Guest Blogger-Racine Hyatt, CCM

There are no coincidences – this I know for sure.  The year was 1991 – I was involved in a car accident that would put in motion a series of events which would not only change my life, it would lead to what would become my BEST life!

Unable to return to school and the work I was doing due to the brain injury the accident caused, I found myself applying for and getting a job in a veterinary hospital as the secretary/receptionist.  After working there for two years a young female Boxer was surrendered to the clinic (the people that owned her didn’t see the sense of investing in the life-saving surgeries she needed).  One look into her deep brown eyes not only introduced me to my dog; I was prepared to do whatever she needed for as long as she needed it.  We would recover together.  The vet assured me that nothing she was enduring would haunt her later on, so we began our long and arduous journey back to life!

She introduced me to the world of dog sport competition to rebuild her confidence and complimentary practitioners who, combined with conventional medicine resulted in a recovery many thought miraculous.

It was one of her chiropractors who introduced me to equine rehabilitation / then the new school she had heard about in Florida for canine rehabilitation and after completing studies there I went on to graduate from the Treetops massage program, and the rest (as they say) is history!

And now, through this webinar, I have an opportunity to share some of the information which has evolved out of the development of Canine Sports medicine, rehabilitation, fitness and wellness with so many more people than I ever imagined!

In the early 90’s very few people gave any thought to fitness conditioning – the assumption was that training was exercise and the dogs were “fit enough”.

Then came sprains and strains / the explosion of knee surgeries / early onset dysplasia / career ending disc injuries and the worst of all – cervical spinal compression and whiplash!

Either dogs were breaking down as a species or, as we were asking our dogs to do more, we were not providing them with more!  My Meisha retired from a variety of activities (including IPO) injury free at the age of 10!  When asked how she remained so healthy all I could think of was that we followed the few basic rules of fitness (from gym class) – warm up, cool down and exercise to compliment the stresses of training/competition!  Equine athletes have been doing this for years – why not dogs?

My primary focus was to educate those competing in dog sport – so I put together seminars to address canine fitness from the beginning:  Raising a Canine Athlete – Puppy Development, to the All-Fit program for overall fitness and finally, How to Condition a winning Performance Dog.  For many, these seminars have provided the missing link to their training regimes!

It is important that anyone living with active dogs have a basic knowledge of some key aspects of canine anatomy to understand how injuries can happen in order to prevent them – for example, the dangers of inappropriate exercise for puppies (under 18 months) while over 700+ growth plates are developing the structure upon which they will rely for their entire lives!  These micro-injuries are the precursors to dysplasia, spinal conditions, soft tissue damage – all preventable!!

Canine shoulder structure – or should we say lack of it!!  It is inconceivable that this bungled engineering can support dogs at all – and the main reason why education became so important to me!

The consequences of malnutrition created by the commercial dog food industry…specific changes in lifestyle for senior dogs to age with vitality…and simple exercises incorporated into your daily leash walk that will optimize this time you spend with your dog improving flexibility, strength and endurance to enhance and maintain healthy muscles!

I look forward to spending the hour with you, sharing enough food for thought that you will have new and greater insight into your dog’s fitness – and inspire you to continue learning through the many full length programs offered at e-trainingfordogs.

Join us in our newest Live Online webinar!

All-Fit Dog – A Whole Dog Approach to Over-All Fitness

Tuesday, January 8, 2013
7:30-9:00 PM EST (10:30 PM GMT)

The lecture will be recorded and available OnDemand after the lecture.
Cost: $25.00

Register HERE

Chris Redenbach CDBC, CBCC-KA

I first just have to say that I love ethology. It let the daylight in for me regarding some serious questions about dog behavior and, as the science develops, it continues to illuminate more for me than any other science surrounding my work and passion of dogs. In just over an hour, I hope to share the joy of discovery, the many ah-ha moments, by bringing this to you.

Ethology explains the building blocks of behavior. When I lived in Brazil in the 70’s, I traveled in some remote places where people live on the land on a subsistence basis. I heard stories about how they hunt the large lizards that can feed a family. They just find a lizard path…worn in the ground…and then they wait until the lizard is coming back from its own hunt and kill it with their hand made weapons as it comes down its path. They couldn’t do this without a basic knowledge of ethology…the biology of the behavior of this species.

