When Julie added her continued training at Camp Bow Wow I signed up again to get Wyatt’s jumping down. THANK YOU, Julie! Wyatt is able to use his gentle leader as well as just his leash in a calm manner. He listens more and is getting better and better at walking calmly on his leash. When you have a 92 Lb. dog that is no longer a danger to others with his jumping, it makes going places a pleasure. I’d recommend Julie’s Pawsitive Effects to anyone with a new dog.

Marilyn R. 10/4/08

Stella and I have participated in two of Julie’s clicker training classes. I have worked with dogs in the past myself encouraging behavior modification. The clicker training only reaffirmed my understanding that in any training of dog and his master, the bond is deepened along with the respect one for the other. Clicker training not only accomplishes the objectives sought but is also great fun. It can be adapted to any new skill once the basic is learned. I am grateful to Julie for having taught us some new commands and will continue to grow through that knowledge. As always, it is mostly the master who needs the training – the dog is just along for the car ride!

Mary M. and Stella

We loved Julie's positive approach to training! Our 2 golden retrievers quickly responded to it, and are well on their way to being good canine citizens. Julie's love of dogs and knowledge of canine behavior really helped us understand some of the typical out-of-control behavior we were experiencing with our puppy. We look forward to working with Julie for any future training needs.

Linda L., Jasmine and Lexi

 BASIC OBEDIENCE DOG TRAINING CLASSES

Upcoming Classes

WEDNESDAY, OCT 24TH – NOV 12th, 7:00-8:00 P.M.

LIFE SKILLS ADVANCED CLASS

PUPPY TRAINING CLASSES

(puppy age is up to 6 months)

At the current time I don't have any puppy or life skill classes scheduled but they are available so call if you are interested in attending a class.

DAY TRAINING CONDUCTED AT CAMP BOW WOW

You bring your dog to Camp for daycare or boarding and then schedule training sessions directly with Julie. You select the behaviors you want your dog to learn or improve. You will receive a report card after every session stating what was worked on during the session, the progress your dog is making and recommendations for practicing at home.

What Your Dog Will Learn...

• Come when called

• Sit or down and stay until released

• Go to his place mat and stay until released

• Walk nicely on a loose leash

• Be well-behaved in company

• Leave it-items on the ground or on counter

Your dog also will also learn what NOT to do

• Not to jump on people - no matter how old or young

• Not to dash through doors or up and down stairs

• Not to mouth or nip

If you don't see a class that works with your schedule please call or email me as I'm flexible on the days and times classes are offered.

Julie Caswell

C: 864-633-6570

H: 864-277-3922

Do laws restricting breed ownership prevent dog bites?

The effectiveness of Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) on reducing dog bites continues to be a hotly debated issue. Some cities and counties -such as Denver - and even entire countries - like the United Kingdom, Germany and Spain - have restricted the ownership of certain breeds of dog that have been labeled as dangerous. The specific breeds that are restricted vary from place to place but often involve pit bull type dogs and other dogs bred for fighting and personal protection.

Until recently, the debate has been based mostly on opinion rather than scientific evidence. Two studies, the most recent published this month, have addressed the issue in a scientific way and shed some light on this contentious and highly emotional issue. Both studies compared bite rates before and after BSL legislation was enacted.

In the earlier Scottish study, the researchers compared the incidence of dog bites seen in one emergency room for three months just before their Dangerous Dogs Law took effect and then again in the same hospital for the same time period two years after the law took effect. They found overall dog bite rates did not decline, and in fact were unchanged (99 dog bites). The breeds most responsible for bites before and after the legislation took effect were the same - German shepherds and mixed breed dogs. Bites from the restricted breeds - Pit bulls, Rotweilers and Doberman pinchers were very low but actually increased from 6 to 11 after the BSL came into effect.

