PAWS4VALOR

PAWS4VALOR
Service Dog Training Program
For Disabled Veterans

Lugnut is a 17 mnth old Golden Retriever who

is in a current Service Dog class.

Trainer Kristi Rush, at Best Friends Pet Care in Castleton has designed a new program (Called PAWS4VALOR) to help our returning Veterans with disabilities.

The classes are designed to help returning Veterans who have the need, and are interested in working with their own dog, to train their dog to assist them in specific needs, based on their personal disability. The dogs can be trained as a handicap assistant or as an emotional/mental needs dog (for PTSD or depression)

One of his objectives is to turn the

light on or off as directed

Each *team*(team being the Veteran and his/her dog)will need to commit to no less then 5 obedience classes, maybe more depending on their rate of learning and the needs of the dog. They will then need to commit to as many classes as needed to get their dog fully certified as their personal Service Dog. Each team will need to train for and learn no less then 3 objectives.

We at Best Friends will help them to find the right personality for their dog (their choice of mixed breed or pure bred. We will assist them in their training through our classes. We will be available for problems, advice, or any questions the Veteran may have during this process. We will assist the Veterans/team in getting their Service Dog vests, Federal I.D. cards, and other items needed for public access training. Best Friends will also be able to provide their final Certification test.

He has also learned to pick up items

that have been dropped

Our goal in this new program will be to help the Veterans develop a long lasting bond with their own dog, give the returning Veterans a new focus and commitment to life, with the end result being; a fully trained Service Dog to help them with their personal needs.

And to bring back the items

that were dropped.

Best Friends will be offering these classes to Veterans at a reduced rate based on the number of classes they take.

Federal funding may be available to help qualified Veterans pay for the training classes.

Who's the boss?

WHO'S THE BOSS?

It SHOULD be you!

Isn't it cute when a pet brings you his toy to play with, or nudges your knees for attention? Don't you find it hard to resist rewarding your pet with a cuddle when he pounces on your lap?
If you answer "yes" to these questions, you are doing your pet a disservice by teaching him to be "Leader of the Pack," and this can lead to problems down the road.
A pack can only have one leader, and in the dog world you're either the leader or the follower."

All dogs are born with a "pack instinct" that helps them determine where they stand in the family or group. When a dog enters your home, he expects to follow rules and obey the leader, who he should recognize as you. It is imperative that your pet learn his rank within your family's pack immediately. Dogs that know their place in the social hierarchy are generally content to maintain that position, and are more comfortable and secure.
The degree of self-confidence your dog possesses will guide your behavior. If you've got a timid little one you've got to let him win a few games. But if you've got an adult who's regularly challenging you, he's got to know his place.

There are several subtle ways to teach a puppy its place in the pack:
1) Make him move -- establish territory control. Don't walk around your dog if he's lying in your path - nudge him out of the way and force him to move for you. Similarly, don't allow your pet to go through doors before you.2) No access to furniture unless invited - this is your territory. Being allowed on your bed or couch is a privilege that must be earned (by being well-behaved and house-trained, of course).3) You eat first - in the wild, the pack leader always eats before the rest of the pack. Enjoy your meals, then feed your dog.4) No free rides - the puppy needs to learn that everything in his world is controlled by you, and anything he receives must be earned - including your affection and attention. Ask him to perform simple commands such as sitting before eating, and enforcing the "down-stay" while you clip on his leash.

Exposing your pet to as many people and situations as possible will reinforce his place among humans. Teach him to sit while you're greeting people, and praise him for friendliness. Teach your pet right from the start how to behave around children, and let him know that he is below them in the hierarchy.
If a dog's place in his pack is not determined from the outset, he may eventually challenge you for the leadership position. He can be manipulative, demanding and possibly aggressive. It is difficult to alter this behavior once a puppy has grown, so asserting your place as the "alpha dog" while the pup is young is advantageous. It's also easier to put a pushy puppy in his place than a full-grown adult dog.
Just like humans, all dogs need limits and have to follow rules. One of the keys to a good relationship is respect. Set boundaries, be firm, and offer rewards, including love and kindness. You'll find you'll both be happier.

