SF Dog Connect by The Pooch Coach Dog Training

03/08/2025

[ Musik with her vet and vet tech at Smith's Veterinary Services getting blood drawn for a titer test for the distemper vaccine.]

Many people are worried about giving their dogs too much medication. For instance, San Francisco requires a rabies vaccine every 3 years, even though it’s been scientifically proven that rabies vaccine’s last 7 years!! It’s ridiculous, dangerous, and sad.

Also, some older dogs, as well as dogs with health problems, can’t easily handle vaccines, and that means it is actually dangerous for their health. In fact, most vaccines are labeled that they are not for dogs with any health problems.

Titer tests are a great intermediate step and solution to the potential issue of over-vaccinating. By testing a dog‘s blood to see if they have the antibodies still active, you can be assured that they are still protected, and therefore you can skip the vaccine at that time.

So we suggest you discuss and explore options with your vet. If they are not willing to discuss options or are not knowledgeable about titer tests, you can always seek a second opinion.

Just as with our own human health needs, we need to speak up and not be afraid to ask questions of our healthcare professionals. Always do what’s best for yourself and your pup!

Info on titer tests:

Titer testing for dogs offers a way to determine if a previous vaccine is still providing immunity, allowing for personalized vaccination schedules based on individual antibody levels, rather than relying solely on routine vaccinations.

Canine entertainment and education. 🐾
Dogs for film & ads! Manager of Musik , The World‘s Best Dog Actor.
🎥 🎶🐶🤩
The SF Bay Area's top-rated Private Dog Trainer & Behaviorist for over 20 years.
Any Dog. Any Problem.

02/07/2025

Thoughts, everyone? 🥩 🌱

Complete article for those interested:

https://www.southcarolinapublicradio.org/2025-02-06/bone-appetit-dog-treats-from-lab-grown-meat-are-hitting-the-u-k-market

01/14/2025

Our hearts go out to all the people and animals who are hurting and suffering in Southern California. 

Below are ways to get help if you are in LA, or tosupport organizations aiding those affected by the fires.

For pets:

Pasadena Humane Society has taken in more than 400 animals from the Eaton Fire, and they’re urgently seeking donations to help cover the cost of medical supplies for burned and injured animals.

spcaLA is rescuing and sheltering animals from fire-affected areas.

Best Friends Animal Society continues providing round-the-clock support to local shelters in need.

For people:

American Red Cross Los Angeles Region
is connecting families and pets with emergency shelter, food and aid.

Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation
is supporting brave firefighters and first responders with vital resources.

Project Camp is holding pop-up camps for children affected by the Los Angeles-area fires.

For both:

Pet Food Express Offering low-cost pet carriers, crates, beds, bowls, leashes, and medical supplies. Their Long Beach-Bixby Knolls location (4220 Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach) is a donation and distribution center for these items.

Discounted lodging: Many neighboring cities and regions are providing special lodging rates for those displaced by the fires. You can find some here: 
https://www.discoverlosangeles.com/hotels/wildfires

01/08/2025

Get your calculators out!

Here’s the full article for people who are interested:

https://www.popsci.com/environment/what-age-is-dog-old/

12/30/2024

ARE YOU READY FOR NEW YEAR'S EVE?

NYE can be like a super 4th of July for dogs. Not only do people shoot off fireworks, but things are noisy throughout the night. People can be extra loud too - with yelling, party horns, and poppers going off all night.

So make sure you & your dog are prepared!
First and foremost, please make sure you exercise your dog extra intensely to tire them out. Many people go the other way and skip the long walks and exercise on holidays, which just adds even more stress to your dog’s experience.

Here are some tips for keeping dogs calm and training them to be OK with loud noises. If you introduce these noises softly with rewards, then they won't see them as scary on NYE.

So do yourself and your dog a favor and follow these tips!
https://www.poochcoach.com/helping-dogs-with-fear-of-fireworks/

Have a peaceful and healthy 2025, filled with love and dogs !! ❤️🐶

12/26/2024

DO NOT BUY warning.

We know all GPS measuring devices for dogs can be somewhat buggy or inaccurate. But we’ve been using variations of this Whistle device for over 10 years.

And, sadly, it used to work better.

We also used to be able to get customer service people who truly wanted to fix bugs and adjust problems - rather than continually pushing back and saying it’s not their fault and that we are wrong and can’t remember correctly or whatever. (Even when we send them screenshots for proof!)

So we figured it’s about time to give a shout out to WHISTLE, because every time their device completely messes up or they change the interface and give us bad/less data, somehow it’s our fault, or it works as it’s supposed to, or it never really gave us that data in the past - it was our imagination.

Anyway, we had another mess up today, and we’re looking forward to seeing how they’re going tell us this one wasn’t their fault either, and that we somehow went to Marin and didn’t know it. 

Anyway, don’t buy a Whistle device.
Let me know if there are any other devices out there that don’t screw up this much and, when they do, have customer service people who actually want to hear feedback and fix things.

Thanks for reading our post, and hopefully helping us… and maybe even Whistle will see this and try to improve.

Happy holidays everybody!

12/24/2024

The 3 Chi’s, Man!
(The 3 Wise Men)

Ho Ho Ho. 😂😂😂

Have a peaceful, safe, loving Holiday Season!
🎄 🎁 ❤️ ☮️

11/28/2024

GRATITUDE 🙏🏼 🐶 ❤️

I am so grateful for all the pups and people I got to help lead healthier, safer, and happier lives through my work the last 20+ years.

