Northern Tails Dog Training

15/06/2024

Jemma and I did something new today. We attended an AKC Fetch trial in Rathdrum. It was our first such thing. But, Jemma's breeder and Jemma's mom (Dior) coached us along. In this event, the handler throws a ball 30 feet between boxes. The dog needs to wait for the ball to stop moving and bring it back for another throw. This is not how Jemma and I play fetch. Out fetch game is crazy and creative. Not precise and controlled. When we practiced this new way of fetching in preparation for this event, she always went and picked up the ball, but her route back to me was full of detours, if you get my drift.

So, today I was nervous. And it was pouring rain and I was wearing light clothing and my teeth were chattering. While waiting my turn I was preoccupied. Watching other teams, hearing the roar of a train across the street, talking to a few people. I looked down and saw this face. She wasn't worried about anything. My stomach instantly relaxed, as I felt her say, "Don't worry mom. We got this." In my mind I said, "Okay, this is how this needs to go...and I visualized her getting the ball and coming STRAIGHT back to me.

Our turn arrived. I made six throws. She made only one slight detour on one run back. Otherwise, perfection. She earned her novice fetch dog title. It really is possible to communicate with our dogs on deeper levels than most are aware ;-)

12/05/2024

I've been hearing that at many dog training schools in our area, socializing between dogs is discouraged. The reason given, is because it interferes with the dog's ability to focus on the training skills in class. I am perplexed by this. Annoyed, even. Group training class is an opportunity for dogs to learn how to successfully interact with other dogs of different breeds. And it is also an opportunity for the class instructor to help the humans accurately read their dog and learn how to manage successful social interactions. Today in puppy class, puppies and humans were outside for 15 minutes for off leash socialization. And inside for 45 minutes working on lessons.

These photo's are from the advanced class this morning. This particular group of dogs are all well-matched in personalities. It was a cool morning starting a warm day. Everyone wanted to start outside. So, we did. All dogs began under control in a sit stay. And were released to go play AFTER remaining relaxed in a sit/stay. A perfect training moment.

We had a special visitor today - the 10-year old grandson of one of the students. So, the dogs got extra socialization with a youngster, who took the dogs on a walk through the pathways in the yard around the training building.

08/04/2024

Back to THIS, now that winter is leaving! Social hour/play groups. A perk when you take a class here at Northern Tails Dog Training. One hour of socialization and fun. Currently scheduled for Sundays at 3:30. Every week. Until old man winter sends us back indoors ;-) Dogs making friends with dogs. Humans making friends with humans. And dog love all around.

03/03/2024

Canine trauma can stem from various sources, including abuse, neglect, accidents, brutal training methods, or significant environmental changes. Traumatised dogs might display behaviours like excessive barking, cowering, or aggression, which are indicators of their emotional distress. Recognising th...

27/02/2024

If y'all are feeding Purina, please stop

From “rumor” to an investigation, pet owners made sure this current concern in pet food got noticed by regulatory authorities.

09/02/2024

Beware of what you eat and what you feed your dog. It is becoming a Frankenworld. Home prepared food is best for you and your pet.

The first two metric tons of an animal protein created through fermentation is a step toward commercializing this technology for pet food applications.

28/01/2024

Head's up, y'all! My March classes in the Spokane Valley are starting to fill up! They are on Sundays. If you are thinking of attending, please don't wait until the last minute to sign up :-)

Small class size, big results! Smaller classes allow for individual attention. Well behaved children are welcome! Positive reinforcement training methods.

