DOG BEHAVIOR

How to Calm a Hyper Dog

By Cesar Millan

Having a hyper dog is a dog problem with many possible causes and solutions. Many hyper dog problems stem from boredom and a lack of stimulation. So in order to address the dog problem, you have to assess the way you are interacting with your dog and the kind of activity your dog gets on a daily basis.

Here are some simple techniques you can try at home to work to calm your hyperactive dog.

Ignore the hyper dog behavior.

Dogs seek attention from you. By paying attention to the hyper dog during outbursts, you’re reinforcing the very dog problem behavior that you’re trying to eliminate. The next time your dog is jumping or nipping at you in an overexcited way, give it a try — no touch, no talk, no eye contact — and see how you fare. You might be surprised how quickly the dog settles down.

DOG BEHAVIOR

Cesar Millan’s Best Tips to Stop Dog Barking

By Cesar Millan

Remember, barking is natural! It’s an important means of communication for dogs. But sometimes problems can develop. As the pack leader, it’s your job to step in and control excessive barking. Here are my 5 tips to help you stop nuisance barking for good.

1. Correct dog problem behavior and follow through.

Tell your dog to stop barking using a look, a sound, or a physical correction. But don’t stop there. Your dog may pause and then go right back to what he was doing. His body relaxed, but his brain was still on alert. Be patient. Wait until your dog completely submits before you go back to what you were doing.

2. Stay calm when trying to stop dog barking.

Constant barking can be irritating, but you won’t be able to correct the dog behavior problem if you are frustrated. Animals don’t follow unbalanced leaders. In fact, your dog will mirror your energy. If you’re frustrated, he will be, too! And barking is a great release for that frustrated energy. Take a moment to curb your own internal barking first.

3. Stake your claim to stop the barking.

Is your dog barking over and over again at the same object, person, situation, or place? Then you need to step up and claim that stimulus as your own. Use your body, your mind, and your calm-assertive energy to create an invisible wall that your dog is not allowed to cross. Do it with 100% dedication and focus, and the results may surprise you.

4. Stop the barking by challenging your dog mentally and physically.

Excessive barking is often the result of pent-up energy. If this is the case, the solution is simple: release that energy in more productive ways. Does your dog receive a daily walk? Can you make the walk more challenging with a bicycle, a backpack, or by walking on an incline? Can you provide more mental challenges, such as herding, agility training, or simple obedience games? There are many, many ways to increase the challenges in your dog’s life. Find one that you enjoy that your dog can participate in safely.

5. Get professional help to stop dog barking.

When you brought this dog into your life, you made a commitment to provide the care he needs. Prevent dog barking, and other dog behavior problems by calling in a canine professional to help him cope with a behavior issue.

Learn more about Nuisance Barking in the 5th Volume of the Mastering Leadership DVD Series, Common Canine Misbehaviors.

How to pick the right tooth paste for your dog

This is very important. Do NOT use regular human toothpaste for your dog. Most human toothpastes include fluoride, which is extremely poisonous to dogs. You can find toothpaste formulated for dogs at most good pet stores. You can also buy special toothbrushes that will facilitate the brushing process.

Neutering a cat extends its life span by two or three years.

RESCUE AND REHAB
Hello, Dolly! Championing the Cause for Pit Bulls

By Michelle Sathe

Reprinted from Cesar’s Way magazine

Erica Daniel had driven to the animal shelter in Seminole County, Florida, to rescue an injured pit bull. But the staff had just gotten another pit, a tiny female puppy who had been discarded in a trash bag by a breeder. Lying on her stomach, unable to stand or walk, a victim of a condition called swimmer puppy syndrome, she was in much greater need of Erica’s help.

“She was flat as a board, like a turtle, with her legs splayed out,” Erica, 27, says. “Our vet told us she had a heart murmur, possibly brain damage, and probably wouldn’t walk again or even survive.”

Erica, however, didn’t give up. The founder of Dolly’s Foundation, a nonprofit pit bull rescue, education, and advocacy organization in Sanford, Florida, she was used to fighting for the most desperate of dogs.

It helped that the puppy, now named Harper (pictured above), had a persevering spirit. The first signs of hope started after Erica began massaging Harper. The puppy stretched her toes and lifted her head. Encouraged, Erica sought more medical attention and intensive hydrotherapy for Harper.

At three months old, despite some slight neurological issues as result of the syndrome, Harper was walking and running about, even navigating stairs. “Her legs are out, and she looks a little goofy, but she’s a perfectly normal dog,” Erica says proudly.

Since it broke in September, Harper’s story has gained national attention. She and Erica appeared on the Today show, where the puppy charmingly chewed on Matt Lauer’s shoelaces. And artist Ron Burns has created a limited-edition Harper poster and will donate 40 percent of sales to Dolly’s Foundation.

“The attention has been jaw-dropping,” says Erica. “We’ve received literally thousands of emails from people who wanted to adopt Harper, and donations, too. A lot of people just wrote to say thanks for doing what you do.”

Erica knew what she wanted to do as a child. Inspired by a trip to the Orlando Science Center and volunteering at shelters, she went on to earn a degree in zoology and worked at a zoo for several years before becoming a kennel attendant at an animal shelter. “My heart,” she says, “led me back to rescue.”