I’m also grateful to be retired from dog training this year, and to be able to focus on Musik’s dog acting and modeling career. I get to spend even more time being with her! ❤️

How about you?

11/26/2024

Note to self: add South Korea to list of possible places to live. 😆

11/15/2024

Remember… There are no “bad dogs”… Just untrained, under-exercised dogs, and people who aren’t clearly communicating with them. 🥺

So, I was a BAD DOG in my latest film! But it was just ‘cause I was anxious from my mommy being so upset!

Dogs feel people’s emotions very deeply. Make sure you’re always giving your pup extra love & exercise during any stressful times! ❤️


🎥 🎶 🐶 🤩

10/10/2024

ARE YOU READY FOR FLEET WEEK?

Fleet Week is back in SF! Are you & your pup prepared for the U.S. Navy Blue Angels?

Here are some tips for getting through the noise this weekend. These tips are also useful for other loud noises like fireworks and thunderstorms.

https://www.poochcoach.com/dogs-blue-angels-loud-noises/

Please share with other dog lovers who might need help!

10/09/2024

I'M A CANINE GOOD CITIZEN, ARE YOU?

Shadow's mom had him as a pup training for Guide Dogs for the Blind. He got placed in a home, but didn’t quite make it in the program. So she got to get him back as her own companion dog. And he just passed the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizenship test! Now he will be able to pursue performing Animal Assisted Therapy through the San Francisco SPCA. Yay Shadow! 🎉

The AKC CGC test has 10 steps to pass that include following commands, allowing strangers to pet & groom the dog, and various situational and reaction exercises. This helps assure dog owners that their dog is a safe, calm, happy, and confident member of our community.

Many people practice and take this test just for fun, but it is also used as the basis for many dog therapy programs, as well as required by some landlords and other organizations who want to ensure a safe environment for people and dogs.

The Pooch Coach is certified by the AKC to administer these tests. So let us know if you'd like to give it a try!

Here is info about the original AKC CGC test:
https://www.poochcoach.com/cgctest/

And more detailed info on the AKC site.
https://www.akc.org/products-services/training-programs/canine-good-citizen/

This is a great test to use as a guideline and a challenge for you and your pup. Have fun with it!

09/14/2024

HOW TO BEST USE - and AVOID - the “CONE OF SHAME” after surgery or other injuries.
Most dogs will need this advice at some point, so please be prepared!

Here are some tips for helping your dog keep from further hurting themselves after injury or surgery, while still being as comfortable as possible.

The two main mistakes people make when their dogs are injured and need to have their head movement restricted is either they don’t use a cone (or some other method of control), and their dog re-injures themselves…. Or they overuse the cone and keep it on at all times, making their dog completely uncomfortable and possibly causing further injuries.

Also, you should always practice wearing the cone while your dog is still healthy - before any surgeries. That way they learn to tolerate it and not fear it. When they are injured and on medication, that is not the time to introduce something new and scary!

There’s a happy medium to using cones…

We thought we’d remind and educate people that you don’t need to leave the cone of shame on 24 X 7. Vets might tell you to because they’re trying to be extra protective. But as long as you’re meeting the goal of not allowing your dog to harm themselves, then we should also try to make them as comfortable as possible as they try to rest and heal. Having a cone over your head is not a good way to relax, and can even lead to injury if they have to sleep in awkward positions for a few days. Therefore you can even prolong the recovery time by overusing it.

You also probably don’t need a cone while out for a walk either. When your dog is feeling vulnerable, they don’t need the additional worry of having their head restricted! This is especially true if they were already a little nervous to begin with.

Here’s an article on ways to avoid having to use the cone by managing more minor surgeries and injuries with training and observation:
https://www.poochcoach.com/cone-of-shame/

Here’s an article on different types of cones you can use and how to make everything more comfortable for your dog:
https://www.poochcoach.com/no-cone-shame/



Follow the pup: Musik

09/11/2024

❤️🙏🏼 🇺🇸

😔


☮️ ❤️ 🎶 🐾

09/04/2024

ENSURING YOUR DOG FEELS GREAT!

I sadly notice when dogs are stiff or limping a bit and I always wonder if owners are educated enough about what they should be looking for. 

So I continue to make posts to help people stay in touch with their dogs so they can see slight changes in their dog’s behavior, or if any part of their body hurts, so guardians can seek out help as soon as possible - before conditions get more painful or severe.

Here is a post with a video on how to touch your dog every day to be familiar with their body and look for bumps or foreign objects, etc. to make sure everything is good to go:

https://www.facebook.com/DogConnect/videos/226707981733578/?app=fbl

And here is a brief article on dogs potentially being picky eaters versus being sick, so you can determine whether they are actually feeling ill, or just not all that hungry, or waiting for something better! (This has always been one of the most popular articles on my blog from searches on the web!)

https://www.poochcoach.com/picky-eater-sick-dog/

In general, as a behaviorist, I tell people that if there is a sudden shift in your dog’s behavior as an adult, you always have to look for physical possibilities as well as emotional or mental. So always check your dog’s p**p and everything else about them to assure they’re feeling well before assuming that they have a new behavior problem. The vet can help you determine this before, or in addition to, approaching a behaviorist. 

Please always have your eyes and ears on your pup so you can keep them as healthy as possible, and they never have to needlessly suffer!

🙏🏼❤️

09/02/2024

Happy Labor Day! Especially to all the working dogs there!

Follow the pup: Musik !

08/26/2024

Hope you’re all celebrating National Dog Day! 🎉

Follow me: Musik