I am Thrilled to announce my expanded training coverage into NYC with a Location–Yes!

I am now teaching classes at Biscuits & Bath on Columbus Avenue between 82nd and 83rd Streets.

And my next classes start on Wednesday, March 10th:

Puppy Kindergarten @ 7 pm

Basic Manners @ 8:30 pm

If  you would like to sign up for a class or private training with me, call me at

(201) 388-0936

or email me here, connie@helpihaveadog.com

or cformosa@biscuitsandbath.com

I hope to see you and yours for some fun and training soon!

C.

On news stands soon, see the article on weddings–with dogs included–that I was interviewed for!

And, as always, you can see my “Ask The Canine Expert”column in The Leader Newspapers, online, under “Opinion” at

http://leadernewspapers.net

Hello Earthdog Fanciers,
Attached is the premium for the Carolina Terrier Assocation’s Earthdog Trial on April 17 and 18, 2010.
Please note that there will be three trials held on these two days: Two on Saturday and one on Sunday.
Also note there will be a party on Saturday night on site with live music and local barbecue. It will be a great time to get together with friends and share your earthdog experiences. There is no charge, but donations for the dinner will be graciously accepted. Everyone is invited.

To help gauge what will be needed for the barbecue, please RSVP your intentions to Test chairman
Steve Watson at wirescott@charter.net

For a premium, please email: luvmyrussells@gmail.com
Please send your completed premiums to me at:

Pat Matsuo6711 Galaxie RoadRichmond VA 23228
or email: luvmyrussells@gmail.com

Hundreds of thousands of dogs have been turned into animal shelters because their owners didn’t know how to deal with behavior problems and couldn’t find a reliable resource to help them.  We, at the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, think it is long overdue to dedicate a month where we can bring awareness to the importance of socialization and training, and most of all, to inform the public that training your dog can be simple and fun! The APDT has selected January as the perfect month because, as we all know, so many dogs and puppies are adopted and brought home during the winter holidays. Our desire is to help these new pet parents start off the new year with their newest family member in the best way possible.

The APDT is planning a variety of events in January 2010 to celebrate National Train Your Dog Month.  We hope everyday dog owners you can see how easy and fun training can be, and how patience, consistency and a deeper understanding of your dog’s behavior can lead to happier, healthier and harmonious households.  We have a wide range of topics that we’ve covered and provided a great deal of information to promote using methods that are kind gentle and that have an emphasis on building a relationships with your dog.

In addition the APDT has more than 5000 members who are willing and able to help dog owners who need help with their dogs.  If there is one thing that current television shows about dog training have taught the public it’s that there are solutions to help dogs with behavior problems and there are alternatives to try before giving up your dog.

Connie Formosa   APDT # 2663

Happy New Year and Best Wishes To You & Your Dog!

It’s a New Year and there are some New Seminars & Yappy Hours starting in February!  Watch this site for updates.

For those of you who wish to participate in Agility, Rally Obedience, Flyball or Earthdog fun, make sure to keep up work on the basics, it will make any other training you do a little easier!

Wags,

Connie

Q. Dear Connie,

I have a Parson Jack Russell Terrier, he is 16 months old now.  I took him to a grooming salon for a bath and asked them to make him look neat, not “bushy.”

He looked good when I picked him up but we went to the park later and someone told me I should have asked the groomer to “strip” him, not use a clipper. I can see clipper marks in the hair, now that it was pointed out to me.

When I called the groomer I was told that they didn’t do stripping.

My question is, what is this “stripping” process, why is it done and do you do it? I know you have a terrier, from reading your column and visiting your website. Do you strip his hair?

If you can help me by doing this next time he needs to be groomed, I would be grateful.
Thank you,

Tom B.

Secaucus, NJ
A. Dear Tom,

Yes, a PR terrier’s coat is “stripped” (not clipped) so that it looks neat and grows in nicely.  Dogs who are left to grow out or have a shaggy, “blown coat” look very different from those who are stripped. People who show terriers sometimes let the coat “blow” when they are not going to be out competing, but when show time nears, handlers/breeders/groomers will begin the stripping process and maintain it.
Not all terriers are stripped.  The Silky Terriers, Yorkies and Skye Terriers for example, require A Lot of brushing rather than stripping.  The harsh, double coats of Norfolks, Westies and Russell Terriers are stripped.  They have rough, “wire” coats or a combination of wire and smooth coats.  Each hair follicle supports a single, harsh outer hair and several soft, finer hairs that form the undercoat. As these outer hairs grow and become old, they also become soft, thin and faded at the roots. Hand stripping will remove the old, faded hairs so that new growth can come in.

