COVID-19 and Your Dog

Coronavirus (Covid-19) and Your Dog

We have been faced with probably the most difficult challenge of our lifetime. Covid-19 has affected everyone all over the world.

COVID-19 Has Changed Us

It has our economy turned upside down, our daily lives changed for what might be forever, and many families will never be the same. However, there are a few positive outcomes to these particularly challenging times.

Dogs Are Enjoying Extra Time With Families

This is providing our pups with around the clock company, entertainment, and playtime.

Increase In Pet Adoptions

Another positive outcome has been the rate of pet being adopted from shelters. Many reports indicate that pet adoptions have dramatically increased during the last few months. Fox Business News on April 21, 2020 reported, “As of March 15, more than 1,500 people had completed online foster applications in New York City and Los Angeles, according to an ASPCA spokesperson – which is equivalent to an approximate 500 percent increase from ‘traditional application numbers’.”

Those adoptions are great outcomes for dogs as well as for the people adopting them. However, learning to live together on a full time basis has its challenges when it comes to maintaining harmony in the home.

Tips For a Successful Home Quarantine

Here are a few tips for a successful quarantine life and eventual return to work/school:

- Have a daily routine with your dog and your family. Get up early. Get the entire family, including the dog, to go for a walk. Have different family members walk the dog and make sure they are doing it properly.
- Occasionally wear a face covering around the house to get your dog accustomed to people with masks.
- Train your dog. Take five minutes with your dog twice per day. Pick one task at the time and practice it a few times.
- Engage your dog mentally. Play scent games or practice a few commands throughout the day.
- Give your dog some “kennel time” everyday. It does not have to be long but make sure your dog has some quiet time alone. Eventually, members of the family will return to work and to school and your dog should be accustomed to spending time alone in the kennel.
- Be consistent. Do not let the dog engage in behaviors now that you would not allow later. For instance, if you let your dog jump on the couch with the kids to watch TV but you would not like to see that behavior later, then do not allow it now. Again, be consistent. Breaking an undesirable behavior is more difficult than preventing one.
- Hire a professional dog trainer who can help you reach the goals you have set for your dog. AZ Dog Sports offers many different classes. You have options for indoor, outdoor or online classes to choose from.

Did You Know?

Canine Coronavirus Disease (CCoV) virus is a highly contagious intestinal infection that affects mostly puppies.
CCoV does not affect people and it is not related to Covid-19
The World Organization For Animal Health states, “ To date, there is no evidence that animals play an epidemiologically relevant role in spreading the human disease”.

Additional Resources

https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/2020-03/covid-19-faq-pet-owners_031620.pdf

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/animals.html

https://apdt.com/covid19/

~Ida DeLeon, CPDT-KA, AZ Dog Sports

How to House Train a New Dog

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House Training My Dog

When my daughter graduated from college she decided she was ready for a new puppy. So she got a Husky (against my recommendations, but we will save that discussion for another time).

When the three-month-old puppy, Kona, arrived at her new home, my daughter showed her around. She wanted to “house train” her. She told her new puppy “here is the bedroom, where you will sleep and here is the patio where you will go to the bathroom”. On the same day, Kona stood by the door to let my daughter know she needed to go outside.

As soon as Kona was tall enough to reach for the door handle, she would let herself out.

There was no training, no messes, and all in no time

However, most of us have a completely different experience when trying to house train our dog. We spend time cleaning messes and figuring out what to do next. Some people even contemplate giving up their dogs because of house training challenges.

How can we help? Here are some steps you may take to improve the speed and reliability of house training.

Kennel, Kennel, Kennel

No, it is not a cage or a punishment! You want your new dog to associate the kennel as her den. Feed her, put her toys inside, and occasionally toss treats in the kennel. Make sure that it is big enough for your puppy to stand up and turn around, but small enough that there isn’t space for her to potty on one side and get away from the mess on the other.

Take your new best friend out of the kennel and straight outside

Wait with her to go potty. If you want to teach her to go on command, wait for her to start going and repeat “go potty, go potty” until she is done. Don’t make eye contact with your dog, just repeat the command.

Keep feeding time at a regular schedule

If the dog drinks, expect that she may need to go outside in about 20 minutes, especially for young dogs. Keep the meal schedule regular. Do not free feed your dog. Young puppies need to go out shortly after they eat, older dogs may take longer to need to go. As digestion varies according to what you feed your dog—raw, kibble, or home cooked meals; this affects the time between feeding and the need to potty as well. If you feed twice per day, schedules will become apparent as to when they need to eliminate. Some dogs will go once and done. Others several times per day. The important thing is to schedule regular potty times that meet their needs and work for your schedule as well.

Always keep your new dog close to you and under supervision

Do not let her to get very far from you, and do not let your dog wander around the house. If your dog is out of sight, she is probably going potty somewhere inside your house.

