Gibson

This poem, author unknown, speaks to my heart today.

Goodbye, My Friend

When our brief time
Together nears its end
I have the faith
In my heart that the
Love that dwells in your soul
Will give you strength
And courage to let me go

You and I
We have been friends
Secrets I will keep
That you have confessed
Will remain with me
From this life
And into the next

In this life
My path seemed clear
My task ~ to teach
You of the greatest
Gift of all
So even if it seems
Beyond your reach

Show me one last time
I’ve done my job well
And return this
Unconditional love
As you hold me
Close and bid me
Farewell.

It’s November and a time of giving thanks.  I do feel thankful each day because I’m passionate about the work I do, but I’m feeling particularly thankful today because my Aussie, Gibson is now home and feeling well after four days in the University of Georgia Veterinary Hospital ICU with an unknown illness.   I’m thankful too for the North Georgia Animal Emergency Hospital in Blue Ridge, Georgia and their expert care and treatment when they determined Gibson had blood in his chest cavity and clear fluids in his abdominal cavity, and Blairsville Animal Hospital before the referral to UGA for further diagnostics.

Though the diagnosis remains elusive, one of the first things the vets considered was toxin ingestion.  This was highly unlikely because of the way we live our lives (organically) and the fact that Gibson is rarely, if ever, outside without me and is always in a fenced area.  Nonetheless, I’ve given lots of thought this week to things that could be toxic to dogs and other pets.

Do you know that the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center receives close to 100,000 phone calls each year about dogs that swallow or become exposed to dangerous toxins?  Over 15,000 of those calls were about common food ingredients in our cupboard or on our tables that can make dogs sick.

While most dog owners are aware that chocolate, coffee, caffeine, alcohol, raisins, grapes and macadamia nuts are toxic to dogs, there are a few items that are not as well known. Unbaked yeast dough toxicity is particularly a problem in small dogs. Rapidly multiplying yeast cells cause swallowed dough to continue rising, creating a risk of blockage or even rupture of dog’s gastrointestinal tract.  If Fido starts acting lethargic don’t wait, but seek out veterinary care. One of the newer toxicities that have come to light is Xylitol poisoning, unfortunately thanks to “sugar-free” products.  Xylitol is an artificial sweetener that causes dogs to have very low blood sugar levels and can lead to liver failure. This product is most commonly found in sugar-free gums and if your dog snatches just one piece it can be toxic. Another toxin is zinc. If your dog swallows a zinc penny, screws or other items containing zinc, it can cause zinc toxicity leading to gastroenteritis, hemolytic anemia, inflammation and possible necrosis of the liver, kidney or pancreas.

So, what can you do?  Be sure to store potentially dangerous foods and household items in places your dog can’t reach.  Educate your friends and family to keep toxic items away from your dog. Don’t let your dog roam free where he can find toxins elsewhere.  Keep phone numbers on hand for emergencies: your vet, the closest emergency clinic and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Hotline: 888–426-4435 which is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  And if your dog is acting strangely or exhibiting strange symptoms, be sure to err on the side of caution and take him to the vet because waiting could be fatal.

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Lisa Lyle Waggoner is a CPDT-KA, a Pat Miller Certified Trainer-Level2, a dog*tec Certified Dog Walker and the founder of Cold Nose College in Murphy, North Carolina.  She enjoys providing behavior consulting and training solutions to clients in the tri-state area of North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee, as well as offering fun educational opportunities for dog trainers and dog hobbyists throughout the U.S.   www.coldnosecollege.com

Training & Education for Dog Lovers!

Do you need help with your dog or puppy?

Want to put your career where your heart is?

Spend a week honing your skills with a shelter dog?

Escape to the mountains for a weekend getaway with your dog?

 Then you’re in the right place. 

Welcome to Cold Nose College, the Land of Dog. 

We know dogs inside out, tip of the nose to tip of the tail. 

We know how they think and more importantly how they learn.

Read to get started?  Call us at 828–644-9148, today!

www.ColdNoseCollege/education 

Ahhhh, early autumn and changing leaves!  As the days get cooler, my thoughts turn to hiking with my dog.  I’m fortunate to live in an area where I can easily walk outside of the fenced acreage around my home and hit a few trails.

I love being out of doors and so does my dog!  If it’s exciting for me, it’s nirvana for a dog with all those fabulous smells.  For your dog, the outdoors is like their own personal iPod and cable TV rolled into one…it’s excitement, for sure.  Even before I grab my shoes, my dogs’ eyes are sparkling with the mere thought of going outside with me.  Before taking your dog into the woods or on a trail, you should make sure your dog is prepared.  Perhaps even more importantly, you should make sure you, your dog’s protector, are prepared.