It was at the same Seminole County shelter that Erica met Dolly, a snow-white pit bull who had been picked up as a stray. She had clearly been used as a bait dog by fighters, but Erica saw beyond Dolly’s frightening scars and injuries to the gentle soul beneath.

She adopted Dolly in 2010, tending to her injuries and training her to become an AKC Canine Good Citizen. Inspired, she also created Dolly’s Foundation, which she now operates full-time. The foundation has rescued dozens of pit bulls, placing them in qualified foster homes prior to adoption and providing low-cost spay and neuter services to pit owners in the area.

Erica and Dolly regularly visit Florida schools and hospitals to educate the public on pit bulls and dispel prejudice against them. In April, Erica was invited by Best Friends Animal Society to speak to the state legislature in Tallahassee on behalf of a bill that would overturn Florida’s “dangerous dog” law and allow shelters to evaluate and rehabilitate dogs used in fighting rings rather than automatically euthanizing them.

“Several of the representatives were on the fence and asked me for my opinion,” Erica says. “I said, ‘Look at my dog.’ I showed them the before and after pictures of Dolly, told them that she was a Canine Good Citizen and a therapy dog, that she does wonderful things for her breed.”

The bill was unanimously passed, and Governor Rick Scott signed it into law.

“People ask me what my goal is, and I always say global domination,” says Erica. “Pit bulls get such a crappy rap, but they’re just dogs. I want to teach everyone what there is to know about these dogs that I know and love so much.”

With a series of children’s books based on Dolly coming out, she is well on her way. Targeted to nine-to-12-year-old readers, the books will focus on such social issues as bullying.

“I want someone to read these books and want to rescue a dog like Dolly or Harper, to be compassionate toward animals,” Erica says. “Kids are the future. There was something in me as a kid that made me who I am today. I want to be that for a lot of kids.”

For more information on Dolly’s Foundation, visit dollysfoundation.org. To order a signed Harper print by Ron Burns, visit ronburns.com/harper.

By Joe Wilkes

It’s award season in Hollywood and that means Tinseltown is putting on the dog, and this year, literally. Dog news Daily inaugurated its Golden Collar Awards on Monday, giving away trophies to Hollywood’s most talented canines of 2011.

Uggie, the Jack Russell terrier, who was the most talked-about star in The Artist, the film with the least talking, won the big prize of the night, Best Dog in a Theatrical Film. Uggie beat out Cosmo, who played Arthur in Beginners, Denver as Skeletor in 50/50, Hummer as Dolce in Young Adult, and himself, cross-dressing as female character Queenie in Water for Elephants. He also had to face a last-minute entry, Blackie, the Doberman Pinscher who played the villainous Maximillian in Hugo. Blackie wasn’t originally nominated, but his director, Martin Scorsese, wrote a long op-ed piece in The Los Angeles Times decrying the discrimination against dog actors who play villains. A Facebook petition later, Blackie made the ballot, but it wasn’t enough to stop the juggernaut (or Uggernaut) from The Artist.

Uggie has already appeared on the red carpet at other award shows with his Artist family, notably at the Golden Globes, where he stole the show walking on his hind legs during the filmmakers’ Best Picture acceptance speech. The awards have been especially sweet for Uggie and his trainer, as Uggie has been afflicted with a disease causing him to shake, which is putting a premature end to his acting career. His trainer Omar Von Muller accepted the award with Uggie and thanked the awards committee saying “This is very important for all the trainers in the movie industry, because we have never been recognized before, and people just don’t understand that it takes hundreds, even thousands of hours to train a dog.”

Acting can be a lucrative gig for dogs and their trainers. Dogs typically get paid between $350 to $500 a day and often receive perks such as air-conditioned trailers, premium hotel rooms, and first-class airfare. Unfortunately, unlike their human counterparts, dogs don’t belong to a union like the Screen Actors Guild, so they don’t get residual payments when their work is shown and don’t receive benefits or pensions. So they have to keep working if they want the treats to keep coming. Trainers must usually manage multiple animal actors to make ends meet.

Golden Collars in other categories were also given out. Brigitte, the bulldog who plays Sofia Vergara’s nemesis on Modern Family, took home the Best Dog in a Television Series (beating out the only human nominee, Jason Gann, who plays the pot-smoking, beer-drinking pooch Wilfred in Wilfred). Koko won Best Dog in a Foreign Film as the title character in the Australian Red Dog. Rody won Best Dog in a Direct-to-DVD film (I would have called the award Best Dog in a Dog) as Marley in Marley and Me: The puppy Years. And in happy news for pit bull lovers, Hercules, the pit bull from Pit Boss tied for Best Dog in a Reality Series with Giggy from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Kathy had a great weekend at the Orlando dog.Pictures latter.

Pit Bull Spotlight: Bud

In 1903, the first people to cross the United States in a car were Horatio Jackson and his assistant Sewall Crocker. Accompanying them was Jackson’s pit bull Bud who became the first dog to cross America in the Winton Vermont automobile. Bud’s specially made driving goggles reside in the Smithsonian today.

WOOF symptoms that suggest something is wrong with dog’s ears: red, irritated, wax buildup, discharge, foul smell, head shaking, paw licking