22/01/2024

Speaking of exercise. If you are graced with a husky in your life, what are the two of you doing on winter days? Staying warm in the house? If so, may I suggest a different routine? Not passing judgement, just passing along a request from your dog :-)

19/01/2024

For those of you who have been in my training classes over the years, you know that I introduce Quinn (the big Shepherd in this photo) as a fellow who is intolerant of puppies. I have learned that he is not intolerant of puppies. He is intolerant of out-of-control-energy. When there is more than one over-stimulated puppy in a group setting it is too much for him to manage and he just wants them all to STOP-MOVING-ALREADY. If I am being honest, I must say I feel the same way myself. In smaller settings and with the animals in my home, he is a dream. I literally marvel at his ability to communicate and take charge in a calm and gentle way. A few simple corrections with a growl and perhaps a poke with his nose, and nobody questions him a second time. If a puppy has grabbed something they shouldn't have and is running away from me, I just say, "Quinn, make her stop" and off he goes, towers over them, a short growl and puppy stops. The cats both prefer him over me. They rub and rub and rub and fall over in front of him. Puppies do the same. Everybody loves his calm, grounded, confident energy. I aspire to be more like him.

19/01/2024

EXERCISE !!! The magic elixer for all that ails your puppy. I've been inundated with calls from puppy parents dealing with excessive biting, excessive jumping, excessive irritating puppy shenanigans. Dogs are given chew toys, lick mats, food stuffed kongs to divert their energy. While all of those things are good, a little old school outside exercise will solve most of these problems. I have a 13 week old puppy here now for boarding school. Their biggest struggle? Excessive puppy biting. I have seen none of that. HOWEVER, we are outside 2 to 3 times per day, until the puppy is tired and wants to go inside. She can handle 12 degrees without booties. Do I want to be outside at 12 degrees? No. But I bundle up and do it anyway. EXERCISE. FRESH AIR. JUST DO-IT!

07/01/2024

Hey all, I've been asked by long-time students to add something new to the class schedule, to provide opportunity for continued training. So, two things are new this year: Trick Dog and CGC classes will be offered periodically throughout the year. You will be able to earn trick dog titles through AKC, if desired. You will also be able to earn a CGC title at the end of the CGC classes.

Quinn, Jemma and I have been working HARD on the Trick Dog curriculum and the inaugural class begins next weekend. This is more of an advanced class, but there will be easy tricks mixed in with complicated ones. So, whether or not you want to do a lot of homework to master complicated tricks or simply come to class to have fun, there will be something for every one. There is one spot open in the Sunday class and 2 spots open in the Monday class and both of these are in Clayton.

I will be adding a smaller version of this class for dogs who are anxious and/or anti-social. Why? Because this is an amazing activity for bonding and confidence building.

If you are looking for an activity to mentally challenge your dog, I cannot recommend trick training highly enough. If you are in Spokane and don't want to make the drive, please check out the Specialty classes at Diamonds in the Ruff. Jemma and I just finished a class with Taryn Weingardner and I highly recommend ;-)

https://northerntailsdogtraining.com/trick-dog-class/

06/01/2024

This is Harper. 11 weeks old. Golden Retriever. She is here for Puppy Boarding School. As sweet as can be...except for a few hours in the late afternoon when she turns into a land shark. They outgrow this, but for now we are going to get creative about channeling her energy positively ;-)

05/01/2024

🐾 Hope for Pets With Malignant Mast Cell Tumors 🌟

Mast cell tumors are quite common, accounting for about 20% of all skin tumors in dogs. 🐕 It’s characterized by a bump or a lesion of some kind, often found on the trunk, the limbs and between the toes.

If your pet has a mast cell tumor and you’re considering a keto diet, I recommend working with a keto-knowledgeable health professional. They can help guide you through the dietary change safely and offer other nutraceutical strategies that may help improve your pet’s prognosis. 👍

For more of my recommendations for pets with mast cell tumors, head over to this free article: https://bit.ly/4aBDmGC

04/01/2024

1/10/24 update: more brands https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=965255491625961&id=100044245578564

If you believe ANY BRAND of pet food is causing or has caused illness or death:
Stop the food immediately.
Report it to the FDA: https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/report-problem/how-report-pet-food-complaint
Contact your veterinarian. Request a copy of your pet's medical records. Report your concerns to the pet food company and ask your vet to do the same.
PLEASE COMPLETE THIS SURVEY https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/S8SMQGD

*Update as of 1/4/24 - 213 dogs and cats (155 dogs, and 58 cats) sick eating Purina, 57 of which have died.

