Going to the dogs: Before you take your four-legged friend skiing, make sure he's up to the task

Here's an article I found about taking your dog skiing.  I never would have thought about doing this, so I found this article very interesting. 

I know my dog loves to go places with me, and I enjoy having him come along.  We went to the beach in California but he absolutely HATED it and would not get anywhere near the water.  I can only imagine what would happen if I took him somewhere with snow.  After all, he is a southern dog from the warm climates!

The first time he saw snow, he looked at me very quizzically and refused to go outside.  So, I don't think skiing is in our future!
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By BILL HAGGERTY
The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Before we get started this cross country skiing season, let’s talk about dogs.
Should you take them cross country skiing with you?
Or not?
One of the best places to ski nordically with a healthy and prepared canine companion is at the Mesa/Delta County Line Cross Country Ski Trails, expertly groomed by the Grand Mesa Nordic Council (GMNC).
The Nordic Council provides designated dog trails in this area. Loops from one kilometer (.62 miles) to about four kilometers (2.48 miles) are beautifully laid out by the good folks who groom these trails four times a week, weather permitting.
One of the worst places to ski with your pet is at Skyline Cross Country Ski Area, a few miles closer to Grand Junction. That’s because other backcountry users have major “issues” with your pet... holes in the track where a skier wants to plant and kick, dogs chasing you, dogs snarling at each other, brown klister ...
There are other life-threatening issues as well: your dog can get hypothermia, frostbite, have a heart attack or stroke, just like you. They can get injured, hungry, dehydrated and tired.
Sarah Shaw knows a lot about pets on Grand Mesa in the middle of winter. That’s because she and husband, Kenton, graciously donate their lives to the Grand Mesa Nordic Council, and they have participated in a half-dozen dog rescues over the past few ski seasons.
“People are slowly becoming more educated,” she said, “but they need to be reminded that animals can suffer as much as we can.
“If it’s a sunny day and the snow is hard as a rock and there’s no one around, I guess it’s OK, but for the most part, I don’t encourage anyone to take their dogs skiing with them. Some dogs just aren’t right for the winter climate we have here — puppies, old dogs, dogs with short hair — they’re better left at home.”
According to Drs. Foster and Smith, of the famous pet catalog company named after them, minor cases of frostbite in pets “usually involve only ear tips, whereas more extensive freezing causes the loss of the tail and appendages (toes and legs). Death may result if the limbs are involved. Dying tissue attracts bacteria, and severe, life-threatening infections can result.”
Hypothermia “is a condition in which the body temperature becomes too low for normal functioning. It is more common in animals that are short-haired, small, wet or have no shelter during periods of cold temperatures,” according to the good doctors’ Web site, www.drsfostersmith.com.
That could happen every day on Grand Mesa from now to next spring.
Want more on doggie issues like hypothermia, frostbite, and how to treat them? Check out drsfostersmith.com AND ask your veterinarian.
If you ski or snowshoe with a four-legged sidekick, hazards exist that you may not see.
Remember, you’re gliding on top of the snow with your skis or snowshoes, while your dog is post-holing through the deep stuff. They may encounter stumps, ruts, vegetation, rocks, fallen trees, stream beds, water bodies, and many other natural and man-made objects that could cut a paw, sprain a leg or freeze a toe.
No matter what, as Sarah suggests, provide a hardy breakfast for your four-legged friend, at least an hour before exercise. (Longer-bodied dogs should eat two hours before exercise. Like horses, they may bloat, which is very dangerous). Carry plenty of snacks and water for your dog as well as yourself.
Before you take your dog skiing, check the temperature and wind chill factor. It’s updated daily on the Nordic council Web site at http://gmnc.org.
Give your dog plenty of time to acclimate to altitude and a chance to rest. He’s working a lot harder than you are.
When your adventure is complete, be sure to have blankets or old sleeping bags in your car to warm your dog.
Check pads, stomach and groin area for scrapes or chafing from snow build-up. Never let your dog ride in an open pickup, wet or dry.
There are many dog friendly cross country/snowshoe areas in western Colorado. Check with local land use agencies before you go.
One final word: If your pet does not come to you when it’s called, it should not be off lead. But, if you’ve got a pet that needs to burn energy and get out as much as you do, do us a favor: pick up his doo-doo, and take Fido to a place where he’ll be appreciated.
Go to gmnc.org for up-to-date conditions reports on Grand Mesa, then either join the Nordic Council or drop a few bucks into the donation box at the trail head next time you’re there. After all, you are the beneficiary of their fine deeds!

Are Rat Terriers jumping dogs?

