Ottawa K9 School

Looking for a Dog Groomer in West Ottawa

New Opportunity for a certified dog groomer with 1 year minimum experience.

• Have you always wanted to practice your trade in a professional environment but find it too expensive to set up shop?
• Do you want to be your own boss?

Here is an opportunity to rent a commercial space located in a busy area with other canine professionals on a full time or part time basis.

Use your own personal dog grooming equipment. Tub & Water & electricity costs will included in the rent.

Serious, dependable applicants please call Sandy Benoit for an interview at 613 762 8869

I noticed this in the March 2010 Air Canada En Route magazine when I recently flew back from Arizona.

AS FOR OUR FURRY FRIENDS

We’re thankful to all hotels that welcome pets, but some outdo themselves.  At the Westin Nova Scotian in Halifax, staff will gladly take Spot for a complimentary trot, while Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City goes so far as to provide the pooch:  Its Dogs in Residence program means even those of us who had to leave our best friends at home get to take one of the resident dogs for a walk.

The Ottawa Canine School team is going to Calgary in June, to attend the CAPPDT conference. We are so excited! These weekends are so inspiring, educational and, well, simply amazing. I believe in continued education and the CAPPDT annual conference usually exceeds my expectations.

This year’s must-see line-up includes:

• Karen Pryor—scientist and author of “Reaching the Animal Mind: Clicker Training and What It Teaches Us About All Animals”, “Don’t Shoot the Dog!: The New Art of Teaching and Training” and more
• Steve White—Instructor for K-9 Academy for Law Enforcement , using positive reinforcement
• Ali Brown—Author of “Scaredy Dog!: Understanding and Rehabilitating Your Reactive Dog”
• Gail Fisher—Author of “The Thinking Dog: Cross-over to Clicker Training”
• Sue Ailsby—Creator of the Training Levels at www.dragonflyllama.com
• Veronica Boutelle—Author of “How to Run a Dog Business: Putting Your Career Where Your Heart Is”

And more!!
June 4—6, 2010
Calgary, Alberta

Interested in the conference? You do not have to be a member or a dog trainer to attend. Why not check out the schedule, or even register! Registration forms and schedule available at www.cappdt.ca

Canadian Association of Professional Pet Dog Trainers Conference & Trade Show

Has your dog ever been sprayed by a skunk?  Annoying isn’t it! At least we don’t have to keep our dogs away from scorpions, spiders, centipedes and rattlesnakes.

I just spent a few weeks in Arizona and was surprised to see that a very popular class dog owners take is “Snake Training”. I don’t know why I was surprised… rattlesnakes are a real concern. My mom almost stepped on a rattlesnake that was crossing the path.

Whether you call it “Rattlesnake bite prevention”, “Snake Proofing”, “Snake Breaking” or “Viper Voidance” the end goal is the same: teach your dog to avoid rattlesnakes!  Most trainers even use real rattlesnakes to do the training. Some pride themselves on not injuring the snakes, meaning they do not de-fang them.

Curious, I started to research snake training a bit more and was shocked (no pun intended) to learn that the majority of trainers use shock collars to teach dogs to stay away from the snakes. I actually did NOT find any training that did not use the e-collar or equivalent.  Some dog training schools call the collar a  ”stimulation collar” and explain that while the dog is exposed to rattlesnakes it is “powerfully stimulated”. One school explains, on their website, that it is important that the dog learns to avoid rattlesnakes at all cost, and that is is not uncommon for dogs to become very upset. This particular school, recommends NOT bringing children to the snake training classes, “due to the nature of the lessons”.  The dogs learn to associate the smell and sound of a rattlesnake with a negative correction, a shock from the collar. With about 15000 dogs getting bitten every year, there is certainly a need for Snake Training.

With positive training being so popular, I wondered if there were not a way to Snake Train your dog without using such an aversive? I think of my own dogs and truly don’t believe that yelling DANGER while Everest approaches a snake would save his life. Would I put a shock collar on my dog? The thought makes my stomach turn… but if it were for the unique goal of snake training, if it were to save his life and without a demonstrably effective alternative, I would have to consider it.

I’m glad I only have to worry about skunks, and maybe the odd porcupine!

The first dog my husband and I fostered, Simon, quickly became part of the family. We originally thought he had to put on a bit of weight, but we soon found out that it he was not just a skinny dog, he had cancer and little time left.  Everest, our dog, immediately became protective of him. When the time came to say goodbye to Simon,  I knew that Everest would be impacted by the loss of this gentle canine companion, so we gave him the opportunity to say goodbye. I truly believe that this helped Everest cope with his loss.

Yes, dogs grieve. They can grieve the loss of a canine, feline and human companion.

I recently lost my closest friend, Krista. She and her husband adopted Everest’s sister 4 years ago. During Krista’s illness, Dakota (that’s the dog) was especially gentle, patient, kind and loving. Normally active and sometimes even Hyper Active!, Dakota could sit quietly next to my friend for hours to provide a dependable  source of comfort and support.

I know that Dakota is grieving too.

So, how do you know if your dog is grieving? When a dog loses a family member or another canine companion, they may show you they are grieving by:

• losing interest in their favourite activities
• sleeping more than usual
• losing their appetite
• becoming disoriented
• becoming more clingy
• sitting by the window or door, waiting for the person’s return
• vocalizing more than usual
• becoming more quiet
• exhibiting behavioral changes

What can we do, to help a dog grieve a loss?

• Scent is very important to dogs. Keeping an item that smells of the departed can bring some comfort.
• Exercise can help. Take your dog for a long walk. It can help both of you.
• Road trips. Going somewhere? Why not take your dog with you if you can.

If you are grieving, dogs can be a great source of comfort. Just be careful not to use them as a shoulder to cry on. They need you, more than ever, to be a confident leader of the home.