The most important factor to consider is will your dog truly enjoy herself?  Have you socialized your dog well so that she’s comfortable and confident in new situations?  Have you done the training necessary to ensure she’s controllable around other people and other dogs?  Does she have a reliable recall (if not, on-leash hikes are the ticket).  Will the weather be too hot or cold to ensure her comfort and safety?  While you can never predict the weather, being prepared and being willing to adjust accordingly will help make your journey successful.

Once you’ve done the proper planning, here are some tips to make the day successful.  Let a friend know where you’re going and when you plan to return.  Check out the local dog policies for area or trail you plan to hike.  Confirm your dog is current on rabies and other necessary vaccinations.

Take water from home for you AND your dog and stop frequently to give your dog water breaks.  Don’t let your dog drink from streams or lakes where there’s potential to ingest bacteria or parasites (like giardia).  Dogs can easily over exert themselves, so make sure you give her a break if she seems tired.

After your hike, be sure to give your dog a thorough check (ears, face, body, feet, etc.) for any briars or burrs she may have picked up along the way and also check her paw pads for cuts or stickers.  Once you return home, you can both enjoy a well-earned dinner and some R&R together.  Give her an extra special belly rub and revel in the glory of spending time out of doors with your furry friend.

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Lisa Lyle Waggoner is a CPDT-KA, a Pat Miller Certified Trainer-Level2, a dog*tec Certified Dog Walker and the founder of Cold Nose College in Murphy, North Carolina.  She enjoys providing behavior consulting and training solutions to clients in the tri-state area of North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee, as well as offering educational opportunities for dog trainers and dog hobbyists throughout the U.S.   www.coldnosecollege.com

Training, Exercise and Mental Stimulation at Day School

Get a Better-Behaved Dog Quickly

Day School

We help dog owners get the best possible manners from their dogs.

Does your dog’s unruly behavior seem impossible to change?  Don’t be fooled.  All dogs can learn nice manners, and yours is no exception. We use positive, science-based training to change behavior quickly.

A few of the problems we solve for dog owners every day:

At Home or Out & About: Jumping on visitors, pulling on leash, rushing the door at the bell, not coming when called, barking at people and other dogs, basic manners such as sit/stay, not listening to commands, not listening

Life with Puppy:  House-training accidents, puppy biting and mouthing, crate training, socialization to people and other dogs

Behavior Problems: Aggression issues, anxiety, shyness, protectiveness of toys or food, Thunderphobia, sound sensitivities

Do any of those sound familiar? If so, we can help—with these and many other problems.

What it is A fast, effective way to get a well-behaved dog. We do the training for you, then show you how to keep your dog’s improved manners from slipping.

How it works You drop your dog off at our training facility 3 times per week for half a day’s intensive training and exercise. Total number of weeks depends on your training goals, but 3 to 6 weeks is typical.  Day School is $45 per day.

Day School hours

Mon: 8:30am–12:30pm. Wed: 12:30pm–4:30pm. Fri: 8:30am–12:30pm.

Please visit the dog*tec website to read more about it. We look forward to seeing you soon

Jesse, Ranger & Shasta with their Trainers

Last week we held our first Pat Miller Canine Behavior & Training Academy at Cold Nose College.  The 6-day academies are focused on the science of how dogs learn and hands-on practical training.  The course attracts dog trainers who desire to bolster their existing knowledge (and who may want a solid dose of additional science before taking the CPDT exam), shelter workers and dog hobbyists.

We partnered with the Blairsville Mountain Shelter who provided the untrained shelter dogs for the students.  After performing behavioral assessments on a variety of dogs, three dogs were chosen:  Jesse, a lovely 6 month old Mastiff mix, Ranger a 2.5 yr old Shepherd mix and Shasta a 9 month old brindle shepherd mix.

The dogs were each paired with an academy student.  Jesse joined Shining Young, an aspiring trainer from Taiwan, now temporarily living in California; Ranger joined Lisa Matthews, a practicing dog trainer from Atlanta, Georgia; and Shasta joined Sara Boyle an aspiring trainer from Virginia.   The dogs received 6 solid days of learning and went through the Cold Nose College 6 week Basic Manners lesson plan. Now, that’s a lot of learning.  If you’re looking for a dog who has a head start with some training, look no further!