Since 12/5/23 in the 'Saving Pets One Pet @ A Time' group on Facebook there have been 48 dogs and 3 cats sick eating Purina, 10 of which have died. It seems to be from all different types of Purina, with Purina Pro Plan being the most common. If you or someone you know is feeding this food, I would stop immediately! Do NOT wait until your pet gets sick or Purina issues a recall.

Join the Facebook group 'Saving Pets One Pet @ A Time' for additional information and resources.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/DuncanStrong/?mibextid=CTbP7E

info from Savings Pets One Pet @ a Time:

"Stop the food immediately. Post in the group above what your pets current diet is and medical conditions and we will help you find a more nutritious and safer diet.

Save the pet food. Do NOT release it to Purina in any circumstances.

Contact your vet and request a copy of your pets medical records. Ask the vet to report your concerns to Purina.

Report it to the FDA (https://truthaboutpetfood.com/report-a-suspect-risk-pet.../)

Report it to Purina (https://www.purina.com/contact-us)

Do NOT agree to send them the food. If you feel compelled to do so, only send a small portion. Keep the rest of the food in the freezer.

Do NOT send the medical records to Purina.

Document your conversation with Purina.

Purina may eventually say they will pay your vet bills and reimburse you for your pet food. If you agree to this they will ask you to sign a form which will prohibit you from taking legal action. Eventually, if there is a class action lawsuit you will be unable to join if you do this or if you want to file your own lawsuit.

Consider getting your pet food tested:(https://truthaboutpetfood.com/help-to-check-your-pet-food/) This would be helpful if you want to pursue legal action.

Purina has already been notified by numerous pet owners and they have not done anything to alert unsuspecting pet parents. Initially, there were offering to reimburse the pet owners for their pet food. Currently, they are offering pet parents $10 in coupons (which is what Hills offered me for my dead dog) and having a third party contact the pet parents.

Eventually, we may see Purina pet food become “unavailable” on the store shelves. This is called a silent recall. The pet food manufacturer doesn’t want to admit there is a problem with the product, so they start pulling the products off the shelves quietly. (Hills did this for 60 days before the recall)."

02/01/2024

At the beginning of every class I ask the question, "How did training go this week?" Often the answer is, "Well, it's kinda hard because I have another dog at home and when I separate them for training, they carry on." This video demonstrates one very effective way to handle this situation. Put one dog in a down/stay and reinforce it while you are working with the other. In this video, I am teaching rear paw targeting, which will be morphed into backing up in a straight line. It is in the beginning phase. But please notice how I handle both dogs at one time. Yes, it requires multi-tasking. You can handle it. Your brain will get a workout, too ;-)

This video demonstrates a way to work with two dogs at one time on separate skills. Instead of separating dogs for training, you can work with two (or more) ...

01/01/2024

30/12/2023

Hey Spokane peeps, I have a puppy class starting on Sunday, the 14th in the Spokane Valley. Classes are filling up, but there are two spots left in this one. We cover a lot of ground in my classes. Your pup gain some impulse control and you will appreciate having established a foundation for good manners :-) More info in the link below. PLEASE SHARE!

For puppies up to 5 1/2 months or younger on the first day of class. In this class you and your pup will learn how to work together as a team, establishing a foundation for a lifetime of success. You will get all of your puppy-related questions answered in a supportive group environment. Specificall...

28/12/2023

Training Classes starting on the 13th in Clayton! The building is heated and comfortable. Your dog will appreciate some one-on-one time with you :-) Puppies. Older dogs. Beginning, intermediate and trick dog classes. Check out the website for details Northern Tails Dog Training .com Please Share!!

13/12/2023

I am working on a curriculum for a new Trick Dog class. This is what happens when the cats hear the clicker. Notice how unhappy they look. It's because I won't let them steal the dog's treats while I am training.

08/12/2023

This guy turned 8 in October. The last time he had a vaccine for Parvo/Distemper was when he was 18 weeks old. No "updated" vaccines since that time. 7 1/2 years without a vaccine. I thought it might be a good idea to check his current immunity. So, I had my vet draw blood and send it to a lab. This is called a Titer test. The results came in today. His body still has good immunity for these diseases.

