4 Luv of Dog Rescue fall 2013 newsletter
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The Daily Bark: Pleas From the Pound and Other Happenings Volume 5, Issue 4, October 23, 2013 Teaching Your Dog Useful Commands and Tricks By Lauren Teske Inside: Useful Commands 1 Upcoming Events 4 Pit Bull Myths 2 Pet-Friendly Housing 5 Available Dogs 3 Contact Info 5 Toxins to your Dog 4 As a dog owner, at some point you probably marveled at the obedi- ence displayed by dogs on TV. Most of us have said, “I wish my dog could do that” or “My dog just isn’t smart enough to learn those commands.” While having a dog that can sneeze on command or fetch you a soda from the fridge is dazzling, having your dog perform basic, useful commands can be just as impressive. A few years ago, I got my first dog, a Great Dane named Echo. At 2 months old, she weighed about 40 pounds and the top of her head reached my knee. I knew that if I wanted to survive Great Dane ownership, I would have to do major training. I enrolled Echo in puppy kindergarten, which can be very important for socializa- tion. “Sit,” “stay” and “lay down” are the basic commands many owners think of when they attend dog obedience classes, but there are many more commands that can help control a dog, especially larger dogs. “Leave it” was the first “trick” I taught Echo in addition to the traditional commands. When your dog is as big as a small horse, there is no safe height at which you can store food. Anything on the table or countertop is fair game. With “leave it,” I was able to stop “counter surfing” immediately from across the room. “Off” is another command that has helped me reclaim my spot on the couch or in bed. Not to be mistaken for “down,” in which a dog lays down, “off” commands the dog to get off of whatever it is they are on. Great Danes are notorious couch potatoes, and Echo, like many dogs, is allowed to relax pretty much anywhere she wishes. Echo has no problem park- ing her 120 pound self wherever she pleases, and it doesn’t take much effort for her to stay rooted to her spot. I have watched the epic battle between friends and family as they attempt to move the 120 pound girl from the couch. I simply say “off” and she hops off without complaint. Many dog owners elect to not ken- nel their dog in puppyhood, but I believe it to be an important part in setting boundaries. Kenneling a dog is often viewed as “cruel,” but in my experience most dogs treat their kennel as a safe zone when they become overstimulated or frightened. While Echo sleeps in my bed with me, she is ken- neled when I am away or when she is eating. When guests or even the pizza delivery man arrives, it can be extremely chaotic for her to be barking and jumping at the door. Pizza deliverymen have been scared out of my doorway by Echo’s large black figure surging toward them in what appears to be hostility. To avoid traumatizing guests, or the pizza guy, I instruct Echo to “kennel.” When the pizza man has left or the guest is settled in, I let her know it’s OK to come out and she is able to greet guests calmly. Continued on page 2 Echo knows basic commands such as “off,” which Lauren easily taught her.
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4 Luv of Dog Rescue's fall 2013 newsletter, featuring articles on useful commands for your dog, pit bull myths, toxins and pet-friendly housing. www.4luvofdog.org
Transcript of 4 Luv of Dog Rescue fall 2013 newsletter
The Daily Bark: Pleas From the Pound and Other Happenings Volume5,Issue4,October23,2013
Teaching Your Dog Useful Commands and TricksBy Lauren Teske
Inside: Useful Commands 1 Upcoming Events 4 Pit Bull Myths 2 Pet-Friendly Housing 5Available Dogs 3 Contact Info 5Toxins to your Dog 4
Asadogowner,atsomepointyouprobablymarveledattheobedi-encedisplayedbydogsonTV.Mostofushavesaid,“Iwishmydogcoulddothat”or“Mydogjustisn’tsmartenoughtolearnthosecommands.”Whilehavingadogthatcansneezeoncommandorfetchyouasodafromthefridgeisdazzling,havingyourdogperformbasic,usefulcommandscanbejustasimpressive.
