Canine Connection LLC

15/06/2024

FIREWORKS - PREPARE NOW - This article, on the AKC website (https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/how-to-keep-your-dog-calm-during-fireworks/) is pretty good, but I have a few recommendations.

Instead of CBD oil, I recommend, and have for many years, either Composure or Pet Naturals Calming Chews, made in Vermont.

These two products contain 1) the amino acid, L-theanine, which is a precursor to serotonin, a calming chemical, specifically, a neurotransmitter, which helps reduce anxiety; 2) colostrum; and 3) thiamine, aka Vitamin B1.

Please note: do not give your dog these chews if your dog is already on a medication, such as an SSRI, e.g., fluoxetine, which increases serotonin levels since the chews could increase serotonin levels to a dangerous level. Consult with your veterinarian before giving your dog any supplement, like these calming chews, especially if your dog is already on medication for anxiety.

Several years back, the FDA approved a drug called Sileo (https://www.zoetisus.com/products/petcare/sileo/?s=0033k00003LJoLuAAL), specifically for noise aversion in dogs. Talk to your vet for more information on this drug, and if prescribed, use it with caution since there have been reports of owners accidentally overdosing their dogs by failure of the ring stop locking mechanism on the syringe (https://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/fda-warns-veterinary-community-of-accidental-overdose-in-dogs-from-sileo/).

Pressure wraps are another useful aid for reducing anxiety. The Original Anxiety Wrap (the only patented anxiety wrap) is no longer available in its original pattern and fabric. If you are purchasing a substitute to aid in anxiety reduction, you must look for a snug garment that covers the chest, shoulders, and rear end. Dogs hold tension in their rear ends like people hold it in their necks.

To avoid the pressure wrap becoming a predictor of an anxiety-producting event, place it on your dog when your dog is NOT under any stress before you start using it for anxiety reduction, and periodically put it on your dog thereafter when your dog is not stressed.

You should put the pressure wrap garment on your dog 30 or so minutes prior to the anxiety-producing event, and take it off 30 or so minutes after the event ends.

Generally, you should avoid talking to or touching your dog after you put on a pressure wrap. This stimulation usually increases cortisol levels.

However, your dog is an individual, and may benefit from a calm, soothing voice and very gentle touch. I had a client once whose dog could only be touched when the Original Anxiety Wrap was on, but this is not the standard use and procedure for using a pressure wrap.

As a rule of thumb, avoid touching or talking to your dog after you place a pressure wrap on your dog, but if your dog comes to you to seek reassurance after putting the wrap on, and touches you, you may very gently reciprocate and speak very quietly and calmly to your dog. Let your dog initiate the contact, though when using a pressure wrap.

I just did a scan of what is currently online on Amazon, and these are the designs I have found that look like they would be effective for anxiety reduction:

Kuoser Recovery Suit: https://www.amazon.com/Kuoser-Recovery-Professional-Abdominal-Substitute/dp/B08NCB3FXT (Designed very similar to the Original Anxiety Wrap - but your dog will have to tolerate having a shirt put on over his head and legs put into leg holes in the front)

Pup Shield Surgical Recovery Suit: https://www.amazon.com/PupShield-Surgery-Recovery-Surgical-Alternative/dp/B0CRPQB8GN

SurgiSnuggly: https://www.amazon.com/SurgiSnuggly-Recovery-Original-Veterinarian-EC/dp/B015QNG428?th=1

Suitical Recovery Suit for Dogs: https://www.amazon.com/Suitical-Recovery-Suit-Dogs-Medium/dp/B00W2EHJWE?th=1

SawMong Dog Recovery Suit (This one button/snaps down the back, so can be stepped into):https://www.amazon.com/SAWMONG-Recovery-Abdominal-Diseases-Substitute/dp/B085ZLRQM1?th=1

One more thing - Through a Dog's Ear Music has been renamed, iCalmPet.

Cindy Ludwig, M.A., R.N., KPA-CTP, CPDT-KA
Owner, Canine Connection LLC

15/06/2024

Leave your dog at home, not in a parked car!

A woman is facing animal cruelty charges after police say she left a dog in a hot car at Clearwater Beach earlier this week.FOX 13 Tampa Bay brings you the i...

