Embarrassed by your fat dog?

The Dog Snobs inspired me with their post today.  I needed to add to it from the perspective of a veterinary receptionist.

Almost every day it happens.  An overweight dog, drags, or is dragged into the clinic by his owner.  The first thing we ask the owner to do is get the dog on the scale for a weight.  This is the cue for said owner to blush and say they hope "Mugsy" has lost weight.  They have been cutting back on his food after all, or they have switched old Mugs to XXX brand diet dog food, although he doesn't like it very much and they have to add to it to get him to eat.

Sure enough Mr Mugs has gained weight, or at least not lost weight, since the last time he was in to visit us.  And the owner looks at her dog and says something like, "Oh Mugsy, you need to stop eating so much".  WHAT?! Say What?!  Does Mugs feed himself?  Does he plan his own meals? Does he open the refrigerator and help himself?  Does he go shopping?  How is this the dogs fault???

Please people, at least take responsibility for what you are doing to your pet.  I know you love them and you show that love by feeding them and falling for their sad puppy dog eyes. 

 But you are killing them with kindness.  You are shortening their lifespans and you are often creating diseases in your pets (such as diabetes) that are going to need lifetime treatment and end up costing you much more money in veterinary costs.  Please don't complain to me about these costs.

Becoming a Dog Trainer - The Distraction Class

Wow, this dog training thing is really requiring me to use my brain.  My kingdom for a puppy class to teach.  Let me mould them from the beginning instead of trying to fix the problem dogs.  Alas, that doesn't seem to be my calling.

My current role is teaching what is titled "Distraction Class".  In reality it is more of a reactive dog class. Thankfully there are only two dogs in the class.  One on one the dogs are lovely.  Both easy to work with and both wanting to learn.  But putting them in the same hall together changes things completely.

So I am rereading Control Unleashed by Leslie McDevitt.   I am looking for exercises I can use to allow these two dogs to remain calm and work together in the class.  Some mat work and some "Look at that" to start with.

This is the second week I have been teaching this class and the second week it has been indoors.  During the summer it was held outside in a big field which allowed for lots of distance between the dogs.

Week 1 I brought a few obstacles into the building and had the dogs navigate these in hopes that the effort of concentrating on the obstacles would distract them from each other.  And it seems to have been successful.  They were both able to work obstacles on their own side of the room simultaneously.

Week 2 I decided to try a different approach.  No obstacles, nothing for the dogs to focus on but each other.  That wasn't really my intent, but that is what happened.  The class didn't go as well as I hoped and here I am trying to figure out the best next step for these dogs.  We did end the class on a good note and I hope to start it next week the same way.

Wow, is this ever a huge learning curve.  But I have no doubt it is helping me to be a better trainer.

On the plus side, I have been practicing with my own dogs and concentrating on more obedience with them in the last few weeks and I can see it positively affecting both my young dogs.

Happy training everyone.

Becoming a Dog Trainer - Part 1

Some of you may find this title strange.  I have been in the dog world and training dogs for over 30 years.  I have put titles on my dogs in agility, obedience, flyball, disc and conformation.  I was a member of the Superdogs team for 11 years.  So what is this about "becoming" a dog trainer.  Am I not already there?  I must say that until today I certainly thought so.  So what changed?

Officially it all started last Saturday when I signed on to become a dog trainer with Positive Changes Dog Training in Ottawa Ontario.  We did the paperwork and I signed an employment agreement and we discussed a few details on how the company operates.  All done in the comfort of one of the Kanata Starbucks.

Today this venture started in ernest.  Today was spent at the training centre (currently the home of the company owner) working a couple of the board and train dogs.  And what I learned today is that raising a dog from puppyhood and moulding it and shaping it and doing work with it every day is entirely different from training an adult dog that has no knowledge of training or learning.

I was working with a totally unfocused, unmotivated hound mix (I'll call him Snoopy to protect his identity) who was more interested in everything else in the yard and who wasn't overly interested in the food I had to offer.  I worked Snoopy twice for about 10 minutes each time.  A good part of the first session was spent just trying to get to know him and what might motivate him.  A bit of experimenting with what works for my dogs, none of which worked with this guy.  Snoopy wanted to smell the grass, sniff the air, try to get to the other dogs in the yard and basically do everything in his power to distance himself from me.  He wouldn't even sit on command (something he has already been trained).

I had to rethink everything I would normally do with my own dogs.  After some experimentation we found a couple of things we could agree on and we started working his "couche" (down) command.  (How did the only anglophone there end up training the french dog?)

The second session was much more successful and we actually got the beginning of an independent down.  Snoopy was much more focussed on me and things began to click.  I went from thinking in the first session that this dog was a hopeless case to seeing the potential the second time I worked him.  I went from thinking in the first session that maybe I wasn't cut out for this job to thinking in the second session, "hey, I can do this".