27/11/2023

Veterinarian developed and tested recipes for home prepared dog and cat food.

Now Available: 📧Downloadable Homemade Balanced Dog🐩 & Cat🐈 Recipes!

Which support Paws For Change!

Recipes Found Here ➡️ https://planetpawsshop.com/

After you awesome pet parents of the planet sold out our limited edition “I Like Dogs“ t-shirts, it’s onto the next project.
The most requested item on the planet: balanced DIY RECIPES FOR YOUR PETS!🍖🥦🥕

For this, I went to the world’s best pet food formulators, from MIT, with his 7,000 page data analysis spreadsheets (newly updated to 2018), Steve Brown, also the world-renowned balanced ju**ie, Dr. Karen Becker and the numbers & data ju**ie, Tammy Akerman, to assemble these diets for you! 📝📊📗
They’re made for all sorts of pet food nutrition type folks: raw feeders, home-cooked preparers, pets that may suffer from specific diseases AND a “send us a request” feature if you would like something more specific. There’s a nice variety of recipes designed with different budgets in mind: some use Whole Foods to balance micronutrients, and some use supplements. There are also different proteins you can choose from. We will be adding more and more recipes each month so check back in.
Again, thank you so much for supporting this global movement for the pets of the planet!

The recipes are only $2.99 so they are affordable for all while helping us raise the $120 million.

You guys rock. Happy food making! ❤️

17/11/2023

It’s a gamble you guys 🎲

When you bring your seizing dog to the vet and the FIRST question is not “what do you use for flea and tick meds?” Then you know we have a big problem here.

Most people tell me that when their dog has a seizure or any neurological issue they take the dog to the vet and after tons of bloodwork and test after test with a clean bill of health that their vet never, not once, asked about flea and ticks meds that might have been given.

How are consumers ever going to learn about the dangers of this product if vets don’t even CONSIDER that this drug MIGHT be part of the problem? When you get a new puppy and you go to the vet guess what is in your puppy pack? Yup. One of these chewables.

I’m not sure what else to do so I just spread the word. It’s all we can do.

09/11/2023

⚠️ NEVER underestimate the impact that YOUR stress levels have on your horses and dogs! ⚠️

This is Herx coming down after a week's worth of absorbing my study deadline stress. Today was the last day. You can see the effect my compounding study stress has had on my dog but you don't notice it until there is contrast and the stress is gone.

How does this happen?

Both horses and dogs have the ability to smell something you can't...
Glucocorticoids (cortisol) and adrenaline.

These are hormones and neurohormones that are produced when the mind experiences stress/trauma.

Cortisol in particular is a hormone that, when released in high levels, can be sustained at high levels, unlike adrenaline that is fast acting but also fast to deplete.

Cortisol is an essential hormone for consciousness and alertness, but when secreted in prolonged high amounts has some negative mental, emotional and physical effects.

When you experience compounding stress you won't necessarily notice it because it is slowly compounding (like building blocks of lego).

What you may eventually notice is:
🧨 you become a little less tolerant to things you would normally tolerate
🧨 you may become a little more over sensitive mentally and emotionally
🧨 you may experience memory loss
🧨 you may struggle with a lack impulse control
🧨you may have problems with reasoning and risk assessment
🧨 you might find you struggle with attention and focus
🧨 you may develop problems getting to sleep or staying asleep (insomnia)
🧨 you may find you might develop some anxiety and/or depression
🧨 you may have difficulties regulating your emotions
🧨 you may experience sensory overload problems
🧨 you may find you do things that help you feel distracted from your emotions and stay stimulated as much as possible

These things slowly creep in without you knowing it.

In the meantime, your dog is smelling the little fluctuations and surges in your cortisol levels as the baseline rises to new levels, your horse is smelling it to!

You can't smell cortisol so you aren't even aware that your dog or horse is responding to the information you are unknowingly and unconsciously giving them.

