Wow, what a year 2020 has been.  Topped off with a knee injury for Lincoln.

Towards the end of October, Lincoln had just returned from his morning walk with the other pups.  They were all playing as they do post walk.  He turned suddenly and yelped.  Unfortunately Lucy was hot on his heels and couldn't stop, so knocked him in to the fence.    He was instantly on 3 legs.  I gave him the benefit of the doubt for 15 minutes, and when he didn't start to place his foot on the ground organised for Dr Jacqui to check him.

He had dislocated his knee.  The following day we did x-rays and could not identify any other problems.  We crossed fingers and initiated crate rest.  2 weeks later he was not improving so went to surgery.

His patella itself had been damaged, we deepened the groove and tightened the surrounding tissue.  Strict post op crate rest continued.  All went really well and 24 hours later he was walking, and 4 days later almost without a limp.    Unfortunately he literally went to bed night 4 and woke up lame day 5.  So back to surgery, this time 2 pins were added to stabilise the knee.  All good again....until 1 week post op, and a noticeable lump became obvious on his knee along with swelling.  He had dislodged one of the pins.  So back for surgery number 3 to remove the pin.

We are now a few weeks post his 3rd surgery.  He is still on crate rest which means he is either in his pen/crate or on leash and attached to the bed under supervision.  He has 3-4 toilet walks each day that last for a few minutes. 

Things that helped him through his surgery and the beginning of this recovery process.  

Being comfortable toileting in his own yard and on lead as well as having a toilet cue.  Mine is "hurry up".
Many dogs are not comfortable toileting on leash, and many more will only toilet outside there yards on walks. 
Neither of these scenarios would have been helpful. Teaching this is easy, especially from puppy hood, where the release from the leash in the puppy scenario can be part of the motivating reward. 

Cooperative care training - he is comfortable with restraint, wearing an elizabethan collar, wearing a muzzle (it wasn't needed but I believe all dogs should be trained for it), being poked and prodded, confinement etc. 
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Lincoln also has had regular laser therapy as this is something I invested in initially for Poco and his back. It is helpful having it for use at home.

He has struggled with his high energy levels, so in conjunction with his behaviour veterinarian we added or increased medication to allow him to be that little bit calmer.

We also used adaptil, zylknene and inner winner CTFD..... legit that is its name.
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Other things we have been able to incorporate to aid in calming and working his brain include using enrichment feeding, lick mats, snuffle toys (balls, bowls, pouches, mats and walls), kongs, lots of long lasting chews, and training.  

Initially the training he could do consisted of basics such as sit, look, down, shake a paw, chin and nose targets etc.  Anything that didn't involve movement.   Now that he is attending physio therapy I use a lot of targeting or shaping behaviours to achieve the physiotherapy task. This kills two birds with one stone.

I have also added in a scent wall, so that he can do some scent training, in a small space with minimal movement, but with a number of areas to search.   This was originally a peg board from Kmart and I added corflute to the back to stop things falling through the holes.  He loves it...as do the other pups.  The bonus of this is a few searches, takes no more than 5-10 minutes and he is one very tuckered out puppy.  

We have also been brining home odours from our walks - usually on rags, but sometimes random sticks/leaves that the other pups have shown interest in.  

Lincoln will continue in physiotherapy and hydrotherapy for some time.  I am fortunate that he knows both Lindsey and Lisa from his puppyhood and previous fun walks/swims.  He is always happy to see them.  Lisa has also been wonderful in introducing him to the underwater treadmill at his pace and we have been able to use ball play as a motivator for him (he is 100% more toy motivated than food motivated).

Meanwhile, I introduced a new remote feeding toy for him. This is in his larger pen/crate as this is where he is left when I have to go out.  It is called the Pet Cube Bites - it has been great, in that it is in his pen, I can access it from anywhere (at home or out and about).  Through the machine I can dispense a few rewards, talk to him and also get notified of movement or noise alerts.    The pen also has foraging activities, comfortable bed, fresh pawta potty every 2 weeks as a toilet, that he hasn't used and sleeps on instead, water etc.

So I guess the biggest take home from this.  You never know what is around the corner.  I suggest making sure that part of your weekly training schedule includes things such as cooperative care, separation, handling and so forth.  It has been so much easier than I had imagined with Lincoln already being comfortable with this.

​Lets hope 2021 is a better year for all! 

I first met Jack and his human Matt back in Feb 2019.