But what I realized is that training the average pet dog is much different from training my own dogs.  And it is very different from teaching dogs and people agility and flyball.  Motivation and background training/experiences are so different.  And trying to train these pet dogs the way I train my own dogs at home just is not going to work.  I am going to have to use everything I know about dog training and be willing to experiment with different methods and tools.

This is going to be a fun adventure.  And of course next we have to add in the human element.  Much of what I will be doing is training people to train their dogs.  That will be even more challenging.

So here I am at home now armed with a couple of DVDs to watch over the next week and looking forward to group classes on Wednesday and a ride-along initial consult on Thursday.

Things promise to get much more interesting.

A Dog By Any Other Name...

Pet peeve time.

This is a bad time for Pit Bulls and the like in Ontario.  BSL is not fair to anyone.  It has been a death sentence for many dogs and media fear mongering has some people in a panic over a group of dogs that is renowned for their loyalty to their owners and their gentleness with children.

So what is the pet peeve?  It is the rescues and humane societies who insist on relabeling these bully mixes that would fall under the BSL banner as boxer mixes, vizsla mixes, and today I saw one labeled as a boston terrier mix. 

Naming them such does not change the appearance of the dog which is what BSL targets to a great degree.  (Any muscular dog with a broad head and short coat resembling a Pit Bull.)  What it does do however is put these other breeds at risk of also being included in Ontario's BSL list in the future.  (God forbid this stupid legislation doesn't get overturned.)

Please let's be honest about the dogs you are rescuing and rehoming.  I understand that by creating these labels you feel you are safe to adopt these dogs within Ontario and that it may make the general public more likely to adopt one, however it doesn't change what the dog looks like.  It doesn't change the fact that if there is a complaint against the dog it will still fall into the category of a dog resembling a Pit Bull.  But now it has the label of another breed attached to it and that could in turn affect the other breed.

I feel that this is a big reason that the Staffordshire Bull Terrier ends up being included in BSL.  Well meaning rescues who were not overly familiar with the purebred bull terrier dogs constantly got Staffies, Am Staffs and Pitties mixed up.  I have seen 60lb, 20 inch dogs listed as staffies.

Please help to insure that this does not happen to so many other lovely breeds.  Please try to be as accurate as possible in labelling the dogs you have.  And if your not sure just call it a mix breed.  Don't go labelling them as some other breed mix.

So to all the kind hearted rescues who are trying to help these dogs, please remember that your efforts could affect other breeds in the future if BSL is not repealed. 

Why Does My Vet Charge So Much?

or
The Value of Veterinary Care

I often hear people complaining about the cost of veterinary care. Not surprising considering I am a receptionist at a busy veterinary practice.  So I thought I would give you some insight as to these costs and what your responsibility is as a pet owner to help keep the costs within your budget.

Many people think that veterinarians are salespeople out to see how much money they can get you to spend.  Although I am sure there are vets like this I think they are the exception.  If you feel that your veterinarian is like this then perhaps you should go looking for another vet.  First and foremost you need to trust your veterinarian and know that they are there to do the best that they can for you and your pet.

Once you have found a vet you trust stick with them.  Go for yearly check-ups even if your dog is healthy and you don't do yearly vaccines.  You may get early detection of disease or a condition you didn't know your pet had which could allow your pet to be cured or at least to extend their life for much longer and for less money than if you wait for symptoms to appear.  If your vet knows you and knows how you care for your pet, if you have a good relationship with your vet, then when you really need them they will be there for you.

You make the decisions for your pet, not the veterinarian.  The vets role is to make recommendations as to how best to treat your pet.  Ask questions, get all the details.  Find out all the options.  Veterinarians will often give you the option they would choose for their own pet expecting everyone will want to do the same thing.  If that doesn't work for you or doesn't fit your budget talk to them about it.  Ask for other options. Or if you can do some now and some later and where you should start.  Often figuring out what is wrong is a case of eliminating what isn't wrong.  In the end it is your pet and your decision.  If you are on a budget ask for written estimates before proceeding. 

And it is ok to ask for a second opinion, whether from another vet at the same clinic or going to another clinic.  The clinic I work at definitely has veterinarians who would take different approaches to the same case.  Not that one is right and one is wrong, they just have different paths to reach the same conclusion. 

Please don't expect to walk into a veterinary clinic you rarely, if ever, go to and expect to get favours done for you or to have the clinic extend credit to you.  That kind of thing comes after building up a relationship with a vet clinic and its staff.