The most recent study compared dog bites reported to the health department of Aragon, Spain for 5 years before and 5 years after the introduction of their Dangerous Animals Act. As with the Scottish study, there was no change in rumbers of reported dog bites after the implementation of the BSL, and the breeds most responsible for bites both before and after the BSL were those unrestricted by the legislation - German shepherds and mixed breed dogs. The restricted breeds -American Staffordshire terriers, pit bull terriers and Rottweilers - were responsible for less than 4% of the reported bites both before and after the BSL took effect.

These data suggest that legislation restricting the ownership of certain breeds of dogs is ineffective in reducing the overall rate of reported dog bites, and that the breeds subject to the restrictions were responsible for very few of the reported dog bites. In fact, they were much less likely to bite than more popular breeds such as German shepherds and Labrador retrievers. Laws attempting to protect the public from dog bites or any other hazard should be based on sound science, not personal and/or biased opinions or hysterical news reports.

Great Expectations is St. Francis' premier educational event for parents-to-be! The event is a FREE, multi booth exposition that offers a learning experience centered around pregnancy.

Camp Bow Wow and Pawsitive Effects Dog Training will be providing information on introducing your pup to your new baby, Don't forget about Fido when that special delivery arrives!

The holidays can be very stressful and dangerous for your pets. Here are some tips to make sure they have a safe and happy holiday.

FOOD

Chocolate can affect the nervous system and cause urinary system and heart muscle damage in your pet. It also contains theobromine which can be especially harmful to dogs if ingested in large quantities. Keep unsweetened baking chocolate, especially dark chocolate out of reach.

Onions are toxic. They inhibit an animal's ability to coagulate blood. Foods containing high amounts of onion powder should also be avoided.

Watch the string that ties up the turkey or roast, as well as the little red "pop-up" thermometers. Dogs and cats often eat these tasty things, causing intestinal blockage.

Grapes and raisins can lead to loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and acute renal failure in dogs resulting in death.

Bread dough if eaten by your animals can expand in their stomach and cause blockage.

DECORATIONS

Hang breakable, glass ornaments well out of reach. The small glass and metal fastenings can be stepped on or even swallowed by your pet.

Keep tinsel, ribbons, and garland out of reach of pets, especially cats that are intrigued by them. These can become lodged in their intestines and cause obstruction and lead to surgery or death.

Clean up pine needles frequently. They can be toxic when eaten by your pet.

Prevent your pet from drinking water in the tree stand if you have added preservative chemicals. These can be poisonous to pets. Also, stagnant water can contain bacteria, which may lead to vomiting and diarrhea if ingested.

Mistletoe, especially the berries, is highly toxic, can cause stomach upset, and has the potential to cause fatal heart problems.

STRESS

Make sure your pet has a safe, quiet place to retreat to when the holidays and company become too much.

Keep up with your pet's exercise schedule and maybe even add in extra walks. A walk before a party or company coming will help keep your pet calmer.

There is so much controversy about this topic that I thought it was well worth posting this article by Aiden Bindoff, http://positivepetzine.com/

The answer is, it is a fact.

However, like most facts, we should not imply that simply because dog dominance is a fact that dogs are constantly trying to "rule the roost", or that we need to eat first, go through doors first, never let our dogs sleep on the bed etc. That would be circular reasoning.

Yes, dogs do form hierarchies. No, those hierarchies are not stable, they are contextual and change over time.

Dominance is a relative term, not absolute. Only very rare individuals are considered to be 'dominant' all the time. Most dogs are not suited to being 'alpha' and most of them realise it. When it comes to alpha, you either are or you aren't.

When it comes to individual behavior problems, leadership is absolutely essential. But what does that mean? Will a behavior problem simply disappear because you eat first, don't let your dog sleep on the bed, and always go through doorways first? Absolutely not.

