Dining with Dogs is tonight!
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Fun
Get back to writing Finch!
I now have ALL the Sharpies.
SO happy.
This is the picture I colored for Laura Drews. Because sometimes I am 5. But mostly because I love Laura, and she loves horses.
This is also the photo I sent to Dr. Chris Byers when he said he does not like using exam tables. Me neither! Except for coloring :D
Look at the project Kelly Turley started! Do you want to see it when ALL the dogs' pictures and ALL the cats' pictures are up?? Me too!
Top: Phoenix (Stephanie Marshall), Bottom, left to right: Rosie (Kristen Heckman), Pyro (Kelly Turley), Joy the Puppy (me!) :)
I was on yet another Twitter rant.
"There are a million ways to communicate with a dog that do not involve hitting!" I tweeted.
"A million?" Jana asked.
"Well, at least one hundred," I tweeted, because I could see where this was heading.
My friend Jana who has the wonderful website Dawg Business challenged me to come up with one hundred ways to communicate with a dog.
So here goes...Keep in mind these are from a plain ol' non-behaviorist/non-trainer off the top of my head - I am sure there are exponentially more (like 10 to the fifth power maybe... :) ), better phrased and more appropriate communication methods!
Dog lovers, add any I forgot!
1
Speaking
2
Petting
3
Giving out treats
4
Ignoring unwanted behavior
5
Gently leading on a leash
6
Teaching sitting as a way to refocus
7
Clicking
8
Head butting
9
Slow blinking (this is a cat-specific sign of affection, but dogs sometimes love it too :) )
10
Holding
11
Comforting
12
Baby talk
13
Being near
14
Routine
15
Play time
16
Walks
17
Runs
18
Meals
19
Special meals
20
Calm
21
Avoiding Eye Contact
22
Ignoring
23
Getting level with him or her (Amanda)
24
Belly rubs
25
Training time
26
Dog socialization time
27
Socialization/Puppy class
28
Training class
29
Agility class
30
Flyball time
31
Body language
32
Walking through a crowd together
33
Hiking alone together
34
Word recognition training
35
Hand signals
36
Letting them show you their tricks
37
Predictable behavior
38
Scents
39
Pheromones
40
Squeaks
41
Happy voice
42
Low, calm voice
43
Backing off at a growl
44
Head low
45
Arms down
46
Horse hoof trimming style nail trims
47
Immediate rewards
48
Over the top rewards
49
Praise for wanted behavior
50
Exposure to new environments
51
Exposure to new people
52
Exposure to new noise levels
53
Down time
54
Soft Voices (Abby)
55
Snuggles (Abby)
56
Scratches (Abby)
57
Time outside
58
Full attention
59
Alone time
60
Facial expressions
61
Singing (Amanda)
62
Exercise (Amanda)
63
Hugs (for dogs who like hugs)
64
Thundershirts
65
Photo shoots
66
Taking them down a slide with you (Amanda)
67
Reaching out
68
Waiting for them to approach you
69
Smelling like something good - other dogs, kitties, food...
70
Brushing
71
Gentle leading
72
Mature conversation (Amanda)
73
Patience
74
Regrouping and trying again
75
Regrouping and letting someone else try instead
76
Frequent breaks as needed
77
Very small saucers of coffee (Noodle)
78
Apple juice (Joy)
79
Equal treats for each dog (Luna)
80
Equal pets for each dog (Luna)
81
Time to explore
82
Space to explore
83
Using your pet's name
84
Permission to roll in gross things
85
Comfy places to rest and sleep
86
Table scraps - a reasonable amount! Safe scraps! Not necessarily from the table!
87
Compliments
88
Letting them have their own space (Amanda)
89
Gifts
90
Outfits (Amanda)
91
No outfits if they do not like outfits
92
Letting them sniff you before you interact (Abby)
93
A place to hide
94
Let them have hyper time (Abby)
95
Kisses if they like kisses
96
Gentle introductions to new family members (Amanda)
97
Allowing them to choose their actions
98
Providing optimal health
99
Providing grooming that makes them healthy and feel beautiful :)
100
Spoiling them (Abby)
AND?
101...
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Post from one year ago today...
April 8, 2016
My friend Linnette and her family adopted a second Mastiff! I FINALLY got to meet him after DAYS of waiting!
Would you like to meet Hoss? And BONUS, would you like to meet my friend Jenny's Frenchie puppy Frankie??
Meet Hoss! He is eight weeks old!
Meet Frankie! She is 10 months old!
Hoss and Frankie had a play date yesterday, and I snuck in a new puppy exam on Hoss :)
Hoss is already taller than Frankie! Jenny supervises the introduction - they did great!
Brooke and Hoss. He will not be able to be held much longer!
Oh Frankie!
Good night Hoss!
Good night Frankie!
Goodbye Work Week :)
Symptoms to Watch for in Your Dog - 5 Stars!
I told Luna her eyebrows were drawn too high. She looked surprised. :D
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Post from one year ago today...
April 2, 2017
My groomer friend Amy told my daughters, Amanda and Abby, that she would teach them to color dogs. They have been looking forward to this day ever since!
The three of them met today and the rest of us - Kelly, Hannah, Jordan and me - stayed to help and watch. Joy and Luna and Pyro came to be colored, and Tiki stayed to be colored too.