Image via Wikipedia

Here is the best answer, rated 100% on Yahoo answers:

I own a rat terrier and we compete in agility. Lots to say about them...

1. You won't find out much about them on the AKC website. AKC still doesn't recognize them as a breed (they're in the ILP program in the process of being recognized by AKC).

2. They're in the terrier family but really aren't much of a terrier. They were originally a mix of a Manchester Terrier, Black & White Terrier (now extinct). Then American farmers mixed in some beagle (for nose), corgi (for herding ability), and sight hounds (Greyhound, Italian Greyhound, Whippet) for speed and eyesight. Teddy Roosevelt popularized this breed (brought his ratties into the White House and set them on the rat population in the Jefferson's aging greenhouse).

Thus, while they'd dig, they don't dig like most terriers. They don't go to ground like most terriers. And they tend to be more social and focused on people than most terriers. Also, while they'll sound the alarm (ie: good watch dog), they usually don't bark a lot. These dogs are quick, very agile, very tough for their size, athletic but unlike a lot of terriers (especially Manchester Terriers and JRT's) they have an "off" switch. Ratties typically aren't as good at "going to ground" as most terriers (who typically don't mind going into holes after particular vermin). Lots of rat terriers also don't care for water--mine won't go into a pond or beach for instance and again most terriers are fine about water.

3. I don't know what size rattie you have: toy (up to 6-8 pounds), miniature( up to about 14 pounds), standard (up to 28 pounds) or Decker (up to 45 pounds). Rat Terriers are great at tricks. It's rare that the bond with only one person.

4. The poster who talked about "dominating" your rat terrier is, well, that's totally different from my experience and all of the other rat terrier owners I know. Rat Terriers, unlike say a Min Pin, are sensitive dogs (that is the part of them that is kind of un-terrier like). They do much better with positive training methods than negative or harsh approaches. And as long as you use positive methods they're usually easy to train. The toughest part is given the combination of beagle (great nose) and sighthound, they're easily distracted. Case in point: I was running an agility course in my backyard and in the middle of a fulltilt run, my dog stopped and raced 40 feet away where he stopped and looked down. I walked over and there was a dying bee in the mulch. My dog was focusing on me, working hard at agility, running full speed but from his peripheral vision, caught the motion in the mulch of a bee 40 feet away. So Rat Terriers are often easily distracted through sight or smell elements. But in terms of trainability, not only does my guy do agility but I've taught him to jump into my arms while I'm standing, weave between my legs as I walk, crawl, roll over, climb on command onto specific objects (rocking chair, stool), recognize left from right. His favorite activity of all is soccer where he likes to run and juggle a soccer ball on his head so it doesn't touch the ground.

5. Are they "jumping dogs?" Well, my rat terrier measures 15 inches at the whithers/shoulders. He jumped out of a 42 inch ex-pen (without any kind of a runup to get speed). He can jump into my arms (that's about 44-50 inches off the ground). It will vary from dog to dog but generally speaking, ratties are athletic dogs. They like walks, they like playing with another dog (my guy likes to play keep-away and then vault the other dog as it runs).

6. My advice for a great relationship for you and your rat terrier.
--give it exercise. My guy is in good shape and we walk him alot (90 minutes a day) plus agility training or classes, sometimes he jogs with me, plus kicking a soccer ball. Walks, play dates with other dogs, kicking a ball, a class---all are good ways to exercise your rat terrier.
--give him mental stimulation. Start working on tricks right now.
--keep the training positive. These are typically smart dogs who will read your demeanor, learn from experiences. Clicker training works very well with ratties.
--they're also problem solvers. That means if they think their solution is better than your's, then they'll tend to ignore your command. So shaping behavior is important.

Last of all, a rat terrier story from a family I know that got a rat terrier. Husband and wife are on the sofa watching a movie eating popcorn. Rattie looks expectantly like "is some of that popcorn for me?" Humans tell him "no." He looks mournful. They ignore him. So he runs and gets one of the wife's shoe, brings it into the room and begins to shake it. Husband and wife get up to take the shoe away and he goes racing through the house. They finally find the shoe on top of the bed and return to their movie....only to see their rat terrier laying on the sofa eating out of the popcorn bowl. Wife says to husband "that dog is smarter than us." Like I said, they're problem solvers.

 I have to say that I totally agree with the writer about the intelligence and abilities of the rat terrier.
You can visit the original answer here>>

Here are some videos I found showing the agility of these little terriers.  I laughed out loud when I watched these videos.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

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Living with Ratties!