15/06/2024

Beware of scammers! In this case, it was very nice of this breeder to step up and right a wrong.

A Gloversville couple said they want to make a difference after a scammer pretended to be them on Facebook to try to sell puppies for $850.

14/06/2024

Laryngeal paralysis is just one hazard of electronic containment systems for dogs. As of Feb. 1, the use of electronic training collars on dogs has been prohibited in England!

DEAR DR. FOX: We have two Labs. One of them is 12 1/2 and has recently developed laryngeal paralysis. Both dogs wear shock collars for an invisible fence s...

14/06/2024

Some significant dog training myths with harmful methods based on these myths are rooted in a misunderstanding of wild canid behavior.

Did you know there are two types of submissive behavior in wolves?

Wolves use both active and passive submission during different social interactions. Active submission is an action where signs of inferiority are present such as crouching, muzzle licking and tail tucking. Passive submission is when a wolf rolls on its back or shows their stomach to show their submission to the more dominant wolf's authority.

Wolf packs are families, with the parents as the dominant pair and their offspring are the subordinate wolves in the pack. Typically there is not a fight to become the dominant wolf as the pack operates as a family.

📸 Wolf Care Staff
🐺 Grayson and Blackstone

14/06/2024

NEW STUDY: Dogs Learn More If You Pet or Praise Them (Instead of Scolding)

Researchers found that dogs who are pet, praised, and given treats during training learn better and exhibit less stress than dogs who are given treats and lightly scolded.

14/06/2024

23 dog breeds banned in India, including Golden Retrievers.....???

Thankfully, banning dogs of certain breeds is increasingly rare. But when this choice is made, as with the recent national BSL legislation in India, we are reminded of some of the reasons that it simply cannot help prevent dog bite injuries: Behavioral genetic science shows conclusively that a dog.....

14/06/2024

Could LIFE (least inhibitive, functionally effective) be a better approach than LIMA? "In the last couple of decades, the least intrusive, minimally aversive (LIMA) model of animal training has been used to describe reward-based animal training methods. However, a number of problems were built into the creation of LIMA and continue to exist today"...an alternative approach is proposed.

The ethics of animal training procedures have seen dramatic changes in the last few decades, with a movement toward reward-based training methods. The…

14/06/2024

Interesting...seems like a good idea in many situations, and could help reduce shelter overcrowding...

A Virginia Tech-led study of shelter dogs revealed that dogs housed with a well-matched companion less stressed and adopted faster than dogs housed alone.

14/06/2024

12/06/2024

This includes current rabies vaccination. I'm surprised this wasn't already in place. We no longer see rabies in dogs in the U.S. due to mandatory vaccination, but rabies does occur in other countries.

EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — Dog owners beware. The U.S. is updating its rules for bringing dogs into the country starting Aug. 1. The changes stem from new requirements adopted by the U.…

10/06/2024

"Physical activity, especially if carried out through sports, requires that the animal develops a remarkable ability to cope with frustration and to maintain the self-control. ....This effect is even greater in dogs that practice agility compared to other subjects of the sample, probably also because of the use of positive reinforcement during training for this sport. Moreover, dogs that practice agility show, with a statistically significant frequency, a lower tendency to be aggressive towards other dogs." (file:///C:/Users/lucin/Downloads/effectsofphysicalactivityondogbehavior.pdf)

10/06/2024

Reese continues her remedial socialization. If you don't have a firm grasp on what socialization entails, please see the post below on June 2. Reese was a very naive, i.e., unsocialized dog when I adopted her two years ago. Now, she readily investigates various objects in her environment, walks on all sorts of surfaces, and confidently navigates many different obstacles. Please note: only use playground equipment for "socialization" if there are no children using the equipment.

09/06/2024

Reese and I went for a walk this afternoon at one of our local parks and Reese thoroughly enjoyed leaping into the little river made by the latest rainstorm last night.

07/06/2024

This is an excellent video, packed with a lot of good information! I recommend all my clients, present and past, watch this! Watch it twice, and periodically for a review!

👉🏽 Sign Up For my FREE Dog Training Foundations Mini-Course: https://www.doggyu.com/🎉 JOIN the DOGGY•U Community! (150+ Exclusive Training Videos!) https:...