Most veterinarians chose this profession because of a true love for animals.  That doesn't change.  Unfortunately there are a lot of expenses involved in running a clinic.  Location, equipment, hours, staffing all will affect veterinary costs.  The more and better equipment a veterinary has the more the cost for care will be but the better prepared they will be to take the best care of your pet in a critical or emergency situation.  Much of the equipment costs thousands to tens of thousands of dollars to purchase and hundreds to thousands of dollars each year to maintain.  Staffing cost of technicians, receptionists and kennel assistants is very high.  A good clinic will have a technician assigned to each doctor working each shift.  A technician will monitor your pet constantly while under anesthesia and recovery.  To provide this level of care is costly.  Sometimes you have to pay a little more to ensure that your pet gets the best quality of care.  If in doubt, ask.

Veterinary pharmaceuticals have evolved and improved immensely over the past couple of decades, and the best clinics have evolved to embrace these new drugs and medications.  Unfortunately not all clinics have embraced these changes or have chosen to stick with the less expensive, less effective and in some cases less safe options.   Once again, ask your vet.  A good clinic will provide a written description of the medication you pick up that includes side effects and things to watch for.

As most things in life, in veterinary medicine you do get what you pay for.  But unlike many things you can chose the level of vet care that you want.  And with the availability of pet insurance you can ensure that you never have to choose between the cost of care and the life of your pet.



 

Biting My Tongue

In case you don't know me, I work in a busy veterinary hospital in Ottawa, Ontario. The Capital of Canada, this is a government town with what is supposed to be a highly intelligent, educated populace. And for this reason I think that we are probably doomed to failure in attempts to get rid of puppy mills and substandard dog breeders.

I often find myself biting my tongue at work as a well-groomed, well-spoken owner comes in proudly presenting their new "doodle". These pups are very cute and cuddly. They wiggle their way around the waiting room winning new admirers from the clients waiting their turns to see the doctor or pay an invoice. What is winning these people over? Not the temperament of the pup, it might be quivering in it's owners arms, peeing on the carpet or biting fingers. Or it might be a friendly bouncy pup. But none of that matters. What matters is the fluffy coat and the little puppy eyes.

No one questions what is the temperament of the "breed". No one asks about what health concerns the breed might have, how big they might get, what special training or socialization might be required. Not that the owner of this cute little bundle of fluff would be able to answer those questions.

These pups have usually been purchased from an ad on the internet or from a pet store. They have no guarantee that is worth any more than the paper it is written on. They might have had their first vaccinations far before those vaccines would do them any good. They have probably been dewormed multiple times, and they often have diarrhea, or a runny nose, or weepy eyes.

These pups have been picked up in a parking lot where the "breeder" kindly agreed to meet the new owner half-way. Or picked out of a pen with pups from several different litters. Or bought on impulse in the shopping mall after being spotted in the pet store window.

Often we hear people talking about the great deal they got on their pup as it had been marked down now that it is 4 months old and not as cute anymore. One lady bragged about how the pup she bought was $600 when she first saw it on the website, but that several weeks later she was able to pick it up for the bargain price of $250. Of course, now she is paying far more than the $350 in veterinary costs to try to make the pup healthy.

I have had people tell me stories that would curl your toenails about conversations with breeders and why their pup has diarrhea, or a runny nose, or is limping. And yet still they purchased the pup even knowing this.

Because of my position as receptionist I get to hear many such stories but am limited in how much education I can provide. Insulting peoples choices doesn't tend to keep clients.

Every once in a while though, a rather more savvy shopper will enter our door asking for advice on how to go about purchasing a new puppy. Oh how I love to talk to these people. Unfortunately they are a very small minority.

I wish I didn't have to bite my tongue so much. Unfortunately I don't know how to go about getting people to understand the choices they are making. The information on how to pick a puppy and a breeder is certainly available. How do we go about getting people to do their research before going to look at the cute fuzzy faces that will turn anyones brain to mush.

Dog Breeding & Health Tests

Ok, I just ran across a guy who is looking for a bitch to add to his home and breeding business. I say business because from what I see of his website that is what he is attempting to get off the ground. His first litter was produced when both parents were just over a year old. I can find absolutely no indication of health testing on his site and so far he has not answer my e-mail enquiring about this.

According to letters he has put in the comments page of his site he was selling puppies at the International Plowing Match. I wonder if he gives any consideration to the homes the puppies are going too. I wonder if he will take these puppies back in 6-9 months when these purchases realize they had no business buying a border collie in the first place.

This guy got his first dog in 2005. He now has 4 or 5 in his home and is looking for a blue factored bitch to breed to his new blue male. Guess he is going to produce nice "rare" coloured puppies so he can sell them for more money.

I am sure this guy has the best intentions. I am sure he means no harm to the breed or the puppies or the ignorant people who purchase from him. But he is perpetuating an age old problem. I hope his puppies are healthy (for the purchasers sake). I just really wish people would do at least a little bit of research before they jump feet first into something.

And I wish that Border Collies weren't becoming so bloody popular.

Oh, but this guy must be ok because he is a lifetime member of the CBCA. But he isn't ruining the working ability of the breed. Only people who want to compete in CKC do that.