Image by JKleeman via Flickr

 Here is a snippet I found out in the net about living with two ratties.  As I read it, I was chuckling to myself, as these thoughts have been expressed by anyone who owns rat terriers.  In this snippet, the author can't figure out how to keep the dogs out of the kitchen.  I simply gave that idea up.

Other rattie owners talk about how these lovely little sweeties can be so independent, intelligent, loyal, stubborn, did I say stubborn?  Well, all of those traits are true to the breed, but the best trait of a rat terrier is the love you get in such a compact bundle.

These are not cuddlesome, fluffy puppies.  These are more like caffeine crazed cats in a very small dog body!
They will cuddle--but when they want to.  They will be held--but only when they want it.  They will mind your commands--as long as you ask them to do what they want to do anyway.

Anyway, owning a rat terrier is unlike owning any other type of dog.  I have had mutts, pure breds, and I have to say having a Rat Terrier is my favorite!

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Rat Terriers

I live with two Rat Terriers that are just plain smarter than I am. They have the ability to reason. I have an entry way to my kitchen from the living room and there is no door. When I have guests over to my house for dinner, I would like to keep the dogs out of the kitchen while I am cooking. I have tried various tall dog gates but so far, I haven’t found one that keeps the dogs out of the kitchen. The first one I tried had little holes in it big enough for the dogs to climb up like a ladder. Before I knew what was happening, there they both were in the kitchen! The next one I bought was an accordion style that they just kept knocking down any time they felt like it. I have even tried to crate them but the howling sounds they made would put a banshee to shame. I guess that I will either stop inviting guests for dinner or just explain to my guests that in our house, dog hair is a spice.

Posted on November 11th, 2009

These doggies jump, climb and leap

Image via Wikipedia

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  Videos
  
  
  

LAGUNA WOODS- Linda Samson has trained her dogs to jump, climb and leap through obstacles, all with lots of coaching, love and of course the occasional treat.

Samson, originally from South Africa, has lived in Laguna Woods Village with her husband for just over a year now, and since she retired she has more time to devote to her beloved pastime—dog agility training.

Samson has spent the last six years training two 12-13 pound rat terriers—Lexi, 7, and Surfer Girl, 5. Lexi has won the high honor of "Accomplished Performance Dog" by the U.S. Dog Agility Association (USDAA), and both have competed and won numerous competitions across the country.

Laguna Woods Village resident Linda Samson, with her two rat terriers, Surfer Girl, left, and Lexi. Samson trains the award-winning dogs in many dog agility competitions across the country--but Samson says it's just plain fun.

"I've always wanted to do it," she said of dog agility training. "It's been a lifelong ambition of mine. I've always loved animals and I love training animals."

Dog agility competitions are run by both the American Kennel Club and the USDAA and can offer prizes up to $10,000. In dog agility competition, a dog is led through an obstacle course by a handler, and then given points based on speed, accuracy and the difficulty of the course. At some events, dogs compete in events for a few days, then judges tally points at the end to determine a winner.

"You plan your sequence to get the most number of points," said Samson of some courses where handlers can choose the obstacles.

Samson said she was always interested in dog agility training, and when she found she had the time, she began reading books, watching DVDs and taking coaching lessons.

She said there are a few different kinds of courses and using body language is key to leading the dog through, since they take silent cues from their handler. She said dogs like Lexi and Surfer, because they are small, pay attention to your feet. Although there is a lot of time put into training the dog, Samson said she likes it because it makes her and the dogs happy.

"I find them fun and challenging, too," Samson said of competitions.

Samson has been readying both dogs for the 2009 Cynosports World Games which begins Nov. 11 in Scottsdale, Arizona, one of the largest competitions put on by USDAA. Samson said Lexi will compete in six events and Surfer in three, with some of the best dogs from the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Now that she is retired, Samson said she usually makes it to competitions twice a month.

Samson said it is fun for her and the dogs to train for these events. She said three times a week she attends classes at Jump Start Dog Sports training facility in Yorba Linda, and also rents a field to practice obstacles with the dogs. She also runs and walks with them outside daily. Samson said she prefers the jumping and running in dog agility to dog shows.

"It's so much more fun," Samson said. "Dog shows are just boring."

 In addition to jumping through obstacle courses, Lexi and Surfer also have worked with cancer groups and in hospitals as therapy dogs for patients. They perform tricks for patients to keep their spirits up.

Samson said Surfer loves tricks, as she performs an instant roll on the floor of her home when Samson yells out, "Bang, bang, you're dead." And she said Lexi, the elder of the two, is more focused when on the course.
And what are her secrets to training a dog? Positive reinforcement, said Samson, in addition to treats.

