K-9 Confidants

04/29/2022

Nash, a 3 year-old Border Collie, stopped over a few days ago to meet Junior. They bonded immediately and Junior invited his new buddy over for a weekend stay. Junior is so hospitable and Nash is just an awesome guest...

04/27/2022

Junior was hangin' with his homies today!!!

04/25/2022

I spent a magnificent Monday with my furry friends. You couldn't ask for better company!!!

04/22/2022

The boss and I spent this gorgeous day sealing our fairly new pressure treated fence which surrounds the outdoor puppy play-yard. I am happy to say, we are half-way complete. This time tomorrow, we hope to be more than happy when we call it DONE!!!

04/20/2022

These two have been hanging out so much, they're literally connected at the hip...🤣. The young pup prefers the shade where the old pup is a sun worshipper.

04/16/2022

A BIG congratulations to Lilly and her fab-family for completing our basic level obedience training. Advanced, here we come!!!

04/15/2022

On this magnificent day we introduced Violet to Arlo and they did surprisingly well. Arlo was on his best behavior and had total respect for Violet. Arlo is realizing not every pup plays at his level and is adapting very nicely. It takes time, patience and baby steps!!

04/12/2022

On this most beautiful day, Arlo and Leroy were introduced. Junior did the introduction and the three of them played like there was no tomorrow!!!

04/11/2022

I was able to spend some quality time with Clark and his Mom today. Clark gets super excited when he sees certain distractions, such as other pups, sometimes forgetting his leash manners. Their neighbor was nice enough to assist, allowing us to use her pup for training. Bane was a great assistant and at the conclusion, they got to socialize and exert lots of energy. A total win-win for everyone!!

04/05/2022

Junior's fur-family continues to grow. Today he met Arlo, a 1 year-old debonair Weimaraner. Junior has mentored many pups and taught Arlo proper social skills and to respect your elders.

04/05/2022

A very good read and worth the time...

Why decompression is important!

I will never forget the first several times I told a foster that the dog needs to decompress when coming into their home. They looked at me as if I was being unfair to the dog. Most humans, if they are not properly educated about crates, find crates as a source of punishment. Crates aren’t cruel, they are a safe place for a dog to have as an individual. If you make it as a punishment, that is how the dog will look at it. Think of it this way, would you go on a cruise if the boat didn’t have cabins, go to a resort and there would be no individual rooms?

Sometimes foster dogs will be in several homes and keeping the crate the same everywhere the dog goes is a source of comfort for them. The crate encourages the growth and strengthening of the bladder. Sometimes when fosters come into a new home, they are extra nervous. Leaving them alone to adjust will make the transition more positive, while coddling will not.

Decompression for most dogs means being in a crate in a room that doesn’t have a lot of activity. You leave it like that for a couple of days to allow the dog to get used to everything. Feed them in the crate, give them water in there, then just leave things very simple. We want dogs to look to the humans to be their guide/teacher. Throwing a dog into the mix of your home within hours does not benefit the dog. If the dog has medical issues or they are nervous, contact the rescue to get their decompression guidance. Every dog is different and some medical dogs need more time, and that is ok. It is so important to have a mutual relationship with the dogs so please do not immediately introduce them to your personal dogs or other fosters. If the dog is in a nervous state of mind and they are with your dogs, you don’t know the dog yet, and you are setting them up to fail. When dogs are nervous or fearful, they can overreact which in turn can create a fight. Safety is very important. Please understand that if a dog was fine in a different house with other kids/dogs/people etc., it does not mean they are good with kids/dogs/people in your house unless you are bringing the same kids/dogs/people from the other house to replace yours! Dogs are individuals just like people, be polite to them and let them get used to your home environment in a slow, regulated manner.

Decompression is imperative because each home has different smells, different sounds, different everything, so the dog needs time to adjust. Keeping the crate as a positive is a must, never use the crate for punishment. If you are wanting to correct the dog, please think first, “will the dog understand what they are being corrected for?” This is where timing comes in. Unless you catch the dog in the act, the correction holds no value for most dogs. In all honesty, to the dog, you coming home and flipping out over something done even 30 minutes prior just makes you look unstable to the dog. We, as humans can say to the other human, why did you do this, and get an answer. It doesn’t work the same for dogs.