Likewise, any working protection dog trainer will tell you that some dogs are just born with what is known as a “full mouth bite” meaning that the dog naturally grasps what they are biting all the way to the back of the molars. Other dogs have a half mouth bite and grasp only with the front half of their mouth, and still others are slashers who prefer not to grasp at all and just strike out with canines for a brief hard bite while simultaneously retreating. These genetically determined patterns are fascinating to know and can really help a breeder or trainer in their everyday analysis and decision making.

As trainers and behavior consultants, we are taught to analyze behavior according to its antecedents and consequences, but our understanding and ability to give a full analysis and choose the most efficient ways to help a dog understand what we want or help us understand why the dog behaved a certain way, we need ethology.

As a breeder, I have puzzled over why some dogs play ball and littermates don’t; why some dogs go directly up to strange people or things and others hang back; why some tear apart toys and others never do; why some are eager to do what they are trained and others are independent despite using reward based methods; why some would claim the entire neighborhood as territory if they could while others would never stray from a close radius around the house.

CEU’s Available:
2 IAABC CEU’s
2 CCPDT CEU’s

Part of the journey of discovery in ethology is asking the right questions and part is observation and tinkering. Join me for this fun exploration of diverse questions.

Practical Ethology

The lecture will be recorded and available OnDemand after the lecture.
Cost: $25.00

Our society has a tendency to dodge the issue of death and when it is a beloved companion animal it happens with even more frequency because the loss is usually disenfranchised.

On June 21, 2012 our beloved Rommel passed away after a two year battle with Cushing’s disease. We did not call a funeral home and have guests come to pay respects, Rommel’s name was not featured in the local obituaries and at least to date no flowers or fruit baskets have arrived to our home. However since I was with him, I can tell you that he did die on that somber afternoon.

All that I listed which did not take place can at times have an affect on us by which we can actually “deny” the loss in our minds.

This is precisely the reason it is the most important time to take control. When asked about the loss, call it what it is. “Rommel died on June 21, 2012 and we miss him terribly”. Make absolutely sure that you respect your own feelings and do not succumb to a society’s vision.

On July 1^st we conducted a memorial service for Rommel. Just a few of us gathered to laugh and to cry but we took control and stayed in the moment we needed to be in.

Rommel’s cremains are in a prominent place in our home and each one of us visits him often. We talk to him and we still laugh and cry because he died on June 21, 2012.

When I am asked how many dogs I have, I say that we still have five. Rommel is still a part of us and always will be. The importance here is to talk about him and continue to acknowledge his life.

What it comes down to is that so much like a diet, a habit, or anything that involves our self, we can and in this case must take control of what it is to us. Take to no shame in dictating a conversation to express how you feel and how the animal’s life and death really matters.

Upcoming Webinar:
Pet Loss & Grief Companioning … Helping A Family In A Healthy Grief Journey

Where: Online

When: November 13, 2012

Live Lecture:  November 13, 2012
7:30-9:00 PM EST; 10:30 PM GMT

(will be recorded for OnDemand purchase after the Live lecture)

Exploring Taboos

Dogs are hailed as “man’s best friend,” but this is not entirely accurate. When a dog starts humping a toy or sniffing a visitor’s crotch, the dog quickly becomes man’s annoying and embarrassing house guest.

But what do these seemingly taboo behaviors mean for dogs? This talk explores scientific research into those behaviors that just don’t sit well with humans, such as humping and “inappropriate” sniffing.

Humping is not a behavior that simply falls from the sky or comes out of nowhere. Humping is performed for a myriad of reasons and must be examined in each specific context and for each unique individual.

Sniffing body parts also need not have a negative connotation. Scientific research reveals that dogs follow particular trends in how they sniff other dogs and humans.

Instead of feeling embarrassed or annoyed by our dogs’ behavior, owners can refocus their attention on what the behavior means for their dog.

“Exploring Taboos” helps us assess behavior from the dog’s perspective, as opposed to through the lens of human social norms.

Join us in our newest Live Online webinar!

Exploring Taboos

Wednesday, November 7, 2012
8:00-9:30 PM EST; 11:00 PM GMT
Will be recorded and available OnDemand after the lecture.
Cost: $25.00

Speaker: Julie Hecht, MSc