"I mean, you wouldn't work without a salary check would you?" she said.

Read the original article here

Pictures of my little man!

Rat Terrier ResQ

To One Dog, You May Just Be the World…

Rat Terrier ResQ, Inc. is a national all-volunteer Rat Terrier rescue group committed to saving Rat Terriers in need. These dogs are special loving creatures and, at times, end up with people who don’t understand them. These Rat Terriers may end up in shelters after having been abandoned, neglected or abused. We work to get them safe, loved, and healthy — and then find them the real forever homes they so rightly deserve.
Rat Terrier ResQ takes in the unwanted, the unloved, the untrained, the unmanageable, the underestimated. We watch these dogs as they develop and learn, as they become wanted, loved, trained, manageable and just-right! Please consider giving one of our Wonder Dogs a new life by adopting from ResQ today.
Rat Terrier ResQ has Rat Terriers available for adoption in in foster homes all over the United States. Are you looking for a new Rat Terrier to warm your heart? Read about all of the Rat Terriers we have available for adoption.
Our adoption fees are Adults $150., Puppies (under 6 months of age) $175. and AHTs $200.
If you know of a Rat Terrier in danger of euthanasia, please let us know.

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Can’t adopt but still want to help a dog? Please visit our Sponsor Dogs to choose a dog to help!

This is one of the rescue sites I love to visit.  They have the cutest pictures of ratties!  Now that my little man is getting up in years, I am thinking more and more about another rattie, but with all the foster dog issues right now and Satch's hurt feelings, I think I will have to just keep looking and find ways to support these organizations.  Rat Terriers make the best pets for anyone.  They are loving and loyal and very fun-loving.

Please visit the site below to see if you can help.

The Animal Rescue Site

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The Animal Rescue site is the newest addition to a network of charitable web sites run by CharityUSA.com. CharitiesUSA.com uses the marketing power of the World Wide Web to get corporate sponsors to donate in exchange for advertising. Proceeds generated by the site are used by the North Shore Animal League America and the Fund for Animals "to provide food and care to animals awaiting adoption or living in the animal sanctuaries."
Other CharitiesUSA sites include the Hunger Site and the Rainforest Site.
 
The Animal Rescue Site focuses the power of the Internet on a specific need — providing food for some of the 27 million unwanted animals given to shelters in the U.S. every year. Over 10 million animals are put to death every year in the U.S. alone because they are abandoned and unwanted.

Each click on the purple "Click Here to Give - it's FREE" button at The Animal Rescue Site provides food and care for a rescued animal living in a shelter or sanctuary. Funding for food and care is paid by site sponsors and distributed to animals in need at the Fund for Animals' renowned animal sanctuaries (including Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch in Texas and the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in California), pet shelters supported by the Petfinder Foundation , North Shore Animal League , and other worthy animal care facilities supported by the GreaterGood.org foundation.

100% of sponsor advertising fees goes to our charitable partners.
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I signed up for the email reminder and every day I give the site a click.  I will always do this because I believe that there are too many homeless and hungry animals out there.  This is one way I can do more than just feeding the strays in my neighborhood.

I hope you will also click daily and provide food and care to helpless animals all over the world.

If you visit their site, you can also shop online and help third world craftsmen make a living.  I use the site to buy several gifts throughout the year.  The quality is excellent and the cost is reasonable.  All around a win-win situation.

The foster dog Saga continues!

Tomorrow is the day we are taking the little foster dog in to be neutered.  He will get his last shots and then have his procedure done.  After that, I will have done all I can to give him a good life--except adopt him which is looking more and more likely. 

My Satchmo, however, is not pleased.  I spent the entire night last night being the referee between the two dogs.  Satchmo likes to sleep under the bed covers but up by the pillows so his nose is exposed.  This little dog, Austen, usually will sleep at the foot of the bed on top of the covers, but last night he wanted to sleep under the covers and when he could not do that, he wanted to sleep on top of Satchmo.  Guess who didn't exactly agree with the sleeping arrangements?  Yep!  I spent most of the night separating the fighting dogs.  I was not pleased with either one, but I do have to agree with Satchmo that he should not have to give up his spot just  because there is a new dog here.  I cannot quite make Austen see the sense of this, as he very much wants to have his head right up Satchmo's butt.

Anyway, the two will just have to work it out, or one of them will be sleeping in the cage at night.

Rat Terrier Rescues

Today I want to showcase one of the rat terrier rescue sites I visit regularly.  Here you will find information about ratties, but more importantly, you can view pics of available ratties that are waiting for a "forever home".  Who knows, maybe the dog you need is there just waiting for you.

