ANN ANDREWS DOG OBEDIENCE
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Apple Cider Vinegar and Dogs
February 28, 2019
Have you ever considered using apple cider vinegar to aid your pet's coat or digestion? While apple cider vinegar is not toxic to pets, health benefits have yet to be proven by adding this supplement to your pet's daily routine. As always, the best thing you can do is check with your vet before adding anything to your pet's diet or cleaning regime. They might have other suggestions that would be better suited for you and your dog! For more information, please visit this dogster.com article.
Cleaning Your Dog's Ears
December 26, 2018
Most dogs should have their ears cleaned monthly. Depending on your dog's breed and ear sensitivity, you might need to clean their ears more often. If your dog's ears look or smell dirty, they should be cleaned. Pet-safe ear cleaner and cotton swabs are recommended for cleaning. If you have questions about frequency of cleaning or ear cleaning itself, it is always wise to ask your veterinarian for advice.
Is your dog getting enough exercise?
November 9, 2018
Please visit this Dogster article to determine if your dog is getting enough exercise.
Are your houseplants toxic to your pets and family?
November 5, 2018
Passing this house plant alert along from a veterinary clinic:
Please help us spread the word about this. We are seeing more and more Sago Palm's for sale as house plants. We were very disappointed to see that the Sago Palm plants in some stores still have no warning label. These plants are very toxic to pets. To make matters worse, the plants have seeds around their base. The seeds are the most toxic part of the plant and many dogs will eat them when they drop off. It takes a very small dose to cause liver failure. Many dogs don't survive, even with treatment. We took the picture on the left at Home Depot (warning tag) and the one on the right at Walmart. (None of the Sago's at that Walmart had warning tags.) These have also been seen at Target and Ikea.
We recommend you do not have these plants in your house because even if you put them high out of reach, the seeds can fall off onto the floor. Click on the pictures and familiarize yourself with its distinctive appearance, because often they are just called "palm plants" (technically they are not palms, but cycads) or not labeled at all.
"Did I really do and say that?"
November 1, 2018
"Did I really do and say that?" Oops, handler error. Believe it or not, we humans are too often the cause of a number of unacceptable behaviors in our dogs.
If you have trained your puppy or dog with me, you know that I make you take a look at yourself and what it is you may be doing that could be causing confusion or unwanted behaviors in your dog. These personal evaluations often result in an "Ah, ha!" moment and a breakthrough in connecting handler with dog in mutual understanding.
Dogs have worked beside humans for thousands of years. Their jobs included: guarding; pulling wagons, sleds; carrying supply packs; hunting; herding; rescuing people from water, snow and even fires; and as war dogs.
Today we see them serving many of these traditional jobs, and more specialized ones that have evolved into medical assist, service, therapy, and even electronic scent detection animals. If dogs can do all of these things, then why can't the family pet obey simple commands?
When you and your dog train with me, we start from the beginning and keep it simple, using only gentle and positive training methods. I approach teaching basic dog obedience commands with corresponding hand signals as if I am helping the dog learn English as it's second language.
My approach in assisting the dog's owner (handler) is how to become an objective observer and communicator with your dog. When this is done correctly, it effectively builds confidence, mutual trust, and understanding of expectations between the handler and dog.