NJ Fix My Dog

01/04/2024

02/10/2023

Can we please stop expecting that EVERY dog wants to go to dog parks, daycares, patio parties and have birthday parties with other dogs! Nobody loves dogs more than me, but I’m here to tell you that dogs aren’t human children. They don’t want to do everything a human child does. Breed can matter when deciding what is fun for your best friend. Your Husky may have the energy to run, your Retriever may want to retrieve and your terrier may want to chase and grab. So yes, raising them with kindness is paramount, but paying attention to their needs is too. I said it.

This mentality that every dog has to be “social” with other people and dogs is keeping my shelter full, my days long and my heart broken, because I see the best dogs passed over, because they wouldn’t do well at a dog park or daycare. Not every dog needs to like your friends. I keep my dog in his room when people come over, because he isn’t comfortable around everyone, and I don’t want to set him up for failure. Love your dog enough to respect her boundaries.

Your dog doesn’t want to meet every dog. The reality show you watched about dog training and dog adoption is fake, I’ve worked in television, it’s edited to create a good story, not necessarily a real story. Let’s stop these narratives on dog ownership that are SOLD to us and based on making money. Dogs aren’t a business they are our best friends. Remember that.

Your dog can be perfectly safe and happy without overstimulating daycare or doggy birthday parties. Those things are fun for some dogs, but not for all. I want to take my dog everywhere, I want to give my dog the things I would want, but for the love of dogs in shelters everywhere, let’s ask dogs what do they REALLY want?

Dogs want more sniffs, waterlogged sticks, a quiet place to decompress, a space to stretch their legs and you to respect their body language and boundaries. They are talking to you…listen.

27/02/2023

This is how life looks when you are creating your relationship with your dog, or at least I hope so.

I have a friend in Greece that I love and miss dearly, his name is Eftichis Ioanh Manioudakis, that’s pronounced F TEE KEY, lesson one

When we are together we are similar to two 2 year olds as far as communication. We point at things and say it in our language and try to say it in the others. Every day was a new adventure, we laughed, played, and we would take day long trips and get by with the simplest of words. The rest of the time just “being” ourselves and enjoying every magical second.

One day we were in an incredibly remote village on the top of a mountain in Crete, they had 1 line of electricity (on a good day that will run lights) onto their entire farm. One of the woman made us a snack. Their was a small bowl of salt but I had NO idea how to “use” it. Did I put my fingers into it, was there a spoon to use. So I kept motioning to my friend putting my fingers into the bowl and sprinkling on my food, ok like five times. He just shrugged. Finally he grabbed the bowl took a pinch and tossed it on my food. We both looked stunned and in amazement and went on to laugh until we had tears running down our cheeks.

Cherish your dogs ability to do their damndest to understand and those ah ha moments. Once you see it from this place, everything you do and learn together should have joy.

Pass me the salt!

28/12/2022

Winter snow can be really tough but here’s an easy way to get ride of “snowballs” quickly! Yes that’s a wire whisk, it works really well. No more wet house and hours of blow during.

07/11/2022

Four years ago today I lost my Klymer, he opened his heart to everyone that knew him, he played every game with a sense of joy and adventure, he forgave me for some pretty crappy training decisions, but most of all …… he was THAT dog. He owned my heart. I suffered from PTSD after living in lower NYC on 9/11. No drugs helped me with night terrors. My heart was starting to fail due to no sleep. At 6 months old he spent his first night in our bed. 45 mins into my sleep, he jumped up and looked at me, Jerry almost stopped him be decided to watch him instead. He quietly woke me up, laid into my arms and I went back to sleep. He repeated this 8 times that first night. He literally saved my life, 12.5 years of no nightmares or night terrors. Thank you to Mardi McGuire-Closson, Clyde Closson, and Helen Smith for the most amazing dog. I miss you everyday buddy.

06/11/2022

Time to get her nails done, such a good Girl Smartie Pantz

24/09/2022

Wow didn’t know this

5 out of 7 nosode treated dogs against parvovirus passed away.

Let's get this clear. Homeopathic nosodes are not effective against parvovirus. Nosodes were tested in a clinical trial where the dogs were literally exposed to parvovirus after receiving nosodes. The majority of dogs died.

Fair warning: anyone posting the benefits of nosodes against parvovirus on our page or in our comments will be deleted.

Dr. Wynn and Dr. Ronald Schultz (University of Wisconsin; Principal Investigator of the Rabies Challenge Fund) performed the only controlled, albeit small, parvovirus nosode study.

13 – Sample size
5 – Unvaccinated control group; not given nosodes
1 – Contact-control dog for the nosode-treatment group
7 – Unvaccinated and given nosodes. Parvovirus nosodes given orally and in ascending potencies in a manner recommended by veterinary homeopaths.

