Sunny C Heelers & Boston Heelers

10/02/2024

Having been a veterinarian for almost 3 decades, I have seen the tide of how animals are treated change drastically. When I graduated dogs were dogs, now dogs are considered to be higher ranking than people. In our crazy world, people love their dogs more than they love their own families and they treat their dogs better than they treat other humans and I am sorry to say that we are destroying our dogs mental health because of it.

It is increasingly common to go into an exam room and have a dog that is growling at me and trying to bite and the owner is petting it telling it that it is a good dog. It is NOT being a good dog and it should not be rewarded for growling and trying to bite. It is important that we train our dogs properly and we use right language with them. Never is it ok for a dog to growl and try and bite in an exam room where nothing horrible is happening to them and feeding into that behavior does not make it better for your dog, it trains them that their fear is a good thing and it is not.

Mental disorders are exponentially increasing in our dogs and it is us owners fault. Please stop treating your dog like it is some fragile child and start treating it like it is a dog. TRAIN them and teach them commands and correct them when they are wrong and stop thinking you are going to hurt their feelings if you do. Dogs are dogs, not small humans. They need training and proper instructions or it leads to horrible anxiety issues in them and I can assure that that behavior is going to hurt your feelings way more than being an adult and training your dog to be a good dog instead of a spoiled child.

The following are a few copied excerpts from an article that I read this morning from a dog trainer. I feel like there are a good reminder for all of us on exactly what are dogs are and what they need.

"Your dog is a dog, not a human child. Constant unearned affection is a killer and creates an unhealthy addiction for both dog and owner. Your dog will love you unconditionally but will never respect you unless you give it reason to.

The most basic of basics, your dog must learn how to be still in any situation. If your dog can’t be still around any distraction, you will never have control.
Recall
Sit
Down
Walk nicely on leash
Out, meaning release anything in your mouth

You MUST have a language dedicated to your dog that your dog can learn by you being consistent and applying meaning to the words you use. Your dog MUST know what yes means, but also MUST know what NO means. If nothing comes after those words, yes equals reward for good, no equals correction for bad, your dog will never give meaning to either. Your dog’s name is not a command, or correction. NO should not be your dog’s middle name.

The training starts the second you bring the dog home."

08/17/2024

06/27/2024

And so it's begun...the next generation of 🐢 hunting lol

Good thing heelers are too high drive for the turtle to come out of it's shell🤪

06/25/2024

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06/19/2024

So you want a high drive working dog.
Why? What do you see yourself doing with that high drive working dog? Have you ever done that before? You want a dog from titled parents and proven lines, but are YOU proven?
When you apply to a breeder for a top level prospect, do you truly understand what you’re asking for? A high drive working line dog is a lot to live with. Even with the best and most experienced handlers, they are often management dogs for life. They don’t typically make good service dogs for medical needs, and even the very social ones may not appreciate visitors and strangers being overly friendly. Chances are high that this is not a dog that you’ll be able to leave loose in your house all day while you’re at work, even if they’re amazing loose in the house while you’re home, and overnight. They rarely make good candidates for doggy daycare. They can be tough to manage around small pets, or other dogs, or even kids, depending on the breed, temperament and upbringing.

Did you apply for that high drive puppy because you have interest in a bitesport? If you’ve never titled in that bitesport before, do you understand how much time and money goes into being successful in it? All bitesports require an immense committment of time, money, travel, and focus. They are all challenging and in order to be successful, they often consume a large part of your life.

So many people see working dogs in person or in video and they truly believe they want that and can do it Justice. So many people get exactly what they ask for, and soon find out that they got more than they bargained for and they are in over their heads. There’s more to it than letting someone get in a sleeve/bite suit and take bites from your dog. Few trainers are actually qualified to train a dog for a bitesport.

Doing right by a high drive dog involves a level of self discipline and motivation that most other hobbies do not. Before putting in that application, take some steps to be sure you can live up to what that puppy will need.
Find a local club that offers the bitesport you’re interested in. Are they accepting new members? Are they successful- have they titled dogs themselves? Do they accept the breed you’re interested in, and if it’s an off breed (like a Doberman) that you’re after, do they have a history of success with that breed? If the trainer you go to hasn’t titled dogs in the sport you want, AND hasn’t titled your breed or coached it to titles, look elsewhere. Good clubs can be hard to find and many people end up traveling to club 1-3 hours each way. The closest trainer may not be the BEST option for you.

If you find a good club and they tick all the boxes, show up. Even before you get a puppy, show up every week. Help set up the training field, offer to take videos and photos, pay attention to other people’s sessions , ask questions and take notes. Help clean up. Bring bottled water and chip in where needed. Get an idea of what it takes to be successful and do right by the dog you’re asking for.

When you get your puppy, be open to advice from those who you’ve chosen to learn from. Listen, be teachable. Be motivated, be ready to work and train with that dog every single day. Be ready to give the dog what it needs, rather than try to conform the dog to what YOU need.

Be honest with yourself. Be realistic in your expectations. Be discerning in choosing who works with your puppy. Be ready to make an enormous time and money committment.
But most of all-
Be the high drive handler your dog deserves.

03/22/2024

12/29/2023

PSA: We adopted our dog, Rowdy, from the shelter 5 years ago. He was already an adult dog, so we estimate he is about 11 or 12 years old at this point. I love this dog. He is the sweetest soul and my BFF. For the past week or so he hasn’t been acting like himself. He licked a raw spot on his foot. He was panting constantly. He was pacing. Sunday morning, the pacing and panting got so bad, and I was REALLY nervous that there was something seriously wrong with him. For 45 minutes, he panted like crazy and constantly paced back and forth. He was keeping his tail tucked down all the time. His ears were pinned back. He would not settle down and he wouldn’t eat. We tried everything. I ended up giving him a trazadone that he takes sometimes when he goes to the groomer. It seemed to take a little bit of the edge off, but not much. He still wouldn’t eat and still wouldn’t settle. I took off work on Monday so I could take him to the vet. We did bloodwork and x-rays. Knowing he is a senior dog, I was trying to prepare myself for the worst case scenario. I was glad to see his bloodwork was great except for some elevated liver enzymes. The x-rays showed he was a little backed up but no major issues. He got an anti-nausea injection and some Gabapentin to help with some tenderness in his back and to hopefully help keep him calm. When we got home, he was ok for a little bit, but eventually started pacing and panting again. We walked around the neighborhood for a long time and he used the bathroom a lot. He seemed pretty happy about that and was in good spirits until we got home and he refused to come back in the house. Every time I took him out that evening, he would hunker down like he didn’t want to come back in the house. When my vet called and I gave her the update, she suggested there may be some new electronic device in the house that was emitting a high frequency noise that is hurting his ears. We had just put new smart outlets in the house about a week ago. His pacing and panting were worse when the lamps were on, so I unplugged all the smart outlets. He stopped panting, stopped pacing, and ate his food. His tail was even up and wagging again. When I plugged the smart outlets all back in and asked Alexa to turn on the lamps, he immediately started panting and pacing again. My husband used an app to test the frequency of the smart outlets. It was off the charts. We've left the outlets unplugged for two days and have confirmed that it is definitely the smart outlets that are causing his stress and discomfort. He's back to being a totally normal dog now. I really thought this was the end for Rowdy based on the way he was acting. I am so thankful for Dr. Newell at BoonesCreek AnimalHospital for figuring out this simple solution. If your pets are exhibiting similar symptoms, you may want to consider checking your electronics first. I cannot express how relieved I am that he is ok now. 😭♥️🐶