Don’t scold or punish your dog for having an accident

Just clean it. Stay calm and be patient. Accidents do happen and your dog will be going potty outside in no time.

Ida DeLeon, CPDT-KA

AZ Dog Sports

Dog of the Month – April

April 2020 Dog of the Month

Meet Gilly!

Gilly is a 6 year-old Border Collie mix that ended up with Arizona Border Collie Rescue when she was 3 years old. Her former owners surrendered her to a shelter in New Mexico because they couldn’t keep her contained in their yard. She was out of time at the shelter when Arizona Border Collie Rescue stepped in and saved her.

I agreed to foster her and “foster failed” very quickly, adopting her just a few weeks later.

Over the next two years, we worked hard together and graduated from a service dog program. In addition to being a service dog, Gilly is a certified therapy dog and enjoys visiting with college students at Paradise Valley Community College.

She has also earned several AKC titles, including the Canine Good Citizen, Urban Canine Good Citizen, Advanced Canine Good Citizen, Trick Dog Novice/Intermediate/Advanced, Rally Novice/Intermediate, Beginner Novice Obedience, Farm Dog Certification, and she passed the new AKC Temperament Test.

Gilly loves trying new things and is always up for a challenge, but her favorite class at AZ Dog Sports is Rally Freestyle, where she can show off her repertoire of tricks. Some of her favorites are backing circles around me, weaving backwards through my legs, waving, backwards figure eights, and bowing.

Gilly is an incredibly special dog that loves working and learning!

~Amber Mercier
AZ Dog Sports

We got a new puppy! – NOW WHAT?

Were you blessed with a new four-legged family member this holiday season? Getting a new puppy is so very cool, until…well, until it isn’t.

Bringing a new pup into your home can be a very exciting time for everyone. However after a few weeks, the excitement starts to wear off and reality sinks in … your new family member is doing things her way and communication between you and your new best friend is difficult. But with a few professional dog trainer tips and a little bit of patience; you and your new bestie can start a beautiful long term relationship on the right paw!

Be consistent

All the members in the family need to be one board with the new family/dog rules. Have a family meeting, agree on rules and write them down. Post them on the fridge in the event someone “forgets” what is acceptable and is not. This will help reinforce to your puppy, that he is accepted and loved by all of you!

Kennel train

No, it is not a cage or a punishment. Your new puppy should associate the kennel as her den. Feed her, put her toys inside, and occasionally toss treats in the kennel. Start slowly and don’t take her out if she’s whining, crying or barking. This is instilling a bad habit. It is tough, but if you reward her by letting her out of her crate because she is whining, she will continue to whine because she has learned that is what works.

Socialize your puppy

I can’t say it enough! Take your puppy out whenever you can, every time, everywhere as long as dogs are allowed where you are going. Check before you go and make sure you respect the rules of public places. Go to the local coffee shop, sit outside and let him see and meet people. If someone wants to pet him, ask that they stay where they are and allow your puppy to approach them. If you want, you can give the other person a treat so your pup can take it from his/her hand. If the puppy does not want to socialize, don’t push it. Expose him to adults, children, elderly, etc. Take them to see horses or other animals if you can. If vaccinations are not complete, wait until they are. Don’t forget to give your pup treats when she is calm and happy! This reinforces good behavior.

Don’t allow your puppy to do things that you don’t want them to do as an adult dog

Yes, puppies are adorable; and their biting, lack of listening and chewing on the wrong things may seem cute now, but it’s not so cute when adults dogs do them. Don’t reinforce the bad behavior now, and you won’t have a problem later.

Exercise your dog

New pups should be gently walked and played with. Try not to run her until she is at least 18 months old. Their bones are still developing and hip problems can start here. Instead, you can spend 10 minutes several times a day practicing basic commands like, sit, down, stay, come, wait, leave it; just to mention a few. Keep training sessions short as they will tire your puppy out both physically and mentally.

Sign up for puppy training classes

Puppy classes will give you and your dog an opportunity to learn together with the assistance of a professional dog trainer. You will find people who share the same goals, questions and concerns. It is also a wonderful way to practice the social skill necessary for a secure and well-adjusted adult dog.

Have fun!!

I always tell my clients that training your dog should be FUN. If you enjoy training your puppy, she will love to learn with you. It is a team sport so ENJOY!

~ Ida DeLeon, CPDT-KA
AZ Dog Sports

Public Access Skills – Dog Training Video

Have you heard of Public Access Skills for dogs and wondered what it meant?

Julie Brewer made a video to show what a dog learns in public access class and how it is used to aid people in everyday life!

Watch her video here:

AZ Dog Sports offers Public Access Classes. Check out our class calendar here. Or call us for more information. 602-237-6775

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