Control and experimental groups exposed to the 2a and 2b strains of canine parvovirus. The dose (1 X tissue culture infectious doses) was less than or equal to the viral challenge a dog would be expected to encounter in a parvovirus contaminated environment.

Results: 5 out of 7 nosode treated dogs passed away; 5 out of 6 control dogs passed away.

Study findings: Parvovirus nosode failed to provide adequate protection from infection or disease.

Dr. Wynn states it most eloquently, “Until well designed studies are completed and thousands of pet owners make a concerted effort to help with potential retrospective studies, nosodes remain an unknown quantity, and I do not recommend using them as a sole strategy for disease prevention.”

15/07/2022

Should you wait until your pup has all its shots before attending puppy class?

posted September 15, 2008 A position statement on early socialization in puppies released

24/06/2022

Bravecto, Bravecto Plus, Nexgard, Simparica, Simparica Trio, Credelio, Revolution Plus all contain Isoxazoline which is a neurotoxin! ☠️

It is only supposed to be toxic to the parasites however, data is showing the toxicity is NOT limited to parasites and we are seeing many adverse reactions in dogs and cats.

Some adverse reactions that my clients have seen include:
• Aggression
• Personality changes
• Seizures
• Disorientation
• Wobbling or unstable gate
• Sensitivity to touch
• Abnormal vocalizations
• Urinary or f***l incontinence
• Death
I have seen these adverse reactions happen immediately after administration, but I have also worked with cases where the pet parent noticed these reactions days, weeks, or even months later. Sometimes the reactions don’t occur until multiple doses of the medication have been given.

AVOID THIS DRUG!

📎 Here is my detox protocol: https://drjudymorgan.com/blogs/blog/side-effects-from-common-flea-and-tick-products?_pos=2&_sid=4f37b2d66&_ss=r
📎 Safer prevention options: https://drjudymorgan.com/collections/tick-and-flea
📎 Flea and Tick Prevention Article: https://drjudymorgan.com/blogs/blog/flea-and-tick-prevention-revisited?_pos=7&_sid=56a77806b&_ss=r

03/09/2021

A clarification: Taking a young pup on an off-lead walk for miles, where it feels compelled to keep going, to me is still forced movement. That is not what I'm advocating. In this brief infographic, I'm explaining that the 5 min guideline is nuanced and has been interpreted too literally by some.

19/07/2021

🛇 Use your Manners! 🛇
The Sniff test - Stop doing that!
The sniff test - a badly engrained habit that society has been taught, without a clear understanding of what they're actually doing.

🚩When you reach out towards a dog, you are using body pressure AT them, giving them no time to assess whether you are safe & whether they require further investigation to pick up your information. You are forcing an interaction of a relationship that hasn't had time to develop. To some dogs, this is quite rude & the reason a lot of dogs snap at or bite people. This can cause alot of behavioral issues because of layered stress due to forced interactions.

🚩If they are on lead, they have no where to go if they are sensitive to spacial pressure, so can end up shutting down, shying away or snapping at your hand so you back off. This is an example of how a dog is now using pressure to turn off pressure & make you back off so they aren't so stressed.

🚩People think by offering your hand it can give the dog time to sniff to know you're friendly... they can sniff without being forced to sniff your hand.Their noses are far more superior than ours & they don't need close contact forced upon them to smell you.

🚩Some dogs might not want to know you. You have no relationship with them and that's perfectly fine. They aren't your dog so you don't need to touch them or steal pats for your own satisfaction.

🤔 If you are meeting a dog, what should you do?
⚠Ask the owner if you can interact with their dog. Not all people want strangers touching their dogs. Especially strangers who you are unlikely to see again.
⚠Stand up straight & relaxed, with your hands at your side.
⚠Ignore the dog & talk to the owner.
⚠Don't stare at the dog & don't try to force an interaction by going in for a pat. If the dog wants to know you, it will come up to you & sniff around. Usually they will move away & then come back for a second sniffathon. Some dogs will bunt your hands & wag their tails, which are good signs that you're likely an accepted new friend. Give them a few slow pats down their back (NOT THEIR HEAD) & then stop. Is the dog happy? Has it accepted your interaction? This will determine whether you can give it more pats.

🐶This is a more stress free option for dogs & a reason why in consultations we can develop a good level of trust, especially with fearful dogs & aggressive dogs, without a bunch of negative side effects from forced interactions.

18/07/2021

Admitting your dog has a reactivity/aggression/impulse control issue is the first step to resolution and a calmer happier life for both of you.

Stating all the reasons your dog got this way (was attacked by another dog, is a rescue, was owned by a guy that wasn’t very nice, was a Covid puppy with no socialization) are all valid but by NOT ADDRESSING IT, both you and your dog are living a very restrictive and stressful life. There is another side of this issue, don’t sell your dog short, work with a professional. What’s that you say you did and it didn’t get better? Find another professional! If you went to a doctor for a medical issue and they weren’t effective would you just stop seeking help! No you would go to as many doctors as you needed to until someone helped you!