The plan was to train Jack toward his PAT assessment through MIND Dog.

We had a few challenges that we needed to work through - the biggest being Jack's dog reactivity.
When we first started Jack would react to dogs within 5-10 meters.  

However I have to say that I am so proud of Matt and Jack as a team.  They put in all the work, did all the desensitisation and counter conditioning, working at safe distances and ensuring Jack always had a rest day each week.  Also recognising the importance of quality sleep for Jack.

We implemented a lot of  deference training, as well as stationing (laying comfortably on mat), reliable recalls and leaving items on ground. We also have taught him to press a call button for help, and to walk slowly on stairs - both up and down.

Over time we have managed to decrease the distance that Jack is comfortable with walking past unknown dogs, and now he barely even acknowledges other dogs - meaning that he can walk through a dog park from one end to the other, and ignore the other dogs in the park.  We set him up for success and started this at distance, then outside the dog parks, and then using quiet dog parks.

Throughout his training, we have taken him to numerous locations, on public transport (buses, trains and city cats), cafes, shopping centres etc.

We also transitioned from a martingale collar to flat collar and then to 2 point attachment harness.  When Jack had originally used the harness prior to our training he had a negative experience, so it took time to transition back to this.

Jack is also now going to daycare at least once per week, and has a new sister spaniel at home called Molly.   Molly will one day likely take over Jack's roll.

Jack passed his MIND Dog PAT in July!  

It can be done, but you need the right team and an owner as dedicated at Matt is to Jack.

Lincoln recently turned 12 months and is now fully grown.  So it was time to consider desexing.

Linc is a nervous and suspicious boy, so I wanted to make sure I set him up for success.

In the month prior to his desexing date, I really increased our focus on his husbandry training.  This included things such as preparing him for restraint - for both IV placement (cephalic vein), and blood draw (jugular vein), and exposing to various equipment.

I ensured to always expose him in a fun way, and ensured he had a choice to engage or not engage with the equipment that he was likely to see.  This included clippers, syringes, needles (I used a paperclip), Muzzle (he has his own), Elizabethan collar, Thundershirt, smell of alcohol swabs, crates and tables (most restraint and procedures in small dogs will be carried out on a table).

He loved learning and practicing his sustained chin target, rolling on to side (in preparation to check wound post op), wearing his muzzle and especially his Elizabethan collar.  

You can check out our video below.

​On the day of surgery he wore his Thundershirt sprayed with Adaptil pheromones and another canine calming spray.  These were sprayed on the Thundershirt 15 minutes prior to putting in on him.

We timed his admission for minimal cage time, so basically he went in, had blood taken and tested almost immediately, and within 1/2 an hour we had our results and he had his premedication injection preparing him for his anaesthetic.

He handled every bit of this like a little pro, and made we one very proud puppy mum.

While he would asleep his also had his tear ducts investigated and I chose for him to have a special implant - not usually used in desexed dogs, however it appears it may help keep luteinizing hormone more stable (it can increase up to 30x higher in some desexed dogs).  Changes in lutenizing hormone have been linked to increased risk of joint changes (more in large breed dogs and this should be minimised if allowed to complete their growth), and behavioural changes such as fear aggression in some dogs.    The implant will last for 12 months and at this point I will decide if I continue its use.

Once he had recovered post op and was able to swallow, stand and walk, I packed him up and took him home to spend the afternoon sleeping in his crate.....however he had plans of playing fetch within just a few hours.   So he was redirected to a sniffy toilet walk and visit with the neighbours.

I also ensured that I set him up post op to have minimal surgical complications by keeping him calm and quiet. He wore his cone anytime he wasn't under 100% direct supervision.  We removed the water sources that he usually sits/swims in.

We used enrichment items including snuffle balls, snuffle mats (check out Snuffle 'ems), LickiMats, long lasting chews including dried pieces and fresh raw bones.  We did start walking day 3 post op, and ensured he had plenty of time to sniff his world.

For more information on preparing your dog for Vet Visits check out this page, and if you would like to enrol your dog in the online version of Ready Vet Go!, check out the Cooperative Care Online course - currently only $75 for 12 months access (1/2 price due to Covid - I appreciate that many do not have job stability at the moment).

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Meet Eddy. 

