January 2013 - Puppy Mill Rescue - Over 60 Dogs Saved

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66 PUPPIES AND DOGS RESCUED FROM PUPPY MILL

Most will be available for adoption on Saturday, January 12

North Shore Animal League America and National Mill Dog Rescue have joined forces once again to save the lives of 66 puppies and dogs facing destruction.

On Monday, January 7, Animal League America’s Rescue Team pulled up to the safety of our no-kill rescue and adoption organization after a long trip from the Midwest, where puppy mills—commercial breeding facilities that provide little if any medical care or socialization to their animals—are common. When these dogs are no longer useful for breeding, or if a puppy becomes “too old” to sell, the mill owners often destroy them.

The dogs range in age from puppies to adults, and include: Shih Tzus, Maltese, Schnauzers, King Charles Cavaliers, Yorkshire Terriers, French Bull Dogs, Poodles and one Shar-Pei, a beautiful dog whom rescuer Darrell Rhodes named Ruffles.

Although mill breeder dogs have a very hard life until we rescue them, they are amazingly resilient animals. Thousands of these beautiful dogs have been adopted from us over the past few years, and their families tell us that they make the most loyal, grateful companions imaginable.

As with all our rescues, the dogs are being evaluated by our expert medical and behavioral teams here at Animal League America. They are expected to be available for adoption on Saturday, January 12, at our Port Washington, NY campus.

Animal League America saves the lives of nearly 20,000 Mutt-i-grees®—a term that describes any rescued pet, whether mixed breed or purebred—each year.  Our collaborations with organizations such as National Mill Dog Rescue are vital to our lifesaving efforts.

Theresa Strader, Executive Director of National Mill Dog Rescue, has dedicated her life to saving mill dogs, and she is grateful for our partnership. “Our relationship with North Shore Animal League America is extremely meaningful,” she says. “So many more animals’ lives are saved because we do this together.”

Animal League America is dedicated to finding permanent homes for as many innocent animals as possible, and we need your support. Please click here to donate to our life-saving work, or click here to find out more about all the animals available for adoption.

 http://www.animalleague.org/rescue/pet-rescue-programs/puppy-mill-rescue/rescue-alert-local.html?autologin=true&sub_src=national_version

Please support the Animal League's Rescue Efforts

How to choose a trainer for your dog?

      It is no easy task to find a good trainer for your dog. Probably, it is as difficult as select a good school for a kid. Here is a brief  guide that might  be practical.

First step. Get a clear idea what is the purpose of teaching or training  your dog. In most cases – to have a civilized and socialized pet as a pleasant companion. The whole educational process will take about 15 – 20 hours of obedience training. You can find a qualified instructor and most of the work do yourself. Probably, you think about brilliant sport career  for your dog in IPO, mondioring, agility? In this case you’ll need more than one trainer and spend years on the training ground.

Second step. If you live, for example, in Canada, or US, or Australia, you can refer to professional associations of trainers. Such associations were created in many countries but not everywhere. If there is none, ask in the kennel club or consult with your breeder. In practice a lot of people prefer to seek through Internet or ask their friends or those whom they consider to be a responsible dog owner.

Third step. You need to decide whether your puppy will attend classes on the training ground or will have “home education”. Both variants are acceptable. Each of them has its plus and minus. Group lessons also help to socialize a young dog. However, in some cases first individual lessons will be preferable. What is important: do not follow anybody’s example. Be attentive to your dog, watch his/her behavior and choose the way that will make your unique dog civilized and well trained.

Fourth step. Ask the trainer what methods he/she apply. Try to see how he/she conducts the training with other dogs.

Fifth step. Ask for a program for your dog: what skills will be developed, what exercises will be used, what time will it take. Any trainer with considerable experience can answer your questions.

Sixth step. Better to decide beforehand whether you will participate in training or the instructor will train your dog by himself. In my opinion the first variant is preferable as it reinforces dog-owner mutual understanding. However, the second variant is also rather popular as a lot of people have no time to come with their dogs to training ground regularly.