Home made dog treat recipes

As a dog trainer for Best Friends Pet Care, I do not train with treats. I want them to be consistent by command not by cookie. However that's not to say we can't ever give them a treat. We just need to make them EARN it. Work with them for your training session, get your time and training in and then give them a treat. A treat, not 6 or 7!

As a pet owner, I too give my dogs treats. (not for training!). I would prefer to go as natural as possible. I like to know what it is that's going in to them just as much as the next conscientious pet owner. I've compiled a list of home made dog treats for all discernible tastes. I hope you AND your pets enjoy them. (they make wonderful holiday gifts too, bake up a pan and make up a doggie cookie tray)

Liver Bread
Here is a recipe that's quick, easy, cheap, keeps well, etc. and dogs LOVE it.
· 1 lb of any kind of liver, pureed
· 1 cup of any kind of flour
· 1 cup of corn meal
· 2 Tbsp of Garlic powder (amount optional)
· 1 Tbsp of oil
Puree the liver and mix in the other ingredients. Spread on a cookie sheet or jellyroll pan (I line a pan with foil and oil it). Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Cool and break in pieces. I divide into bags and freeze. It thaws very quickly or the dogs will eat it still frozen. They care not.

Tuna Training Treats
· 2 6-oz. cans tuna in water, do not drain
· 2 eggs
· 1 to 1 ½ c. flour (rice flour is best, but any kind will do)
· 1 Tbsp. garlic powder · parmesan cheese
Mash tuna and water in a bowl with a fork to get clumps out, then liquefy in blender or food processor. Add extra drops of water if needed to liquefy completely. Pour into bowl and add flour and garlic powder; consistency should be like cake mix. Spread into greased or sprayed pan; I find that a round pizza pan or square cake pan is perfect. Sprinkle with LOTS of parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes; edges will pull away and texture will be like putty. Use a pizza cutter and slice into teeny squares. These freeze beautifully, and the dogs love them...and, no liver to mess with!

Go Bananas Treats
· 3 cups oatmeal
· 1 1/4 cups flour
· 2 eggs
· 1/4 cup oil
· 1/2 cup honey
· 1/2 cup milk
· 2 mashed bananas
Blend liquid ingredients, eggs and mashed bananas, making sure to mix well. Add flour and oatmeal. Mixture will be similar to cake mix. Spread into a well-greased pizza pan and bake at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes. Cut into tiny squares or strips using a pizza cutter. Keep refrigerated; store unused in freezer. The Scotties give these two paws up!!!

Turkey Treats
· 1 lb. ground turkey (pure turkey, NOT turkey sausage)
· 1 cup oatmeal
· 1 egg
· parmesan (I used 1/2 cup)
· garlic powder
Mix all ingredients together using hands and pat into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Cool *thoroughly*, then cut into thick strips (these do not hold together when slicing into small squares); freeze unused portions and keep the portions you're using refrigerated. Has the consistency of meatloaf.

Peanut Butter Treats
· 2 tablespoons corn oil
· ½ cup peanut butter
· 1 cup water
· 1 cup whole wheat flour
· 2 cups white flour
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine oil, peanut butter and water. Add Flour 1 cup at a time, then knead into firm dough. Roll dough to ¼ inch thickness and cut with small bone shaped cookie cutter. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Makes 2½ dozen.

Dog Cookies
· 3 cups whole wheat flour
· 2 small cans dog food or cat food
· 1 egg
· 1 ½ to 2 cups liquid (I make sure it isn't to dry or to wet so you may have to make your own judgment as to how much liquid to use. I also use left over gravy or broth as the liquid).
PreHeat oven to 375 degrees. Stir together all ingredients and drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes. These can be stored in refrigerated and also frozen.
After these are cooled down I cut them into small pieces with kitchen shears then put them in freezer bags and store in the refrigerator.