⚠️ This scent is a warning system to your dogs and horses ⚠️
This scent says "I feel under threat, be alert and vigilant of me and around me".

When you release this scent, you will display corresponding microexpressions in your body language to. So now your body smells like danger and your body looks like danger. This is a lot of information for your dog and horse. It speaks VOLUMES and 100% trumps ANYTHING you say verbally to your animal. They'll believe EVERYTHING your smell and body says over what your words say.

And we wonder why our dogs and horses don't want to partner up when we want them to!

🫵 So check in with yourself first.
🫵 Do some deep breathing.
🫵 Check your body for areas that are holding tension.
🫵 Acknowledge any emotions that you're holding on to without having an opinion or validation.
🫵 Data dump whatever thoughts are running around in your head.
🫵 Take a walk and MAKE time for yourself
🫵 SLOW YOUR MOVEMENT DOWN!!!

Happy brain training 🧠
Charlotte 😊

03/11/2023

Hey all, I am now offering Board and Train Services. Perfect for young puppies that need a solid foundation and pushy adolescents that need to learn boundaries :-) One dog at a time. Living and learning right along with my own dogs.

Detail can be found here

https://northerntailsdogtraining.com/boarding-school-for-dogs/

Just some of the things we work on in Boarding School here at Northern Tails Dog Training. This is an Elite program. Only one dog at a time. I clear my sched...

02/11/2023

This is the best video I have EVER seen on nail trimming. In 3 days time, I was able to trim all 8 of Jemma's hind paw nails, while she relaxed and snoozed. Up until this time, she had been fidgeting and suspicious, whenever I brought the clippers out. Seriously, the relaxation part is a game changer.

14/10/2023

This little pumpkin is just 6 months old. Quinn and I took her on her first walk-in-the-woods today. No leash ( I forgot it). Just a few liver treats. Her recall was flawless. She stuck close by. She saw horses for the first time. She was a little nervous, but I simply gave her guidance and she watched Quinn and she let them go by without a fuss. Easy, breezy.

Socialization. Training. Socialization. Boundaries. Socialization. Rewarding good behavior. Socialization. Get it?!?

If you have been in one of my puppy classes, you are eligible to participate in weekly social hours with other dogs and people. To keep up on the social skills and training.

03/09/2023

This is Pedro. He is a STRONG, brilliant bully with a whole lotta energy. He has a hard time settling, which makes inside-the-house time challenging. The best thing to help with this are daily long walks, where he can sniff things and see things. The owner is up for long walks, but when he gets excited about something, like other dogs and squirrels, she cannot hold on to him. So, walking has been non-existent. A head halter will solve this problem. The Good Dog Head Halter is nice and thick and padded for these big, strong dogs. Pedro wasn't a fan of the head halter at first, but with slow introductions and short walks around the coffee table and then in the back yard, he is getting used to it.

31/08/2023

The last recall class of the year starts in 10 days. The Saturday class is full, but there is room in the Monday class. Autumn is always a magical time to be out working and playing with our dogs. Class is held outside in a securely fenced wild and wooded area. Guaranteed laughter and camaraderie -- and a dog who comes-when-called, providing you do your homework 😉

26/08/2023

Play/Social Hour this morning. The ideal group play environment includes things for the dogs to run around and sniff. Such as trees and brush. This allows them to moderate their own play, so that when things get too intense, they can put a pile of brush between one another. Things to sniff encourages them to be near each other in a calm state.

In our play groups, every one takes breaks for short sit or down/stays. And all people encourage dogs to sit for treats. This helps with socialization AND it helps dogs learn to approach people and sit, instead of jumping up.

This morning we were blessed by children who attended and helped the dogs feel comfortable with youngsters.

Furthermore, you see that Belgian Tervuren in the group? He has been in two sets of classes and from day one he was reactive and insecure with both people and dogs. We worked with him on the other side of the fence several times, while he acclimated to group play and had time to assess his own safety in this setting. Today he was able to play and he had a great time. But, if we just put him in the group initially, with the idea that "the dogs would work it out" it would have been an epic failure.