Happy Social Dog

03/01/2025

Swipe for more! Puppy primer virtual sessions are available via Zoom.

$100 for 1.5 hours covering all the essentials, comes with example daily schedule, puppy socializing guide, and how to teach the first 4 play commands.

Geared for 7 weeks up to 4 months old. It’s a standalone session, no other package required. If you live local to Bend then puppy camp maybe an option once completed, depending on availability.

Email [email protected] if you are interested.

02/01/2025

This is open to everyone. If you have interest in this topic and are not a client, please reach out via email.
[email protected]

25/12/2024

Merry Christmas 🎄

16/12/2024

Animal Self-Medication series. What are forms of animal self medication?

Understand the forms and how it’s used across insects and animals, domesticated, captive, or wild. For captive and domesticated animals humans can help support their natural need to self heal. There will be more on that in later series.

Animals self-select and self-dose to maintain, as best they can, homeostasis. Being a part of this process with your dog is a thing of beauty. Letting their voice be heard. Helping them self heal more naturally. It does not replace veterinary care, but it can help guide you to areas of the body the dog may need checked for support. It also strengthens the bond between human and dog as we tend to dismiss the dogs unspoken yet instinctive needs.

12/12/2024

Just recently I completed my diploma course work, passed my exams and am now a Graduate Practioner for Canine Consultations in Applied Zoopharmacognosy, the IMIM method. I don’t want to go into a long story about the journey, other than to thank the many people that helped me get here.
and.breathe for introducing me to the world of canine self-medication and supported me every step of the way, for putting together a spectacular program and sharing her 30+ years of knowledge and expertise, you are divine! To my clients who volunteered as case studies, to my friends who were willing to let me guide them working their dogs… there’s a lot of you that have supported me. Thank you.

Let’s be real…I asked a few folks to give me some words about the method where they mention me. Yep I talked to them and was physically present to work their dogs. But the method itself and the voice it gives to our dogs is what matters. The dogs lead the session, self select , self dose, and give out responses that simply need to be heard.

If you want to learn more about AZ and this method, DM me.
You can also follow this shared graduates IG page .zoopharmacognosy.imim to see it at work.
(FYI…for this post I have turned off comments)

01/10/2024

I spend a lot of my days working with, teaching, and learning about puppy development. It is my opinion, as well as many other trainers, breeders and veterinarians that breeders should not adopt out their puppies younger than 8 weeks old.

While I could give you many other red flags I have accumulated over the years, I want to specifically focus on this. Some breeders feel when mom has weaned around the 4-5 week old mark and the pups have transitioned to solid foods that the pups are ready to adopt out. Many do this as mom’s milk was free and now they have the additional cost of extra mouths to feed, shots to give, deworming, etc.

In my opinion adopting our puppies younger than 8 weeks of age is a disservice to the puppy and to potential adopters as the raising of these pups is not complete. Mom, the littermates and other dogs who may live on the property are still teaching life lessons to your potential puppy. The pups are still learning bite inhibition, pro social behaviors, emotional regulation, the ability to be calm and calming signals (with help), and effective stress management systems. NATURE does a great job of teaching its own.

As a potential adopter your breeder is not setting your puppy up for success in your home by sending it home early. The pup can struggle to learn, struggle to calm, will react or overreact at frustration or triggers, will have trouble connecting and understanding that connection equals safety. Most new puppy adopters I meet and work with are not equipped with the knowledge nor the time commitment to work through developmental issues.

Around 28 states in our nation have a law or regulation that addresses the sale of puppies/kittens under a certain age (usually 8 weeks). Here in Oregon, while as of 2023 and 2024 new laws went into effect in regards to adopting pets; Consumer Protection Laws, laws impacting numbers of intact animals on property, and recently tighter animal cruelty laws; there is nothing in regards to minimum age when an animal can be adoptable. Breeders adopting out at 5-6 weeks old face no penalties.

03/06/2024

"Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have updated their guidelines on when to neuter 40 popular dog varieties by breed and s*x. Their recent paper in Frontiers in Veterinary Science adds five breeds to a line of research that began in 2013 with a study that suggested that early neutering of golden retrievers puts them at increased risk of joint diseases and certain cancers."

“This guidance provides information and options for veterinarians to give pet owners, who should have the final decision-making role for the health and well-being of their animal.”

A new study provides updated guidelines to decrease risk of certain cancers and joint disorders.