In an amazing show of group restraint, we left the super cute boarding Westie his God-given gorgeous white color. The rest of the dogs though...
Wilson! And heart butt :)
Thank you Amy! We needed a happy event, and this was it.
Amy used dog-safe color and showed the girls how to be careful around their faces, and she made sure all the dogs had fun too.
My favorite picture of the whole afternoon!
As gorgeous as all the dogs are, I cannot get over Pyro. He looks like he stepped off a 1980's Lisa Frank folder! I love his look so much!
I love this picture! Jordan and Tiki, you are too cute!
I still think Luna and Tiki are litter mates :) I think they are discussing how much hair color is the appropriate amount and if it can be overdone. Never!
Joy seemed a bit sad to miss out!
Blue feet!
After Pyro was over having pictures taken, we bought more photo ops from him with treats :)
Dog tired <3
Toski has earned his Champion Dog Trick title! Congratulations Toski!!
A kind coworker sent me this picture of Wuzzy the Cat from her wellness care visit this year.
Because of my allergies, I can no longer see cats on a routine basis (sob), so I missed seeing Wuzzy this year.
Wuzzy and her friend Fuzzy were named after our hairless rats by the Nebraska Humane Society EIGHT YEARS AGO. They were adopted together as kittens.
Fuzzy ran away and has not been found, which is very sad. I still hope she is found some day.
Wuzzy still is with her family and is doing very well.
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Post from one year ago today...
March 29, 2016
MidWest Vet in Omaha created an amazing continuing education event!
In all my many months of profile picture taking and many years of (very) amatuer dog photography, this is my favorite profile picture by far so far.
Blaze, the huge gorgeous Chow Chow had decided he was okay being acquaintances and had accepted a chewie from me after his exam. When I said his name to get his attention for a picture, I felt like he yelled, "WHAT?" (with a few more colorful words) and you can totally see it in his eyes!
He really was a great sport for everything and is now one of my favorite dogs ever.
To paraphrase Dog Rates, "would hug with caution." :D
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Post from one year ago today...
March 27, 2016
More on "vet techs are super awesome, at least ten times as awesome as you suspect..."
This kitty was nervous to board for the first time, so Erika found him a room of his own with a very high perch!
He said he had a surprisingly lovely time and would board again.
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Post from one year ago today...
March 23, 2016
Here is Toski the Corgi's most recent trick. Notice all the steps he learned! Toski, you can serve us waffles any day!
Dr. Chris Byers is a friend and colleague right here in Omaha Nebraska. He is a specialist in emergency and critical care AND a specialist in internal medicine! I appreciate his help on the difficult cases (including our own Luna Lovegood) and his overall expertise and knowledge. Thank you for your post Doctor! I know readers will love it as much as I do!
Guest post from Dr. Chris Byers...
I’m often asked what I’d do if I wasn’t a veterinarian. That’s a hard question to answer given I’ve wanted to be a pet doctor since age 5. My first aspiration was to be a dinosaur veterinarian. Yet not just any dinosaur! I only wanted to work with stegosaurus.
When I finally grasped the concept of extinction, my passion turned skyward. I wanted to be the first veterinarian in space. To my dismay, one of my undergraduate professors at Colorado State University, Dr. Martin Fettman, a board-certified veterinary pathologist, beat me to the punch when he served as Payload Specialist on NASA Space Shuttle Mission STS-58 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1993.
Nevertheless, the “what if” question has always intrigued me. If I’m being honest, I don’t think I’d work in veterinary or human medicine. I’d work in the music industry. Music has always been a way to calm my soul. As one who was bullied as a child, I frequently found solace in song. I would listen to poignant lyrics, and believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that the words were written just for me. As the saying goes, music is my connection to what the world doesn’t know about me.
What if I could bring my two passions together? Could veterinary medicine and music collide for the greater good of improving animal health? It seems the answer to this unique question may be yes! Veterinarians and researchers are beginning to investigate the effects of music on stress in various animals, including our furry companions. In humans, music therapy reduces pain and anxiety levels. Patients with traumatic brain injuries and those requiring mechanical ventilation may improve more rapidly. Music stimulates the body to change brain activity, immune responses, and hormone systems.
Investigations regarding the benefits of veterinary music therapy are in their infancy. Only a few studies have been performed to date, and results have been relatively mixed. One study demonstrated classical music initially reduced stress in kenneled dogs based on behavioral changes, cortisol levels, and heart rate variability; however, the dogs became accustomed to the music after a day, nullifying the initial positive effects. A subsequent study by the same group of researchers suggested varying musical genres reduced this habituation effect.
Jimi Hendrix once said, “Music is a safe kind of high.” I, for one, am excited to see what the future holds for music therapy in companion animals. Perhaps we will learn song is an essential therapy - a new drug per se - in the care of our furry friends.
Dr. Christopher G. Byers is a practicing small animal specialist who is board-certified in both emergency/critical care and internal medicine. He is also a Certified Veterinary Journalist who publishes a weekly blog for pet owners - CriticalCareDVM.com - with the sole purpose of educating pet parents about the benefits of partnering with board-certified veterinary specialists. He may be found on all major social media at CriticalCareDVM.
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Post from one year ago today...
March 16, 2016