Afewyearsago,Igotmyfirstdog,aGreatDanenamedEcho.At2monthsold,sheweighedabout40poundsandthetopofherheadreachedmyknee.IknewthatifIwantedtosurviveGreatDaneownership,Iwouldhavetodomajortraining.IenrolledEchoinpuppykindergarten,whichcanbeveryimportantforsocializa-tion.“Sit,”“stay”and“laydown”arethebasiccommandsmanyownersthinkofwhentheyattenddogobedienceclasses,buttherearemanymorecommandsthatcanhelpcontroladog,especiallylargerdogs.“Leaveit”wasthefirst“trick”ItaughtEchoinadditiontothetraditionalcommands.Whenyourdogisasbigasasmallhorse,
thereisnosafeheightatwhichyoucanstorefood.Anythingonthetableorcountertopisfairgame.With“leaveit,”Iwasabletostop“countersurfing”immediatelyfromacrosstheroom.
“Off”isanothercommandthathashelpedmereclaimmyspotonthecouchorinbed.Nottobemistakenfor“down,”inwhichadoglaysdown,“off”commandsthedogtogetoffofwhateveritistheyareon.GreatDanesarenotoriouscouchpotatoes,andEcho,likemanydogs,isallowedtorelaxprettymuchanywhereshewishes.Echohasnoproblempark-ingher120poundselfwherevershepleases,anditdoesn’ttakemucheffortforhertostayrooted
toherspot.Ihavewatchedtheepicbattlebetweenfriendsandfamilyastheyattempttomovethe120poundgirlfromthecouch.Isimplysay“off”andshehopsoffwithoutcomplaint.
Manydogownerselecttonotken-neltheirdoginpuppyhood,butIbelieveittobeanimportantpartinsettingboundaries.Kennelingadogisoftenviewedas“cruel,”butinmyexperiencemostdogstreattheirkennelasasafezonewhentheybecomeoverstimulatedorfrightened.WhileEchosleepsinmybedwithme,sheisken-neledwhenIamawayorwhensheiseating.Whenguestsoreventhepizzadeliverymanarrives,itcanbeextremelychaoticforhertobebarkingandjumpingatthedoor.PizzadeliverymenhavebeenscaredoutofmydoorwaybyEcho’slargeblackfiguresurgingtowardtheminwhatappearstobehostility.Toavoidtraumatizingguests,orthepizzaguy,IinstructEchoto“kennel.”Whenthepizzamanhasleftortheguestissettledin,Iletherknowit’sOKtocomeoutandsheisabletogreetguestscalmly. Continued on page 2
Echo knows basic commands such as “off,” which Lauren easily taught her.
Page2 TheDailyBark:Volume5,Issue4,Oct.23,2013
TodonateusingPayPal,pleasevisitourwebsiteandlookforthisgraphic.ItislinkedtoourPayPalaccount,soallyouhavetodoisclick!www.4luvofdog.org
Debunking Popular Pit Bull MythsBy Antinea Ascione
Continued from page 1Iamnotanexperiencedtrainerandhaveonlyattemptedto“train”twodogs,butbydoingsomeresearchandusingbasicpsychology,Ihavebeenabletoclaimsomecontrolovermydog.Havingawell-man-nereddogcanalso,insomesitua-tions,saveyourdog’slife.“Leaveit,”forexample,cankeepyourdogfromingestingtoxicitemsthatmaybewithinreach.
Ifyouareinterestedinteachingyourdogcommandsthatmaynotbecoveredinaregularobedienceclass,consultatrainer.Withinfor-mationprovidedbyanexperiencedtrainerandone-on-oneworkwithyourdog,youcanteachcommandsthatarebothusefulineverydaysituationsandimpressivetoguests.
Soyou’vemetthecutestdog.Youlookedather,shelookedbackatyouandyoufeltthatinstantaneouspetconnection.Thoseexpressivepuppyeyestuggedatyourheart-stringsandyouaresorelytemptedtotakeherhome.Yourconcern,however,isthatthisseeminglyin-nocentdogisapitbull.Orpartpitbull.Andyou’veheardtoomanynegativestoriesaboutthatbreedofdogtowanttotakeachance.Well,youmayhaveboughtintothemediahypeaboutthebreed,andthereareafewthingsyoushouldlearnbeforemak-ingadecision.
InhonorofOcto-berbeingNationalPitBullAware-nessmonth,wewilltakealookatafewofthemostcommonpitbullstereotypes.