Here’s some further info about each dog with a few words from their trainer:

Shining teaches Jesse “Down”

“Jesse is the sweetest dog I have ever met.  I can’t imagine there’s anyone that wouldn’t enjoy her company.  After 6 days of working with Jesse, she shows great improvement!  Jesse learned how to Sit, Down, respond to her name and Come when called (all on verbal cue). Because she has such a calm and mellow temperament, she’s nearly perfect in sitting when greeting new people.  Jesse also did great at loose leash walking and learned to walk gently by my side.  It’s rare to see a puppy 6 months old so calm and polite.  She enjoyed petting, training and playing with he squeaky ducky!  Her ability to love you will be immeasurable!”  ~ Shining Young

Lisa taught Ranger a lovely Sit

“Ranger’s sweet, appeasing nature and his motivated attitude made him a pleasure to learn from and train. Tears fill my eyes as I write this because I cannot understand why this sweet dog has not been adopted. My prayer is that he will be in his forever home soon!

Ranger is a laid back, sweet, appeasing boy who loves to snuggle up for attention. He’s easily trained and is highly motivated by food, toys, petting, and praise. He walks nicely on a loose leash and would be a great new best buddy for anyone looking for a dog that will adore them beyond words.

Known cues: sit, down, come, leave it, trade, spin, twirl, and touch.

Favorite things: leaning on you; being petted; walking; playing with his doggie friends; going for walks; chewing on hoofs, chewing on bully stick, playing with squeaky toys, and most of all BEING ADOPTED BY YOU! ” ~ Lisa Matthews

Sara shows off a lovely Sit by Shasta

“Shasta is a gorgeous girl who needs someone with patience to help her transition to family life and help build her confidence. As she has lived over half of her short life in the shelter, she will need more socialization to continue to blossom. She does bark initially at new people, so a positive training class to work on keeping her attention and focus on you and using a yummy treat (such as Vienna Sausages) to distract her so that she learns new people mean great things happen.

We have worked a lot with her to greet politely and she has caught on very fast that jumping up on people is not the way to get attention. She also has been offering to sit before opening the door. She is toy motivated and loves to play with empty plastic water bottles as well as play tug with any toys. For walks, we have been using an easy-walk harness along with a martingale and in just a few days of practice, she is walking at my side checking in to see where we will go next.  With continued training, the possibilities with her are endless.” ~ Sara Boyle

All three lovely dogs are immediately available for adoption.  Please call the Blairsville Mountain Shelter at 706–781-3843.

Sara working with her shelter dog, Shasta

Do you want to.….….…..

Make a career out of training dogs?

Become an expert trainer for your own sake?

Improve your work with shelter dogs?

Prepare for your CPDT exam?

Then come to the stunning Blue Ridge Mountains for this intensive 6-day academy on dog training and behavior taught by Pat Miller and Lisa Waggoner. Whatever your background, this course will give you the foundation required for professional dog training—and is the first step toward Pat Miller Certification.

You’ll be honing your skills working with a shelter dog who will benefit greatly from your time together. Graduates come away with a thorough understanding of how dogs think and learn, improved training skills, new professional relationships, and insight into the work and business of being a dog trainer.

Overview

Next dates: April 2, 2012 & September 10–16, 2012

Where:  Cold Nose College

Who for:  Dog trainers at all levels, shelter workers, and dog training hobbyists.

Duration: 6 days

Class size:  8 students

Cost:  $1,200

Program Objectives

• Lay a solid theoretical and practical foundation in the scientific principles of behavior and learning and their application to the real world of dog training
• Explore the dog training profession from the perspective of business practice and ethics
• Provide an opportunity for dog trainers to share, compare, analyze and hone their positive training and behavior tools and methods
• Graduates of the program should be well equipped to return home and apply their knowledge effectively in an existing training business or during apprenticeships and other ongoing learning experiences.

Instructors

Pat Miller, CPDT-KA, CDBC, is the owner of Peaceable Paws, Director of the Peaceable Paws Academies, and an internationally acclaimed trainer and seminar speaker. She is the training editor for the Whole Dog Journal and the award-winning author of five books on dog training and behavior.

Lisa Waggoner, CPDT-KA, PMCT-2, is the founder of Cold Nose College and a trainer and behavior consultant to clients throughout the southeast. She’s a regular dog training columnist for the Cherokee Scout Newspaper, a DVD Reviewer for The APDT Chronicle of the Dog, a contributor to the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainer’s newsletter, and a dog*tec Certified Dog Walker.

What You Get

√ Certificate of completion

√ Great training for CPDT exam

√ 22 CPDT CEUs

√ Eligibility for Level 2 & 3 academies

√ Access to online network of 200 grads

√ Light breakfast and snacks every day

For further info, email lisa@coldnosecollege.com or call us at 828–644-9148

Lisa and her shelter dog, Ranger, show off some lovely loose leash walking.

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