If a dog is crying in the crate it can be for a few reasons, but timing is important here too. If the dog is crying and you immediately open the door, you are teaching the dog that if they cry, the door will open. People panic and think that the dog has to potty and that is why they are crying. If one person opened the door because of crying, this has given dogs an opportunity to understand that crying=freedom. Wait for the dog to quiet down for 15 seconds, then open the door. This will associate quiet with freedom. This is Classical Conditioning aka Pavlovian theory.

Here are a few ways to set the dog up for success when it comes to the crate:
-Always give your dog an opportunity to potty before going in the crate, especially when they are younger. Have them go potty as soon as they leave the crate.
-Give them something special to chew on only in the crate.
-Teach a few different crate games.
-Keep the crate as positive as possible.

The proper way I like to decompress a short term foster is to decompress the dog at a minimum of 48 hours per each week you are planning to have them. After decompression, this does not mean that they are free to mingle, there still needs to be structure. Still encourage crate time and allow short increments of play. Each play session needs to start and end on a positive note, so it may only be 5 minutes in the beginning, but with each session it can be increased. The age of the dog helps to speed the process of decompression, the younger the dog, the shorter the decompression. Just because you are home, this doesn’t mean the dog gets freedom that whole time. They need to earn more freedom by the choices they make.

While there is not an exact rule guide for decompression because each dog is different, there is a range. As humans, we try to humanize a dog, but dogs are not humans. Dogs are man’s best friend, but please don’t get that confused and think dogs have the same wants and needs as humans.

04/03/2022

Bentley was reunited with his family yesterday. Everyone had such a terrific time and He and Junior got along so well!! Bentley is just a bundle of joy. Twins and fur-ever friends!!!

03/29/2022

Today, Junior introduced Leroy to Bentley. They all got along so well and played vigorously!!

03/28/2022

It felt amazing reuniting with Boone. Such a lovable, handsome and quite goofy giant...

03/27/2022

Junior and his little buddy, Bentley....

03/26/2022

These 2 had a two mile walk and now it's nap time. They have become true couch buddies. Junior likes Bentley's bed. Big pup in a little pupper's bed...🤣.

03/25/2022

Junior enjoyed Bentley's company so much last Saturday, he invited him for a sleepover. Bentley allowed Junior to try out his bed...

03/19/2022

Junior had a guest over today for a play date. His name is Bentley and he's a stunning 6 month-old mini-Goldendoodle. Kudos to the Boss and her first assistant on hosting our guest!!

03/17/2022

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!!!

03/16/2022

K-9 Confidants is assisting with socializing these two cousins, and we're making good progress!! Today we learned they both love mud puddles...🤣.

03/11/2022

This gorgeous gal is Luna, a six month-old German Shorthaired Pointer. Luna is sassy and absolutely full of energy. She and her Dad started training yesterday and we were all exhaused at the conclusion...🤣.

03/08/2022

Junior and Leroy got to explore a new trail close to our facility (video clips in comments). Scout and Violet did the local country road trek. Eight miles later, I can eat cake...🤣.

03/07/2022

I spent the morning with these superior Shepherds!! They have their very own tree house and agility area. Needless to say, we had a blast!!

03/05/2022

This is Miss Daisy, a one year-old Sheltie. Miss Daisy and her wonderful Parents just completed their third training session. I'm happy to report everyone is making great progress.

03/04/2022

This most handsome Husky is Kimber!! Kimber is 8 month's-old, super smart and full of energy. Today he had his first session and did very well.

02/25/2022

I've seen/read several posts regarding this topic. This is a much shorter read, is funny and I think sends a similar message...

02/23/2022

Yesterday Leroy hung out with us and assisted with some yard work. On his way home, we got to see two beautiful eagles perched in a tree. Today we took it on the road with Violet, Scout and Junior. Life is good!!

02/18/2022

Have a wonderful weekend and don't forget to include your pups in the activities!!!