Seventh step. It is very important to have the psychological contact with the trainer of your dog. Try to find a person with whom you feel psychologically comfortable.

And – the final step.  Look at the dog of the trainer. Would you like to have a dog with such a behavior? The dog can tell you a lot about his master and answer many your question.

Good luck !

Please share and comment.

More about dog training  www.kosmaj-dog.com 

House Training Your Puppy

The most important thing to remember in training a new puppy is this: puppies and dogs learn best by being praised when they do the right thing, NOT by being punished when they do the wrong thing. Housetraining can be challenging, but can be made easier if you follow these basic do’s and don’ts, and stick to them.

Do

1. Keep in mind that a puppy is the equivalent of a human baby and has to eliminate frequently and like a baby when your puppy has to go, he can’t wait and will simply squat and wee on the spot. Take the puppy out, or to the area allocated for toilet training, every 2 hours during normal waking hours in addition to immediately after eating, waking, playing and when the puppy starts “rooting” around and before being bedded down for the night.
2. Pick the puppy up and take it to the same place each time that has been designated. Give this place a name and stick to that name – I use “Toto” but any word or sound of your choice can be used. This will also help when your puppy progresses to going to the toilet in the garden, still use the same word and your puppy will understand much more quickly what is required of him.
3. Praise and reward the puppy with a small treat immediately after it urinates or defecates in the appropriate place.
4. Allow the puppy to “go” several more times as puppies don’t have the ability to eliminate everything in their bladder on the first squat. If you do not allow enough time, chances are you’ll end up with an unwanted puddle or pile!
5. Make a loud noise (not shouting) to startle the puppy if you catch him in the act of going toilet in an improper place, scoop him up and take him to the designated place and still always reminding him of the name for this place.
6. Feed the puppy at regular intervals. This will make it easier to regulate bowel movements.
7. Keep your new addition close to you when you are at home by confining him to one room to make it easier for you to monitor when he need to go toilet.
8. As important as it is to know the right things to do in housetraining a puppy, it is even more important to know the wrong things you can do. The wrong things will not only hinder your toilet training efforts but can develop harmful behaviour in your puppy.

Don’t

1. Don’t punish the puppy when it has an “accident”. Puppies don’t have the ability to understand that they are “in trouble”.
2. Don’t take the puppy over to it’s mess and put his face in it. This is meaningless to the puppy, and again will only frighten or confuse him and may even make him think you want him to eat the stuff!
3. Don’t leave the puppy to eliminate by itself. If you are not there to praise him immediately after he goes, he will not learn where is the right place to go toilet.
4. Don’t bring the puppy back immediately after he goes as it takes several squats for him to be able to eliminate everything.
5. Don’t give treats “for free”, as puppies will very quickly lose the motivation to do the right thing that is required of them.
6. Don’t lose your temper or use corporal punishment when the puppy slips up – because he will – this is all part of the housetraining process. After all, you wouldn’t shout or punish a child you are trying to toilet train!

REMEMBER your puppy’s progress depends largely on your consistency.

Before you know it, your puppy will grow into a well adjusted fab pet that wouldn’t think of relieving himself in the house!

http://www.petloversmatch.net/blog/house-training-your-puppy/

Dog sport: one of the best decoys works

About dog's loyalty to a died owner

Loyal dog continues to attend mass at church where owner’s funeral was held

By Dylan Stableford, Yahoo! News | The Sideshow 

A loyal dog whose owner died late last year has apparently been showing up for Mass every day for the last two months at the church where the funeral was held.

Tommy at Santa Maria Assunta church (Nikonarte Fotografia/Daily Mail)

Tommy, a 7-year-old German shepherd, used to accompany his owner, Maria Margherita Lochi, to services at Santa Maria Assunta church in San Donaci, Italy, according to the Daily Mail, and was allowed to sit at her feet.

After Lochi died, the dog "joined mourners at her funeral service" according to locals and "followed after Maria's coffin" as it was carried into the church.

