Jonny Hawkins Unleashes the Dog

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Even so, there are people who will tell you they are good at it. In reality, they likely are better at rapidly shifting focus from one task to the next. Texting at the dinner table. Important tasks are best served with undivided attention. Training your dog is no exception. If you expect your dog to be attentive to you, be attentive to your dog. What you can do is be mindful in. Think about what is happening between you and your dog in that moment — not only the goal of the moment, but what is being learned.

Know that some dogs are extremely good at taking notes; they will remember what works for them. If you excuse jumping around as acceptable because your pup is excited to go for a walk and continue through the process, nothing is learned. That excitable behavior continues into the next part of the walk and now pup is jumping on a neighbor or chasing a squirrel. Now Enrolling for P. If the goal is enjoyable, calm walks, the tone should be set the moment the leash comes out. Be clear with yourself on how to move through the steps. Take time to teach your dog to calmly wear the leash.

You may need to put it on and take it off several times. Put it on and go about indoor business, allowing your dog to drag the leash for a bit. When your dog is able to wear the leash without exaggerated antics, you are ready to move forward. The point here is not to write a specific recipe for each behavior.

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Rather, it is to encourage thoughtfulness in training. Take the time to achieve success at intervals. Make sure your dog knows what you are asking before moving forward. Ask for full attention by giving it. Kristie Swan, a certified professional dog trainer, is head trainer and manager at Whiskers University in Grand Rapids, Mich. Contact her at or kswan whiskersgr. Turn grooming day into a spa day for your pooch For many of our furry friends, grooming is a fact of life. It does not matter whether you have a poodle in a highly stylized haircut or a Labrador retriever: If dogs are going to live in our homes, they need to be clean.

It can be done at home or at a professional salon.

In either case, dogs that enjoy the grooming process are a dream to work on. Recently, I enjoyed a lavish day of spa treatments at the Hershey Hotel in Pennsylvania. My skin was washed, buffed and polished. The staff at the Hershey Spa did an excellent job preparing me as I went through each treatment. The entire process was enjoyable. When it comes to grooming your pets, you want their experience to be similar to a spa day.

However, for many dogs, grooming is far from a pleasant experience. If their coats are in poor condition, there is no magic potion that can melt the mats and tangles away. Brushing tight tangles can be painful. Clipping off a severely matted coat can be stressful for many dogs. Depending on what dogs were exposed to early in life, some may have anxiety when it comes to strangers, accepting limitations, water, dryers, clippers or any of the experiences encountered while being groomed.

Dogs do not have the ability to rationalize what the experience will be in the end. They live in the moment. They feed off of our personal energy — positive or negative. The key to getting your pet to look forward to the grooming process is to start introducing the pet to the practice well before it is actually needed.

It takes time, patience and training to teach a dog to relax for grooming. A few dogs will even fall asleep — just as I did for some of my spa treatments. It should be soothing.

What can you do to help prepare your dog if it has never been to a groomer? The biggest thing you can do is to start your puppy off early. Most grooming services offer some type of puppy introduction. That way, the dog can be introduced to the entire professional grooming process in a way that is fun and enjoyable. Not ready for a trip to the salon?

Maybe you are planning on doing the grooming yourself. These six tips hold true for a young dog or a dog that is not accustomed to the grooming process. Talk with your breeder or pet professional to get the correct products and tools to groom your dog.

Used incorrectly, they can be dangerous. If you are going to groom your dog at home, select a location. Many people find the top of their washer or dryer to be a great spot do the grooming. Others use a countertop or a table for their small- to medium-sized dog. Putting a towel or a rubber matt under your dog will help prevent it from sliding on slick surfaces. If your dog is larger, sit on the floor. Once in the designated area, set gentle rules and boundaries of acceptable behavior. Clean, well-cared for dogs are a joy to be around.

Their coats feel amazing. Your house will stay a lot cleaner. With the right mindset and training, your dog can enjoy a spa day any time you pick up a brush or pull into your favorite salon parking lot.