24/05/2021

Not all dog want to say Hi!

Guys, I promise this isn’t another usual my-dog-on-leash-other-dog-off-leash type of post. It gets good! (Or I think it does 🤣)

The other day I was on the local public park (not a dog park, but dogs are allowed) walking Menta. We were on a high movement area, so I had her on a leash. Another dog, off leash, sees us and starts approaching. Menta wasn’t interested and started moving away, but the dog got to us before we could leave. So she politely greeted him back, they sniffed for a few seconds, all perfectly good and fine. Dog was young and wants to play, so he offers a couple of very polite play bows, but Menta declines and moves away. Dog gets the message and moves on.
Quite good, right? Here comes the juicy part:
As I’m leaving owner comes to me with a speech more or less like this:
- Hey, if your dog is autistic and doesn’t even play with other dogs, go somewhere else! Don’t come to the park and ruin the other dogs’ days!!!!!

I heard this, a wave of fury started taking over, but suddenly I think I had a lightbulb moment and switched gears completely.

With the biggest, friendliest smile, I opened my arms as wide as I could and go:

- Ohhhhh! Come here! I want to give you a BIG hug!

*panic in her eyes as she backs up, speechless*

- Hey, don’t run, I’m so friendly, come on, I just want to give you a hug! I’m friendly, I just want to hug!!!

*still speechless and backing away with terror now*

- Wait? You don’t want my friendly hug?

-....no...

- neither does my dog. Have a nice day.

As I walked away, I saw her just standing there, speechless, and she was leashing her dog! 😅
I think I’ll try this approach more often 🤣

19/05/2021

Please don’t give up on your Covid pup, most training issues can be easily resolved.

https://nypost.com/2021/05/11/pets-adopted-during-the-pandemic-are-being-returned-at-record-numbers/

Shelters across the US are reporting higher than average rates of returns.

11/03/2021

Thrilled to say that our very own Fix My Dog’s Smartie Pantz made the Top 200 Obedience dogs in the country, this making her eligible for Westminster’s Obedience Finals for the fourth year in a row. 

15/01/2021

If you happen to feed SportMix STOP!

https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-recall/recall-expands/

Complete details of the Midwestern Pet Foods aflatoxin recall of January 2021 as reported by the editors of the Dog Food Advisor.

12/12/2020

Although it’s very hard to hear, most dogs are overweight but your vet won’t tell you. If you vets says your dog is carrying a few extra lbs, they really mean quite a few.

https://www.petmd.com/news/health-science/6-reasons-why-its-hard-veterinarians-talk-about-overweight-pets-36647

With pet obesity at epidemic levels, weight management needs to be talked about. Pet owners deserve clear instructions, including what food and how much to feed...but why would a client feel that they didn’t get a clear recommendation or plan from their veterinarian?

10/12/2020

I have always groomed my dogs myself but with not being able to maneuver very well with my ankle, I decided to take the plunge and hire an old friend who has a mobile grooming company. They look stunning and they were both bathed, trimmed and dried in less than an hour and a half. Thanks Kelly and Rachael. 

04/12/2020

I wrote this article a while back but it might be good info to revisit with the continued Covid issues.

https://wellbredonline.com/blogs/trainers-corner/tips-for-your-family-dogs-during-covid19-from-nj-fix-my-dog

This is a very stressful time for your family and your dog – Although dogs are a great way to feel better during times like these, too much attention or playtime can be overstimulating and, in some cases, be a bit stressful. Signs of stress are yawning, wide eyes, a lot of blinking, lip licking, o...

24/11/2020

With Thanksgiving coming up, please be very careful of feeding you dog things they are not used to or in excess. Vets get a LOT of calls the day after with dogs with Tummy issues. If you think guests are going to “sneak” your pup things from the table, crating them might be safest.

06/11/2020

People ask all the time, will training make my dog like a robot, Not silly or fun anymore? Here are Jean’s dogs getting sprayed before their hike. Notice Waze is allowed and encourage to be silly and then how quickly he stops when told!

23/09/2020

These pups are in our Puppy Manners Camp learning life skills and having wonderful socialization opportunities.

09/08/2020

Reminder - No power means no underground fence!

16/07/2020

Owning well trained dogs is truly a joy, look at how much freedom and fun they can have.

05/07/2020

Need a little giggle? Turn on the volume.

04/07/2020

Yappy 4th of July. Reminder please take all precautions to keep your pups safe with the impending fireworks.

30/06/2020

Two puppies in Manners Camp with us this week.

24/06/2020

The year end performance awards are in and the pups of NJ Fix My Dog have landed on top. We are so proud.