litter was most likely her first. She was very aggressive with her foster mom whenever she approached her kittens. Once it was deemed safe, the kittens were separated, and Pumpkin Spice was spayed in hopes that the separation from her litter and hormonal change would benefit her and lessen her aggression.

I'd like to report so far it seems to be working. She is such a fun, loving, curious girl who just had a litter too young. She has been flourishing with her short, daily training sessions and is making strides with the volunteers cleaning her cage. She still lightly swats and bites at times, but that is occurring less frequently, and people are seeing her sweet side more. I love seeing how much animals enjoy training, especially ones that are fearful/aggressive. Seeing them open up and learning to trust is such an awesome thing to be a part of.

Do you train your cat? Did you know that there's many beneficial things you can teach your cat?

Such as:
- accepting nail trims
- crate training
- vet visits
- vet handling
- grooming
- brushing teeth
- stationing
- tricks
- recall
And so much more!

Target stick .school squeeze treat I'm using here is

11/07/2023

Pet Sitting Services!

I have been doing pet sitting since 2019. I thought it would be helpful to make a post solely for those kind of services.

Drop-in visits
- 20 minutes at $15
- 30 minutes at $20
- 1 hour at $30

Drop-in visits is where I come to your house for the allotted time you requested and I provide whatever is needed (litter box cleaned, feeding, giving water, letting dogs out to go potty, etc). This service is for any species and personality type.

I have experience with cats, dogs, parrots, snakes, bearded dragons, geckos, hedgehogs, guinea pigs, hamsters, fish, horses, chickens, ducks, and chinchillas. I am open to accepting any animal for a drop-in service!

I also have experience with entering homes with scared, fearful, timid cats and dogs as well as cats/dogs that show their fearfulness via aggressive tendencies. During these visits it is my goal to provide care with the least amount of stress as possible while keeping all parties safe. For cases like these, multiple (free) meet and greets are needed to allow for the cat/dog to get accustomed to my presence in the house in a slow manner prior to the first booking that you need.

Dog walks
- 20 minutes at $20
- 30 minutes at $25

Dog walking is when I come to your house and take your dog on a walk around your neighborhood. If the dog doesn't have any allergies or food sensitives I will use treats intermittently throughout the walk to encourage better walking skills. I do also accept reactive/aggressive dogs for dog walks as long as the dog feels safe with me to go on the walk so that I am safe and your pup is not stressed out or scared of me walking him away from home and his people.

I do prefer to walk dog walking clients on harnesses especially for dogs that are reactive (lunge, bark, etc) on walks, are brachycephalic (short muzzled dogs, and/or small breeds to protect their trachea as much as possible. If you do not have a harness, I have various harnesses that I can size to your pup and use for our walks.

Dog Hikes
- 1-1.5 hours at $40

This is where I pick up your dog and take him to the closest and/or best matched trail for your dogs physicial and mental needs and preferences. For example, if your dog is people or dog reactive we will go on trails where we can step off the trail path to provide distance for all parties and keep everyone safe vs choosing paths that are extremely narrow and put all parties in a stressful and possibly dangerous outcome.

If your pup is older with mild arthritis we will go on paths that are even leveled and limit hills and obstacles that we would have to climb on or over.

All services require a meet and greet (which is free) prior to the first booking that you request!

*For Easter, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years all services will have a surcharge of $10*

With any questions you can message me here or email me at [email protected]

11/02/2023

Moose will be turning 1 next month. Where has time gone? I love this pup so much. Even though he is in his dingus butt head stage. At this point, I think he believes his other name is Dingus.

11/01/2023

11/01/2023

Moose enjoyed his first creek trip yesterday. During the hike we implemented some training, but it was more so just rewarding anything he offered on his own such as stopping to check in on me, recalling to my side, and slowing down when there was too much tension in the leash. Overall we just had fun and it was nice seeing him just be a dog. He sniffed anything and everything and did whatever he wanted as long as he was safe, other hikers and dogs were safe, and the wildlife was safe.

Training is important, but so is meeting your dog's needs and letting them be a dog. This doesn't only mean that you have to do a hike, but even a simple act of ripping a toy up, digging in a sand box, etc are ways we can let dogs be dogs.

10/27/2023

We have ALL been dealing with allergies early this year. Wanted to make sure when medicating your pets that you check the inactive ingredients of the benadryl you are using does not include XYLITOL or BIRCH SUGAR! Xylitol is toxic to both cats and dogs! It can cause low blood sugar as well as potentially progress to complete liver failure.