All it takes is a little time and training. Get your dog used to the brushing process. When started young, and done gently, most dogs learn that brushing and combing can be very soothing. They will lay there for hours and let you brush. Think of it as a wonderful massage you would get at a spa. For any grooming process, whether you do it or a pro does it, your dog needs to allow its feet to be touched and held and its legs moved around for the grooming process.

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Play with its toes. If a dog has facial hair, gently hold the hair to steady its head while you comb, brush and stroke all areas, including the muzzle, around the eyes, the top of the head and the ears. Let your dog hear the sound of an electric clipper if you have one handy. The same thing can be done with a blow dryer. Let your dog hear it and feel the warm not hot air blow over its feet and legs. Most young dogs will object mildly to some of the grooming process.

Whether it is at home or in a professional setting, it is important to have rules and limitations of acceptable behavior. The goal is to have a wellbehaved dog that enjoys the grooming process. To achieve that goal, you need to win the trust and cooperation of the dog through consistent and gentle. Melissa Verplank has more than 30 years of experience in the pet industry.

Give your pets the comfort they deserve. In-Home pet hospice, geriatric pet care, and euthanasia for companion animals. He tumbled through the grass in his fenced-in backyard, still trying to nurse from the mom who had weaned him weeks ago, nipping and chasing after his bigger siblings. He hesitated on the steps, not sure if his little legs were long enough to catch him on the way down.

He licked and sniffed and chewed his way around everything he could reach, learning more every waking minute about the world and his place in it. Within days, though, that job would change. Blue was about to embark on a path that very few dogs get to take, one that would not only greatly impact his own life, but also the life of a family in desperate need of him. What is a service dog? Service dogs — or more generally, assistance dogs — are animals that help someone with a disability get through their daily tasks, making them more independent and fully functional.

Whether pulling a wheelchair, opening doors, picking up dropped objects from the floor, alerting to seizures or providing a distraction for autistic children, assistance dogs provide valuable assistance — as well as companionship. They are the dogs we see in restaurants or shopping malls, sitting quietly under a table or guiding their handler through a crowd. While Paws With A Cause is not the only assistance dog organization in.

Based in Wayland, PAWS has trained and placed more than 2, assistance dogs throughout the country. Where do the dogs come from? How did they get to be service dogs? What is life like for such a highly trained animal? We followed Blue through his first few months to learn more about the extraordinary path from puppy to PAWS dog. It all begins with a puppy Even before Blue was born, he was destined to become an assistance dog.

His mom, Adel, a 4-year-old Golden Retriever, is a breeding dog for Paws With A Cause, meaning her puppies are specifically raised to enter the assistance dog training program. Adel as their pet, with one catch: Scott and Renee were recovering from the death of their previous Golden Retriever when they decided the PAWS program might be right for them. This strategic breeding program — which also takes advantage of shelter dogs and donated puppies from outside the organization when possible — is designed to keep a steady stream of well-bred, healthy puppies available to meet the high demand for assistance dogs.

There are more than 2, assistance dog requests each year. For as long as Adel is breeding puppies for. For now, though, Adel is about to part ways with her puppy, Blue, and his littermates — Red, Green and White. She seems ready to get back to a quieter life, as are Scott and Renee. For the past eight weeks, their house has been turned upside down by this litter of puppies, who not only demand constant attention but also have a higher level of calling than most puppies.

While life is mostly normal and playful for a PAWS puppy at this stage, there are some extra socialization and training demands thrown in for good measure. Scott may drop a spoon or a leash, typical items that an adult assistance dog might need to pick up from the floor, in front of them. Still, most of the work of being a breeding host revolves around keeping the puppies safe and giving them lots of love. At eight weeks, the puppies are delivered to the PAWS national headquarters in Wayland, ready for their next journey.

One week after Blue is turned in to the PAWS national headquarters, he emerges as Brody, assigned to live with the Cislers for the next 16 months. Brody is their third PAWS foster puppy since They met him for the first time at Puppy Pickup Day, when all the foster puppy raisers meet at the PAWS headquarters to receive and celebrate their new puppies — complete with plenty of tears, hugs and kisses. Brody was placed in their arms and will live with them until he reaches Class generally starts the next day.