Pit Bulls are a “Special Breed”Theterm“pitbull”doesnottypi-callyrefertoanysinglebreedofdogandcanbeusedtodescribeawidevarietyofdogs.Amoreaccuratedefinitionoftheterm“pitbull”isadogthatisoneoftwobreeds:theAmericanPitBullTerrier(APBT)ortheAmericanStaffordshireTerrier(AmStaff).Oftentimes,peopleplaceBullTerriers,StaffordshireBullTerri-ersandAmericanBulldogsinthiscategoryduetothesimilarityinheadshapesandstrongbodytypes.However,theyaredistinctfromtheAPBTandtheAmStaff.Anumber
ofso-called“pitbulls”arejustmixed-breeddogsthatmayormaynothaveAmericanPitBullTerrierorAmericanStaffordshireblood.Thetermisusedloosely.
Pit Bulls are Naturally Vicious Thisisamisconceptionthatdefinitelyinfluencesthetypicalreactiontoapitbull.Thereareanumberofreasons,however,why
itisabsurdtoassumesuchacharacteristicisnaturalforanydog.Asmentioned,thetermpitbullisusedtorefertoavarietyofdogs.Bysayingpitbullsarevicious,onecouldbeattributingsuchachar-acteristicstoacouple,ormixture,ofbreeds.
Itisalsoimportanttounderstandthatdogshavepersonalitiesasdiverseaswedo.Al-thoughbreedsareoften
characterizedbycertainbehaviors,eachdog’spersonalitycanvarysignificantly.Whilephysicaltraitsarepasseddowngeneticallyfromparentstolitter,personalitiesareindividual.Ifapitbullisvicious,thisshouldbeviewedasacharac-teristicspecifictothedoginques-tionandnotthebreed,asvariedasitis.
Manypeopleopposedtopitbullsbeingkeptaspetsclaimthatpitsfailtemperamenttestingmorethananyotherdog.LindsayStordahl,adogblogger,walkerandpetsitter,saysthatthisisnotatalltrue.“TheAmericanPitBullTerrierpassestemperamenttesting81.7percent
Gilda, a pit bull terrier, available for adoption.
TheDailyBark:Volume5,Issue4,Oct.23,2013 Page3
RuckusRuckusisanadultBorderCollie/Labmixlookingforhisforeverhome.Heissuchawell-behaveddoganddoesnotgetintotroublewhenhe’sleftalone.Nocountersurfing,nochewingfurniture,noaccidents…justpurehappinessonhisfacewhenyoureturn.Ruckusiscontenttosleepinhisownbed.Heisveryquietanddaintywhenhemovesaroundthehouse.Ruckushasnoproblemwithcatsandisalsoverygoodaroundotherdogs.Helikeswalksbutdoesn’trequireatonofexercise.He’sagreatdog!
LolaLolaisa3-year-oldPitBullmixlookingforanactivehome,perhapswithsomeotherdoggies!Shelovesplayingfetch,isverysweetandlovestosnuggle.Sheplayswellwithherfosterhome’slabandisgentlewiththeirsmalldog.She’sfairlyquiet,correctseas-ilyandkennelswellatnight.Shecangetexcitedinpublicplaces,butisworkingonhermanners.Isshethegalforyou?
These, and many other dogs, are available for adoption with 4 Luv of Dog Rescue. Please fill out an adoption application today.
Available Dogsofthetime,”sheexplained.“Toputthisinperspective,Beaglesonlypass78.7percentofthetimeandGoldenRetrievers81.1percent.TheAPBTscoresjustabovetheGoldenRetrieverandjustbelowtheLabradorRetriever.”
TheNationalCanineResearchCouncil(NCRC)supportsthisview.Asclearlystatedontheweb-site,“Thereisnoscientificevi-dencethatonekindofdogismorelikelytoinjureahumanbeingthananotherkindofdog.”
Stordahlalsosaidthatthereareanumberoffactorsthatcomeintoplaytodetermineadog’soveralltemperament/personality.“Howthedogisraisedisonefactor,”shesaid.“Inaddition,oneshouldconsidergenetics,thedog’searlyrelationshipwithitsmotherandlittermates,theamountoftrain-ingandexerciseitreceives,healthandsomuchmore.Sometimesitisassumedthatanownercanraiseadogtobenasty.Anownercantreatadogpoorlyandthedogcouldstillbeverysweetandgentle.Oranownercouldraiseadogwithalotoflove,structureandsocializa-tionandthedogmaystillwanttofightwithotherdogs.NoticeI’musingtheterm‘dog’becausethisisthecasewithalldogs,notjustpitbulls.”