Fun dog facts

I'm always telling our clients at Best Friends, when working with your dog you need to keep it light and fun. Your pet will learn faster and be more receptive to the learning process if you keep it light. Make it too serious and that turns to stress and then they shut down their brains OR develop *bad habits* out of that stress. In keeping with the *light and fun* business of training, here are some fun dog facts :

Rin Tin Tin was the first American dog movie star and signed his own contracts for 22 movies with a pawprint.

Toto's role in The Wizard of Oz was played by a female Cairn Terrier named Terry.

In the late 1800's, Lassie type Collies were known as Scottish Sheepdogs.

George Washington had 36 foxhounds, and one was named Sweetlips.

Former President Lyndon Johnson howled with his favorite dog, Yuki, a stray rescued by his daughter, Luci, at a Texas gas station. He also had two Beagles named Him and Her.

Teddy Roosevelt's pit bull, Pete, once ripped off a French ambassador's pants at a White House event.

Franklin D. Roosebelt once spent $15,000 to have a destroyer return to the Aleutian Islands and retrieve his Scottie, Fala, who had been accidentally left behind.

Davy Crockett's dog was named Sport.

Zorba, an English Mastiff, is the heaviest dog on record, weighing 343 lbs at the age of 8 in 1989.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the smallest dog on record was a Yorkshire

Terrier in Great Britain who, at the age of 2, weighed just 4 ounces.

The longest lived dog, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, was an Australian Cattle Dog, named Bluey, who lived to be 29.

The first living being to travel in space was a small mixed breed dog named Laika, who gave her life orbiting the earth in the Russian Sputnik in 1957.

John F. Kennedy's terrier, Charlie, sired 4 puppies with Laika's daughter, Pushinka.

The Lundehund breed has 6 toes and can close its ears.

Dalmation puppies are pure white at birth.

Chihuahuas are born with a 'molera', or 'soft spot' like a human baby, which usually closes as they mature.

Dogs do not have an appendix.

An adult dog has 42 teeth.

The only sweat glands a dog has are between the paw pads.

A dog's normal body temperature is 100.5 to 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

If none are spayed or neutered, a female dog, her mate, and their offspring can produce 67,000 dogs in 6 years.

The most successful mountain rescue dog ever was a St Bernard, named Barry, who lived during the early 1800's and saved 40 lives.

A 12 lb Yorkshire Terrier named Oliver once defended an elderly woman from an 80 lb Akita. The woman escaped to safety and the Yorkie survived with only nine stitches.

A German Shepherd guide dog, named Orient, led her blind hiker the entire 2100 mile Appalachian Trail.

The Basset hound made famous in the Hush Puppies shoe commercials was named Biggles.
Biggles' grandson, Mr. Jeffries, earned fame as the dog with the longest ears in the world. His ears measured 11 and ½ inches each and he often tripped over them.

Tia, a 2 year old Neopolitan Mastiff gave birth to the world's largest litter in 2005. She delivered 24 puppies by Cesarean section. Twenty of them survived, setting another record of the most surviving puppies.

The world's tallest dog was a Great Dane from Sacramento named Gibson. He measured 7 feet when standing upright.

Andrew Larkey of Sidney Australia, walked 11 dogs at once on leash for one kilometer.

Twelve veterinary science students from the University of Sydney set a record bathing dogs when they scrubbed 848 dogs in eight hours.

The real hero of the 1925 Serum Run was really Togo. The 12 year old husky led his sled dog team through 260 miles of blowing Alaskan blizzard to deliver emergency diphtheria serum to Nome. Balto received most of the fame because he led the final 55 miles.

The first search and rescue dog on the scene of the World Trade Center disaster on September 11. 2001, was Bear, an 11 year old Golden Retriever. He began recovery efforts immediately, working 18 hour days in the beginning.

Endal, a yellow Lab, helped rehabilitate a Gulf War veteran. He also saved Allen's life, when Allen was struck by a car and knocked from his wheelchair, unconscious. "Endal pulled him into the recovery position, covered him with a blanket and grabbed his cell phone. After no response, he walked to a nearby hotel and raised the alarm.


Courtesy of SUITE101.com