When the coat is not maintained by stripping, the hair follicles can become plugged up with fuzz and oily sebum. This can lead to skin problems.  Clipping will take away proper texture and color.  Enough reasons there to groom properly I’d say!

Of course, Never clip a coat that should be stripped if you plan to show the dog.

I do strip my terrier, but his coat is such that I don’t have a very big job. His coat is a combination of wire and smooth. I take moments to do a little here or there when ever he is on my lap.  I also strip terriers for clients.  Depending on the dog’s coat, a stay with me for a day can provide a nice time period to do the job.  It can get tedious for the dog to be groomed for long periods of time, so resting every 20 minutes or so is a good idea. An active session of play prior to starting will also help a dog to relax for grooming.

A small tool or just one’s fingers may be used to do this job. It takes a steady hand, a good eye, patience and some knowledge of the breed standard of the dog being stripped.  Each breed has grooming/appearance standards. “Fringes” “Ruffs” or “Furnishings” are what may be left on the face, legs or belly areas.

People ask me if it hurts. I’d equate stripping a coat with plucking an eyebrow. It is a little uncomfortable at first, probably more annoying than anything, as standing still is required!

It’s important to pull in the direction that the hair grows!

Not many groomers are even asked to strip out a terrier, as the pet owners (like yourself) don’t know about it.  Stripping a dog takes time and, therefore, is more expensive to have done. But the rewards of doing a proper grooming job are worth it.

To avoid removing the protective oils in the coat, special terrier shampoo should be used when the occasional bath is necessary. Terrier’s coats were developed to be “wash and wear/easy care” coats.  A muddy terrier’s coat will dry quickly and the mud will fall out easily. Your dog will look like a “pro” and have the easy care coat that was meant to be when stripped rather than clipped.  Give me a call!
Best Wishes,

Connie

www.helpihaveadog.com

(201) 388-0936

Q.  Dear Connie,

My 5 year old Lab mix has a very dull coat.  The hair is a little dry and she has some flakes that come out when I brush her, along with a lot of hair!

What can I do to help her coat to be glossy?

Thank you,

Maria N.

Clifton, NJ

A.  Dear Maria,

the first thing to do is to look at the food and treats you are feeding your dog.  Sometimes people feed their dog a “fast food diet” and think they are feeding a nutritious meal because of the advertising that is seen on television and in magazines.

Looks can be deceiving.  And “fast food” isn’t very good for dogs or people!

If you think about it, most dogs eat “cereal and soup” every day.  By that, I mean they eat dry kibble from a bag or box (cereal) and canned meal (soup).  How do you think you would feel and look if that was all you ate, day after day?  No fresh vegetables or fruits, no fresh meat–everything cooked and dried and processed.  Human nutritionists recommend that people avoid so much processed food to gain better health.  I recommend the same for dogs.

There are some very high quality prepared foods available that will provide easy serve meals for your dog.  These foods can be found in the smaller shops or ordered online.  They come in kibble, can or frozen forms.

Read the ingredients label on foods and treats and look for high quality ingredients that do not include by-products, artificial “flavor” or colorings, hidden sugars and strange chemicals that you can’t pronounce.

I can’t stress the importance of feeding a high quality diet.  If you switch a dog from poor quality food and treats to something nutritious, you will see the changes appear within a couple of weeks.  Coat quality will improve, skin conditions can be avoided or even corrected, teeth will stay cleaner, breath will be fresher, even behavior can be effected and energy levels can be improved.  As a bonus, you will save money when your dog is healthier!  It’s true that the best quality foods will cost a little more, but fewer health problems and visits to the vet can make up for that.

Dogs like fresh vegetables, low acid fruits, meats and well cooked eggs.  Make sure to offer these to your dog every day. Here are some easy and simple ways to add “real food” to your dog’s prepared diet;

*Little cubes of apple make good training treats or stuffing for interactive toys and are much less expensive than store bought, dry cookies.