You may have seen him previously on Instagram or you can follow him and his adventures here https://www.instagram.com/eddythedashy/

I've met Eddy a few times - initially for reactive behaviours and some separation distress, and also for cooperative care/husbandry behaviours.  He is a lucky pup, as his mum is proactive and recognises when he is not comfortable with something and wants to improve his emotional state for the better.

You may have met his mum at some stage when you drop in to Chew Chomp and Chill.  Her name is Alica.  Say hi.

Our most recent session with Eddy was to help him with his confidence on walks.  When he became overwhelmed or went to a new location, he would often shutdown, and stop walking and engaging.

So we incorporated something that Eddy has had some experience with before, and something that he enjoys.  Sniffing.

Simply by using his nose, and encouraging him to sniff to find hidden rewards, he was much brighter and engaged with his environment.  An advantage for this was a previous course with Bec at Hide n Seek where the basis for searching had been taught.

However this is easy enough to start at home, and once your dog has an understanding of what is expected, you can take it on the road.  Sniffing and hunting out the small food rewards, toys or a novel odour, helps the dog become more confident and independent.  When playing scent games, the dog will engage their seeking system (kind of like kids and an Easter egg hunt).  Activation of the seeking system, will result in the release of dopamine (a neurotransmitter).  Dopamine is considered a feel good chemical, and pushes the animal to continue to engage and focus on tasks.

We started with Eddy close to the entrance to the park. This allowed him to retreat back to the car should he have needed to.

With him mum holding his leash, I showed him what he was "hunting for" and went and hid the small rewards at an appropriate height (he is a dachshund so we don't want him jumping up or reaching too high) within a reasonable distance from him, gradually moving further away from the base point.  Once hidden, he was given his search cue, and we followed at his pace while he found the rewards.  Rewarding at the hide location will also really make it more exciting and worthwhile for the dog.

This link discussed one of the many ways you can teach your dog scent work.  http://www.allpetseducationandtraining.com.au/scent-work-at-home.html

I am also currently enrolled in and completing an online scent course through The School of Canine Science.  Throughout this course we will be teaching the dog scent work through 3 different methods, and I look forward to sharing them with you in future.

I first met Bruno in July 2018.  We have been working together since then relatively regularly (monthly for a few sessions and then every few months).

Bruno's mum approached me regarding his fear in veterinary clinic situations.  He is often suspicious and was even with his own family.  He was relaxed for scratches and continuous pats, however, a pause in movement and he would immediately react with what would easily be perceived as aggressive behaviour.

We spent time learning his small signals that indicate he is not comfortable - his ears are a great judge.  We also taught him a start and stop cue, so that he could control a procedure or situation.  And taught him to settle on a his mat.  Calm behaviour is rewarding.

Late last year, Bruno participated in my Ready Vet Go! course.  During this course we focused on having fun in the veterinary clinic as well as introducing him to commonly used veterinary equipment and situations.

Bruno is now comfortable in his basket muzzle - through which he can take yummy cheese or chicken chunks, as well as frozen ice blocks etc.    Next we taught Bruno a sustained target - using a chair and towel to allow him to stand or sit with his head at a comfortable height.  And then we paired the sustained target with the muzzled.

Something else that really helped Bruno, is ensuring he knows what is going to happen.  So named his body parts and say the name prior to touching them.  This includes Scruff, Tail, Paw, and Ear.  

I can't say how proud I am of Bruno and his mum.

Over the past 12 months Sara has put so much work in to Bruno and the trust and bond that has blossomed between them is truly beautiful.  I also feel the love when Bruno happily sits in my lap with his back toward me - not able to see what I am doing, whilst being comfortable with my touching - this is something that certainly wasn't possible to begin with.

During the past few months we upped the training again in preparation for his annual vet check and vaccination.
He also had several happy visits at the clinic with his Veterinarian Dr Jacqui.  

I am happy to say his check up and vaccination went without a hitch.

Congratulations team Bruno.

Before we knew it he was comfortable with hands on manipulations.  We also began some balance work and the micro but many step plan to introduce him to the underwater treadmill.  We aren't in the treadmill yet (well not with it moving and water all together), I plan on not rushing the process.  My aim is for 12 months.  

We are working toward this by getting him walking on a normal treadmill, as well as standing in increasingly deep water.  Now we are in the treadmill at VSS pairing it with his favorite foods.

A key to his comfort and many visits to VSS - taking a dog with us.  He very much loves his pups, so having a dog with him really does increase his confidence.
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