Tommy, a stray who was adopted by Lochi, has been showing up "when the bell rings out to mark the beginning of services" ever since.

"He's there every time I celebrate mass and is very well behaved," Father Donato Panna told the paper. "He doesn't make a sound."

None of the other parishioners has complained, Panna said, and villagers give the dog food and water and allow him to sleep nearby.

"I've not heard one bark from him in all the time he has been coming in," Panna added. "He waits patiently by the side of the altar and just sits there quietly. I didn't have the heart to throw him out—I've just recently lost my own dog, so I leave him there until Mass finishes and then I let him out."

Examples of this type of extreme canine loyalty are incredibly common.

In 2011, a fallen Navy SEAL's Labrador retriever lay down next to his owner's casket at a funeral service in Rockford, Iowa, refusing to leave.

A dog lies near the casket of a fallen Navy SEAL in 2011. (The Atlantic)

The heart-wrenching photo of the scene, taken by the SEAL's cousin and posted to Facebook, soon went viral.

And on Tuesday, a 60-year-old man's dog watched and waited for 30 minutes as the Fire Department rescued his owner after he fell through thin ice into the freezing waters of the Colorado River:

Nearby hunters witnessed the accident and called 911. But while they waited for help, the man's dog refused to leave the scene. Like a worried relative in the waiting room, the dog paced back and forth, trying to reach the man, who repeatedly waved the dog off, fearing for its safety.

"This is simply who dogs are," Dr. Karen Overall, an Animal Behavior expert, told Yahoo! Shine. "We have had a close, cognitive, emotional and working relationship with dogs for tens of thousands of years, and we have both been changed by that history. Dogs are heroic to us because they live up to that relationship."

Canine loyalty extends beyond humans.

Last year, a male pit bull refused to leave the side of a female pit bull who had been dead on the side of a road in Phoenix. According to local news reports, the male pit bull stayed with her for more than 14 hours.

How to teach ANY dog to COME!

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Anniversary of a Youtube channel - 100 videos.

A year and half ago we launched our Youtube channel Elena JNHelen. The idea of the title emerged just on the spot:  our dogs became the first actors of the first video – first letters of their names Jay and Nijel – were chosen for the first letters of the title of the new born channel. Now we celebrated a kind of an anniversary  – as it includes  100 videos. 
Our everyday life gave us a lot of ideas and topics for  films: various dog’s training – obedience, defense, jumping; dogs’ behavior – in various situations; sport competition – mondioring championship in Nieuwpoort (Belgium), Mondioring World Cup in Lyss, national championships. It is no easy job – to shoot animals, particularly so speedy as malinois who are the key participants of mondioring competitions.  The most difficult thing is to trace the movements of the dog and keep him in the cadre.   

Now we are preparing a set of videos about the  street training to show and teach dog owners to implement the knowledge and skills of their dogs, accumulated on the training grounds, in the real life.

We use the channel as a considerable storage of various videos for our website www.kosmaj-dog.com to illustrate different trainings and methodic  as the team training, which is based on the pack's behavior (pack training).

Making films about nature is exciting - to show Autumn colors, Winter frozen forests, or thunderstorm in mountains.  Music makes those films alive. Classics or neo-classics: Wagner, Paul Mauriat are preferable.

Each video has its own history, as “Christmas sounds”. It’s not too popular, however it’s of great value for us. Last Christmas we made a three day trip to Rome to attend Pope’s Christmas congratulations on the St.Peter Square. His speech full of trust into human intellectual and spiritual potentiality , reaction of the people, the whole friendly and solemn atmosphere were unforgettable. From the St.Peter square people dissipated into streets, cafes, parks. We made a video which, we hope, expresses the light mood of that day, with street musicians, performances on the Place Nova and sounds of fountains by Bernini.

There are a lot of other videos made during our travels : Toledo, Alhambra, Munich…

We are glad if some of them got “likes”. We are grateful to all our viewers.

Welcome to our Channel and please share and comment.