For eight weeks, the new puppies and their foster raisers practice basic commands such as coming when their names are called, sit, down and bed. Then there are the walks. From the beginning, PAWS dogs are taught. PAWS also accepts dog donations both puppy and adult , with some requirements. There always is a need for breeding hosts and foster puppy raisers. Breeding hosts need to live in Michigan, within two hours from Wayland. A dog will be provided to you, and PAWS will provide food and vet care during breeding times.

Foster puppy raisers do not need any dog training experience and do not need to be home with the dog all day. There are restrictions on where you can live, so check the requirements before applying. To donate or to apply, or to learn more about who is eligible to receive an assistance dog, visit pawswithacause. No more playing with other dogs, no more distractions, no more petting from strangers.

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He may even activate a life-alert system if his handler is having a seizure, or act as a brace for someone who has fallen and needs help getting up. Getting distracted while out working with a handler who needs him could be disastrous. Growing up PAWS means Brody will never be allowed to get on the furniture, receive table scraps, run off-leash in an unfenced area, jump up.

Jumping up on a person with physical disabilities or drooling uncontrollably at a restaurant could disqualify a dog from being matched with a client. It is work to be a foster puppy raiser, but there are benefits, too. Because socialization is key for future PAWS dogs, the Cislers have both the responsibility and the privilege of bringing Brody with them wherever they go — shopping, out to eat, to church or traveling across the country.

Exposing him now to all the things that a future handler might do keeps him from being surprised later on. Wherever we go, they go. While there is cause for celebration at all the dog has and will still achieve, there are plenty of tears, too. Making the cut At 18 months, Brody still will have work to do before becoming a certified Paws With A Cause assistance dog.

His strengths and weaknesses will eventually determine what type of assistance he might be best at, including one or more of the following: Next, Brody will start the process of being matched up with a specific person. The training process for each person is customized based on his or her needs, and can take several more months. Brody could be around 2 years old when he finally goes to live with his new handler. For three to eight months after that, Brody and his handler will work together to become a team.

PAWS provides detection dogs, too?

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The training and requirements to become a PAWS assistance dog are so demanding that not all the puppies make it through. But after so much investment in their breeding, upbringing, health and education, these dogs are highly trained and useful — in another field. Customs and Border Patrol, leader dogs for the blind, bomb- or drug-sniffing dogs, or workers for other service organizations.

Before Indy came into his life, Max was lost in social settings.

There was no such thing as a quick trip to the grocery store or a simple afternoon of running errands. Visits to the doctor and dentist or with family and friends were unpredictable. But a year ago, Max — now 8 — received the gift of a lifetime: The Richters heard about service. Life-changing dog In December , she and her husband, Steve, received special training with a group of parents with autistic children, while the trainers at Paws With A Cause matched dogs with kids.

Like go to the store and finish getting everything on the list without Max melting down, causing a fuss or ignoring them. His presence opens conversations. He gives Max a sense of responsibility and self-esteem — and refuge. The dog takes it all in, his friend for life, as a good dog always does. Now when Max goes to the store.

So do his parents, who have control of the lead. Instead of Max going his own way or not following instructions, he has a dog who needs him. There are the mom and dad: Steve Richter, 37, a clean water plant operator for the North Kent Sewer Authority, and Jamie Richter, 33, an operating room assistant who works part-time at Butterworth Surgery.

Together, they live in a comfortable house on a street with plenty of sidewalks, front porches and backyards. The day we met up with the Richters, it was barely contained chaos. Max was in constant motion, climbing up a doorway, running at top speed through the house, ignoring his parents who asked him — every minute or so — to calm down. Josh was almost in tears, upset about something Max had done earlier in the day — breaking one of his games.

Emma was intent on getting out her toys, even though the living room had been picked up for company. Almost immediately, Max left his perch and knelt by Indy. For a minute, Max calmed down. He joined the family, not in conversation, but in company. Socially speaking As a toddler, Max was slow to crawl, to bond, to talk. His parents took him to doctor after doctor to find out why. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates one in 68 American children is autistic.

Autism is a spectrum disorder, meaning that it ranges from mild symptoms to severe disabilities.