Pit Bulls are Unpredictable, Especially Around Children Thisisaparticularlypopularste-reotype,especiallyamongpersonstryingtoconvincethepublicthatpitbullsdonotmakegoodpets.Expertssaythatthereisnotruthtothis;thedogsareaspredictableorunpredictableasanyother.Pitbullsarestrong,well-builtdogsandaratherexuberantonemayknockayoungchildover.However,
strengthandexuberancearetraitsanyparentswithyoungchildrenshouldconsiderwhenadoptingapet.Notalldogsaresuitableforfamilieswithyoungchildren,andparentsshouldtakecaretoteachbothchildrenanddogshowtointeractwitheachother.
Whilemanydogsaregreatwithchildren,aparentahouldneverleavetheirchildunsupervisedwithanyanimal.
ArecentstoryonTaterTot,apitbullthatwasrescuednottoolongbeforeitwasabouttobeeutha-nized,revealshislovingandcaringnature.ReportssaythatwhileTaterTotwasbeingfostered,hesensedthatsomethingwaswrongwiththefamily’s4-year-oldson,Peyton.TaterTotkeptsniffingaroundtheboy,barkingandrun-ningbetweenhisparents.Peyton’smothercheckedonhersonandrealizedhewasbarelybreathing.Afterrushingtothehospital,itwasdiscoveredthatPeytonhadbeenexperiencingaseveredropinbloodsugarandTaterTothelpedtheboygetnecessarytreatmentintime.ThefamilyisconvincedthatTater-Totsavedtheirson’slife,andthepitbullnowhasapermanenthome.Pit Bulls Have Locking JawsNo.Dogsdonothavetheabilityto“lock”theirjawswhenfightinganotheranimal.Notevenpitbulls(whethertheAPBT,AmStafforanyothermix).Thisnonsensicalrumormusthaveemergedfromsomeonewhosuccessfullymixedanalliga-torwithadog,ordreamedhedid.Infact,indiscussingdogbitestheNCRCalsostates,“Notypeofdoginflictsatypeofinjuryexclusivetoit.Claimstothecontraryhavenomerit.”
Page4 TheDailyBark:Volume5,Issue4,Oct.23,2013
Upcoming EventsMeet the Dogs: Saturday, October 26, from 1 to 3 p.m. at West Fargo PetSmart
Pit Bull Walk and Social: Saturday, October 26, from 1 to 3 p.m. at 1523 23rd St. S., Moorhead
Silent Auction & Gala: Saturday, November 2, from 7 to 11 p.m. at Hilton Garden Inn, Fargo
Meet the Dogs/National Adoption Days: November 16 & 17, from 1 to 3 p.m. at West Fargo PetSmart
Pucks and Paws with the Fargo Force: Wednesday, December 4, details TBA
Meet the Dogs: Saturday, December 7 from 1 to 3 p.m. at West Fargo PetSmart
Find Us Online
twitter.com/4luvofdog
www.facebook.com/4LODRescue
pinterest.com/4luvofdogrescue
4luvofdog.areavoices.com
Terrible Toxins & Your PetBy Theresa Opatril
Manyofusareawareofsomethingsthataretoxictoourpets,suchastheonewehaveallheardabout—chocolate!Buttherearemorethingsthanyoumightrealizethataretoxictoyourpet.Accord-ingtothepetpoisonhelpline,thetop10poisonsinpetsare:
1.Medication--alwayskeepyourmedicineinasafespot2.Pesticides3.Antifreezeandotherchemicals4.Chocolate5.Alcohol6.Onionsandgarlic,whichcancauseanemia7.Grapesorraisins,bothofwhichcanbefataltoyourpet8.Avocado,includingavocadofruitandguacamole9.Vitaminsandminerals10.Nsaids(Ibuprofen,Naproxen)
Applesorappleseeds,apricotsorcherrypitsmayalsobeharmful,aswellascoffeegroundsorcoffeebeansduetothecaffeine.
Xylitol,asugarsubstitute,canhavewonderfulhealthbenefitsforhumans,butcancausearapiddropinyourpet’sbloodsugar.Xylitolcanbefoundinmanycommercial
products,includinggum,mouth-wash,mintsandothersweetprod-ucts.
Mushroomplants,tomatoleavesandstemscanalsobebadnewsforyourpet.