*Bake a few sweet potatoes and offer these to your dog during the week, as they are a tasty and nutritious source of vitamins and minerals.

*Plain yogurt is good for dogs and makes a tasty treat or topping that keeps the digestive tract healthy.

*Chopped fresh parsley makes a nice topping to any meal and will aid digestion and keep the breath fresh.

*Stewed squash is easy to prepare and mix into meals, as is pumpkin.

*Salmon or fish oil supplements and a B-complex vitamin supplement should be added to the meals each day.

Along with a good diet, daily brushing with a proper brush will help to improve skin and coat condition.  Plan for 10 minutes a day with the brush and your dog.  Massage will help improve  circulation and benefit the skin and coat too.

Best Wishes,

Connie

www.helpihaveadog.com

201 388 0936

Q. Dear Connie,
I have 2 Labradoodles. They both are about 75 pounds and they like to lounge around the house, on the staircase and in the hallways mostly.
Recently one of my friends tripped over one of the dogs in the hall. She was upset about it, I don’t understand why she was upset though, she can just walk around them if she tells them to move. What do you think about it?
My main question though is what do I do when the dogs bark at me? They bark when I pick up the leashes, sometimes when I get up from the desk they bark too. I work at home. The barking is loud!
And what do I do when we go out, after all the barking, and my male dog (who is 3) suddenly decides he does not want to walk? That really puzzles me. I thought he wanted to go out for a walk!  Help!

Gisele I.

A. Dear Gisele,
Your dog refuses to walk because he does not want to. That’s all.
It sounds like he is the boss there.
You should be the boss, not the dog. Or, let me rephrase that–you should be the Respected leader.
It sounds like your friend almost fell when a dog refused to move. She may have tried to step over him or around him.
If she did fall/does fall, it could be Very Bad in a few ways, you get my drift?
It happens all the time. Ask any chiropractor!

Some dogs will just totally ignore someone who comes along and it takes physical removal of the dog to get by. Perhaps your friend does not feel comfortable doing this, for whatever reason. Perhaps she is afraid you will object to her “correcting” your dogs.   Or she may think they might snap or growl if she moves them out of the way?

But the dog is the leader in your home and he should not be. He is a dog. He will be rewarded for good behavior, but the leader of the pack and others who have status over a dog (this means humans, young and old) should always get respect from (under) dogs. And under dogs always move out of the way for a leader dog or any person (who is friend or family and not an intruder!).
This provides security for you and anyone else walking through your house.  A dog who does not get out of the way is dangerous (falls, broken bones, broken friendships, law suits, etc.). And most likely a little spoiled.
This is not acceptable.

To put it in another perspective,
think about if your dog were a 2 legged kid.
What if he then stood in the doorway, for example, and would not let someone–a teacher or a friend–pass without stepping out of the way politely? If he did stand in the way of a teacher, you might be embarrassed at his behavior.

It’s the same for dogs. A dog who is social and respects another dog will move out of that dog’s path, not remain like a rock.

Back to your dog not wanting to walk with you and planting himself;
You are not hurting him or asking him to come for torture. You are simply asking him to go out, enjoy the scenery and relieve himself because that is what needs to be done. Unless he is in pain, is overheating or sick, he should go with you. If he refuses, just go back to the house and leave him there while you exit again to go for that walk.
If you let a dog plant himself (or worse, growl at you!) and get by with it–this is the dog’s path to even more power. Then snapping may follow because the dog has power and they do like it, as would anyone. When power is given it can become stronger.

You must be the leader of your pack.
You must avoid personal and legal problems.
And nobody needs to fall over a dog and get hurt. It could hurt the dog too.

Your dogs bark at you in that demanding way because it works for them. To help stop this, you would need to ignore them, turn your back and walk away. Give them the opposite of what they want.
You need to change the leashing routine a little so you have some “leg up” on things. They have connected the leash with attention from you and they are excited and rewarded by it.

It would be a good idea to do some training lessons and more obedience work if you want to be the leader of your pack. I wold be happy to work on these issues with you, the sooner the better.

Sincerely,
Connie
www.helpihaveadog.com

Brushing your dogs teeth

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