07/06/2024

Facts about the social life of wolves. Be careful about romanticizing about these wild animals or generalizing their behavior to dogs. Dogs are domesticated and their social behavior is in some ways similar to wolves, but in other ways, different. This matters because some training methods are based on myths about dog behavior, derived from misconceptions about wolf behavior. ~Cindy

"it spends its whole life with a partner, it does not mate with its mother or sister; it is a monogamous animal, it does not deceive. If a partner dies, the wolf remains alone; it knows its young ones well: it is the only animal that helps their parents after deep old age and brings them food."

S**T:
Wolves could be considered "monogamous," but this is more of a human cultural definition rather than the evolutionary explanation.

Wolf packs typically have a dominant male and dominant female, these are generally the breeding animals in a pack. There are documented cases, particularly when a pack is large, where a different female wolf may mate with the same male as the dominant female.

Wolf lives are very hard and often relatively short with an average lifespan of 4-6 years although in some areas they may average closer to 8 years old. They die of disease, injuries, and from conflict with each other. If a dominant wolf dies, the remaining dominant wolf typically finds another wolf to pair with. The new mate may potentially be from within the pack or join the pack as a disperser from another pack.

Wolf packs are typically families made up of the breeding pair and their offspring. The offspring often disperse as young adults to start their own pack which usually helps with gene flow and minimizes mating with relatives.

One documented case of breeding with closely related wolves is on Isle Royale, an island national park in Lake Superior. The population on Isle Royale had decreased to 2 individuals and without the lake freezing over, dispersers could not reach or leave the island resulting in documented breeding between those 2 related individuals. However, they had become so in**ed overtime, they were not producing viable offspring.

📸 Wolf Care Staff
🐺 Rieka

03/06/2024

I saw these catfish by the boat docks today and it occurred to me that this was a good example of positive reinforcement.

Catfish, like all animals and people, learn through positive reinforcement. What is reinforced will be repeated.

02/06/2024

It's getting harder and harder to find a place where we don't run into off leash dogs with owners that couldn't care less about leash laws or the enjoyment of others in public parks. But, Reese and I spent some time this afternoon in town and out, enjoying the summer weather. I'm practiced at scanning the environment and can often spot the off leash dogs before they get too close, and move Reese in another direction. Pictured below is Reese on a long line. The leash is below the water level in the picture on the right.

02/06/2024

QUICK TIP: Socialization....what it is and is what it is not.

I often have people call me whose primary reason for enrolling their dog in training classes is "socialization."

This term, socialization, is probably not the best for what may be more appropriately termed, habituation. When trainers refer to socialization, we're usually referring to the critical or sensitive period in a young puppy's development between the ages of about 3 weeks and 3+ months.

This period of time is when young puppies experience rapid brain growth and are typically most open to new experiences. What people often think socialization entails is taking their dog or puppy to dog training classes or the dog park. (eeks!)

I think what people may envision is something like daycare for children. Dogs do not have the same social needs as children. When we speak of socialization for puppies, we're speaking of systematic, planned, and positive exposure to things and people in the puppy's environment that will introduce the puppy to a variety of experiences.

The purpose of early socialization is to build a puppy's confidence and prevent behavior problems based in fear in later life.

The early socialization process involves, as I said, careful, systematic and positive exposure to things - such as walking surfaces; rolling objects such as bikes, motorcycles, skateboards, baby strollers, cars; water; lots and lots of different kinds, shapes, ages, and sizes of people; other animals, such as those that might be seen in the countryside or a petstore, and of course careful exposure to other puppies and dogs; umbrellas; vacuum cleaners; and the list goes on.

Socialization is NOT solely about exposure to other dogs and puppies - that should occur primarily before the puppy leaves its litter - no earlier than 8-10 weeks! This early experience continues until the puppy is 3-4 months of age, and beyond, but the most impactful period is those early weeks with the puppy's litter and dam.

Socialization to humans should also start early in the weeks following birth. Puppies need to be gently handled and petted during this time and a procedure called Early Neurological Stimulation, developed by the U.S. Military has been shown to kick start neurological development that can make a difference in a puppy's later development and performance.