It is important to set rules and boundaries. Good leaders do that, but these should not be arbitrary. It makes no difference to a dog if you eat first or last. Service dogs are fed all day long in training and rarely have any behaviour problems which could be attributed to "dominance". They often go through doors first, and I know of a good many highly trained service dogs who share their owner's bed and even sleep on their laps in some cases. None of these dogs have "dominance" issues!

The shortest path to solving a behavior problem is to look at the behavior for what it is. What purpose does it serve? How is this problem behavior working for the dog? Are this dog's needs being met? What behavior would we like to see instead of the unwanted behavior?

Then we can set about making what works for the dog the same thing that works for us, like a good leader should.

This is a great article by Aidan Bindoff, Editor.  Visit his site for more articles - http://positivepetzine.com/

Many dog or puppy owners find themselves blaming their dog for not listening. When you have invested time and effort into training, it can seem like a bit of a disappointment when your dog suddenly decides to stop listening to you, or that something else in his world is more exciting or interesting than you are.

The truth is, dogs just do what works for them. It is up to you, as a puppy or dog owner to teach your pet to listen to you by making 'listening to you' work for them. Many dog owners inadvertantly teach their dog to ignore them!

So how do we teach a dog to listen to us?

Dog owners frequently repeat commands over and over. If your dog didn't respond the first time, repetition isn't going to help. Repeating commands teaches a dog that either the command is meaningless or that it's ok to respond in their own sweet time!

We should never ask for a behavior that we aren't at least 80% sure we will get after asking the first time. If there are too many distractions, we're in a new situation, or the behavior just isn't very well learned; then we probably won't get the behavior we want.

Train quietly. It's a hang-over from the old military-style dog training that we bellow commands at our dogs. Dogs actually have a powerful sense of hearing, and can hear our tiniest whispers. That's not to say that a command shouldn't be clear and audible, but if you only ever bellow commands during training, don't expect your dog to learn to pay attention to you unless you are bellowing. A dog who has learned to listen carefully will tend to pay more attention.

A bit of meaningless chitter-chatter is ok every so often, but dogs don't speak our language and we don't want our cues to become lost amongst the noise. When training, try not to talk too much. Effective communication comes through quality and clarity, not quantity.

If you find yourself in a situation where your dog won't respond to a cue, and you're sure he knows it in other situations then ask yourself "what is different about this situation?" It could be that there are too many distractions for your dog to focus. It could be that the situation is vastly different from any that you have trained in.

Go back to basics when this happens. Remove distractions if you can, and re-introduce them slowly. Start at the beginning in a new situation, even if it means using a food lure briefly to 'get the behavior'. If there's too much going on, move away from the action a bit.

Remember to always set your dog up for success. If your dog can't succeed, you can't reinforce. If you can't reinforce, nothing useful has been learned.

While we're on the topic of reinforcement - make sure your rewards are meaningful. By definition, reinforcement is only reinforcement if it increases or maintains behavior. A full-up dog being offered lousy treats, or a dog-tired dog being offered a chance to chase a ball is probably not going to be too interested in training.

Quit while you are ahead. Don't try to train for too long. If you train too long you start getting sub-standard behavior. Reinforcing sub-standard behavior will only give you more sub-standard behavior in the future.

Don't feel like you have to reinforce every behavior you ask for and get. Once the behavior is well learned, stop reinforcing the worst offerings. e.g If your dog is trained to come when called, don't reinforce if he takes too long to respond. Set him up for success, and reinforce the faster responses only.

Train often. Dogs need to learn to learn, and by training often and training consistently, your dog will learn how to play the training game with you. It should be a game, too. If training isn't like playing a game with your dog, it stops being fun for both of you.

Be worth listening to. Be someone your dog trusts and respects. Be predictable, confident, calm, and decisive. When you make a decision, stick with it. If you decide that your dog can't sit on the couch, lead him onto his mat every time he sits on the couch. Don't give in just because he's giving you "those eyes". It's another matter altogether if you decide to invite your dog onto the couch as a reward for giving you some other behaviour you asked for, though.