Moldyfoodscanalsobepoison-ous.Puttingleftoverfoodsawayandstoredproperlywillensureyourpetwillnotgetintothem.
Typicalreactionstopoisonarevomitingordiarrhea,irregularheartbeat,dilatedpupils,difficultybreathing,palegums,swollenab-domen,muscletremors,bloodyandpainfulurinationordefecation,andbleeding.
Ifyoususpectyourpethaseatensomethingtoxic,don’twaittoseesymptoms.GetyourpetinASAP,orcontactyourveterinarianortheASPCA.
Whilesomeoftheseitemsareverytoxic,someareminimallytoxic.Whenindoubt,callforhelp.ThePetPoisonhelplinenumberis(800)213-6680,orthelocalRedRiverAnimalEmergencyClinic’snumberis(701)478-9299.
Contact Information 4LuvofDogRescuePOBox9283Fargo,ND58106-9283
Phone:(701)205-0190
Pleaseunderstandthatourphoneismonitoredbyvolunteers.Ifnooneanswers,leaveusamessagethatincludes:
•Yourname•Phonenumber•E-mailaddress•Whyyouarecalling•Thebesttimetoreachyou
Wewillmakeeveryattempttorespondtoyourinquirywithin48hours.Ourpreferredmethodofcontactise-mail.E-mailusat:
[email protected]—generalquestions
[email protected]—informationonfostering
[email protected]—tofindouthowyoucanhelp
[email protected]—informationondonationsofmoneyand/orsupplies.
Becoming a foster home is one of the most important things you can do to help our organization. Please consider becoming a foster today!
Applyonlineat:www.4luvofdog.org
Tear-off reply form for contributions via mail: Fillinyournameanddonationamount.----------------------------------------------------------------------------I,_____________________________wouldliketocontributeto4LuvofDogRescue.
$5_____$10_____$25_____$50_____$100_____$250___Otheramount$_____
Pleaseremitto:4LuvofDogRescuePOBox9283Fargo,ND58106-9283
orremitdonationviaPayPallinkatwww.4luvofdog.org
TheDailyBark:Volume5,Issue4,Oct.23,2013 Page5
ItmaysurpriseyoutolearnthatintheFargo-Moorheadarea,thereareatleast30rentalcompaniesthatrenttotenantswithdogs.That’snotevencountingprivaterenters!
Rentingwithapetusuallyrequiresanon-refundabledepositandthattheanimalbeuptodateonvacci-nations.Thedepositamountrang-es,itcanbeseveralhundreddol-lars,butwithaprivateowneryoumaybeabletonegotiate.theremaybeweightandbreedrestrictions,aswellaslimitsonhowmanypetsareallowed.
SomeofthepropertiesintheF-Mareathatrenttodogownersare:
Dogs under 20 poundsWindwoodEstates(701)235-3166CedarParkBlvd(701)236-8721KaeProperties(701)552-1652Dogs under 30 poundsJMRentals(701)293-0601S.S.Holdings(701)451-9113ParkWestGardens(701)282-2118VanRadenPrpts(218)233-2731Size limit varies or no restrictionValleyRental(701)293-7368PropertyRes.Grp(701)356-7007BaumbachPrpts(701)541-1541
Renting for You and Your Four-Legged FriendBy Heather Phillips
Afulllistisavailableontherescuewebsiteatwww.4luvofdog.org/wp/info-resources.
Then,thereareservicedogs.TheuseofservicedogsisprotectedbytheAmericanwithDisabilitiesAct(ADA),whichisafederallawthatstatesthedogmustbeallowedtoliveinthehome,eveniftheland-lordhasano-petpolicy.TheADAdefinesaserviceanimalas“anyguidedog,signaldogorotherani-malindividuallytrainedtoprovideassistancetoanindividualwithadisability.”ThatmeanstheADAprotectsananimalthathasbeentrainedtoperformtasksorworkforanindividualwithadisability,suchasguidedogs.However,animalswhoseonlyfunctionisprovidingemotionalsupport,comfort,ther-apyorcompanionshiptherapeuticbenefitsarenotconsideredtobeserviceanimals.Asaformerlandlord,Icantellyouthebestpolicyistobeupfrontwithyourlandlord.You’dbesurprisedathowfarhonestcommunicationandperhapsalookintoafurryfriend’seyeswillgetyouinyournegotiations.Goodluck!