Seriously, ratties make the best companions and are the most loving pets.  They are energetic, but not annoyingly so; they are loving, but not in a clinging, needy way.  They love to please and are very intelligent, so they learn well.  The only drawback to the breed I have found is that they are very independent and can be stubborn.  This is really not a problem if you learn to handle your rattie correctly.

So, today I want to talk about Ratterrierresq.

Here is an excerpt of one of the available dogs for you to see and think about adopting.

Monty

Sex: Male  •   Located in: Connecticut   •   Age: Adult

*Monty is being fostered in South Windsor.*
My name is Monty, and I am about 2 to 3 years old and weigh 14 pounds. I love to run and play, but my most favorite spot is next to my human. I love stuffies (stuffed toys) but I’m a little hard on them. I am learning about walks on the leash,and am a doggie-door champ, but at first that was a little scary: now I teach everyone else how to use the doggie door when they first get here. My foster mom says I am very handsome (of course), very smart and the best snuggle bunny you have ever met. I love, love, love to sit in my person’s lap, and snuggle with them under the covers at night. I am house trained, don’t really like the crate very much and would prefer to just be loose in the house. When I see a new house, I might forget and try to “mark,” but a stern word is all it takes to remind me. I can jump really high, and the perfect home for me would have a fenced backyard, or someone to walk me a lot. If you are looking for a handsome guy to be the love of your life, look no further! Please see more pictures of Monty!

liamorgan “Feedback lies at the core of effective learning.” Gladwell. #necc09

This dog is okay with:

cats

dogs

kids

Came to rescue on: Apr 15, 2009  •  Permalink to Monty's profile  •  

Good Dog, Smart Dog

 After reading this article, I have a new found appreciation for my little man.  I have always known that he was special, but I really never thought he could be as special as the dog in the article.  However, it seems I have very low expectations of my little man.

I only included an excerpt from this article.  There is more than what I have below.  Please go to the original site to read it in full.  Then, won't you come back and tell me if you agree or disagree with the article?
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By SARAH KERSHAW

Published: October 31, 2009

Life as a Labradoodle may sound free and easy, but if you’re Jet, who lives in New Jersey, there is a lot of work to be done.

Ross Macdonald

He is both a seizure alert dog and a psychiatric service dog whose owner has epilepsy, severe anxiety, depression, various phobias and hypoglycemia. Jet has been trained to anticipate seizures, panic attacks and plunging blood sugar and will alert his owner to these things by staring intently at her until she does something about the problem. He will drop a toy in her lap to snap her out of a dissociative state. If she has a seizure, he will position himself so that his body is under her head to cushion a fall.
Jet seems like a genius, but is he really so smart? In fact, is any of it in his brain, or is it mostly in his sniff?
The matter of what exactly goes on in the mind of a dog is a tricky one, and until recently much of the research on canine intelligence has been met with large doses of skepticism. But over the last several years a growing body of evidence, culled from small scientific studies of dogs’ abilities to do things like detect cancer or seizures, solve complex problems (complex for a dog, anyway), and learn language suggests that they may know more than we thought they did.
Their apparent ability to tune in to the needs of psychiatric patients, turning on lights for trauma victims afraid of the dark, reminding their owners to take medication and interrupting behaviors like suicide attempts and self-mutilation, for example, has lately attracted the attention of researchers.
In September, the Army announced that it would spend $300,000 to study the impact of pairing psychiatric service dogs like Jet with soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with post-traumatic stress disorder. Both the House and Senate have recently passed bills that would finance the training and placement of these dogs with veterans.
Hungarian researchers reported in a study last year that a guide dog for a blind and epileptic person became anxious before its master suffered a seizure and was taught to bark and lick the owner’s face and upper arm when it detected an onset, three to five minutes before the seizure. It is still somewhat mysterious how exactly dogs detect seizures, whether it’s by picking up on behavioral changes or smelling something awry, but several small studies have shown that a powerful sense of smell can detect lung and other types of cancer, as the dogs sniff out odors emitted by the disease.
Beyond these perceptual abilities, in which trainers can use the dogs’ natural instincts, some research has examined dogs’ actual cognitive ability, and found not just good doggie, but smart doggie.
“I believe that so much research has come out lately suggesting that we may have underestimated certain aspects of the mental ability of dogs that even the most hardened cynic has to think twice before rejecting the possibilities,” said Stanley Coren, a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia and an author of several books on dogs.

Read the rest of this article here>>

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