As those who know me personally and are in my classes know, I adopted a dog, Reese a couple of years ago now, with whom I am doing what I call "remedial socialization." I have firsthand experience that all is not lost if you adopt a dog who has not been properly socialized.

Training can be started at any age! I've trained puppies as young as 6 weeks and dogs as old as 13 years. But, socialization should be started pronto at the time you acquire a new puppy.

Well-structured off leash puppy classes, first pioneered by Dr. Ian Dunbar in the 1980's can be a useful component of this process, but they are by no means the whole process. Properly conducted off leash puppy classes can help puppies continue to learn how to interact with other puppies - of different breeds and play styles.

I screen all dogs who enroll in classes at Canine Connection LLC, and do allow timid dogs to participate. It works because of the type of training I do and the fact that I am sensitive to various behavior issues as a behavior consultant. The purpose of training in my classes with these dogs is to build the dogs' confidence. They are protected from fearful experiences. That's not the whole process, but a big part of it, depending on the dog's level of fear.

Now, as I've written countless times before, there are still, in 2024, veterinarians out there who still think dogs are pack animals and still say that puppies should not be socialized until they have had a full set of shots. Veterinary behaviorists disagree. They say puppies are at greater risk of euthanasia for behavior problems than they are of contracting an infectious disease like parvovirus.

Did I say you should throw caution to the wind? I did not. I am referring to the position statements by the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior and open letters of such world-renowned veterinary behaviorists as the late R.K. Anderson.

Puppies should have at least one set of shots before participating in an off leash puppy class or basic "obedience" class in a group setting. They should not be taken to places like dog parks (which I am not a fan of, even for fully vaccinated dogs) or places where they are likely to encounter the excrement of potentially unvaccinated or under-vaccinated other dogs and animals.

Additionally, visitors to the homes of young puppies should be directed to leave their shoes at the door when entering the puppy's home, and rooms where puppy classes are held should be sanitized between classes.

I will be offering more puppy classes soon. The cut-off age will be about 4 mos. Puppies older than this can join my basic training classes where the purpose is to teach owners how to train their dogs. The focus is not on socialization, although some socialization occurs as a result of just being in proximity of other dogs and people.

For more information, call Canine Connection LLC at 417-597-4295.

© 2024 Cindy Ludwig, MA, BS, RN, KPA-CTP, CPDT-KA
Owner, Canine Connection LLC
Voted Best Springfield, MO Dog Trainer

02/06/2024

Amazing!

Lucky is a skateboarding prodigy! 🛹🤩🔥–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Hey everyone, and welcome to The Woof World. This videos is about a tale...

01/06/2024

As usual, important details are left out that could be used to educate people and prevent these tragic circumstances from being repeated. People, never leave ANY dog alone with ANY child ever! People are anthorpomorphizing and saying the dog was jealous. I would guess the dog saw the child as a toy or a potential playmate, and things got quickly out of hand.

Ezra Mansoor died Thursday afternoon after the family’s dog attacked him while he was asleep in his crib. For more Local News from WVLT: https://www.wvlt....

01/06/2024

DO WOLVES FIGHT FOR DOMINANCE?

For the answer, go to Wolf Info > Learn about wolves > Fact or S**t Trivia (I used to volunteer at the IWF and took a graduate level class in wolf ethology at the University of St. Thomas in collaboration with the IWF.)

Fact or S**t:
All wolves fight for dominance in the pack.

To see if you are correct, go to the Fact or S**t Trivia page at wolf.org.

📸 Wolf Care Staff
🐺 Caz, Blackstone, Rieka

28/05/2024

It's interesting to me that Reese has chosen a favorite resting spot in the backyard that is on the opposite side of the yard that Opal made her favorite spot. Every dog is an individual with unique preferences.

28/05/2024

ATTENTION DOG TRAINERS in the fear-free/force-free positive reinforcement camp ~~ horse trainers share our plight.

Most people don't jump at the chance to buy an "untrainable" horse at auction.But I am not most people.This is Pete's story ❤️To see more stories like his ch...

28/05/2024

Living his best life! What would we do without these working dogs?

27/05/2024

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Dduh8S_UUWc