Learning The Hard Way

Being in the veterinary world for over 20 years has shown me how so much has changed for the better.......for better patient care.
Research helps us improve patient care so we become better care givers to our furry, feathery and scaly friends.

Right now it's all about shaping the behavior of a companion. In the old days it was punish them when they did something wrong. Or force them to do something that terrified them (genius of us, huh?)
In turn we created fearful, aggressive and/or anxious animals.

I know a lot of you out there still train the same old way. Well, it's not working. To this day more animals are brought to shelters and euthanized for BEHAVIOR reasons than any other reason. I kid you not! It's not because there aren't enough homes or that they are "just bad". Most of them did not get what they needed at a very young age. The biggest thing was lack of proper socialization.

We are so lucky to have one of only 54 Board Certified Veterinary Behaviorists in our area,
Dr Lisa Radosta, DACVB. She is my hero. She teaches all of us how to look at these magnificent creatures in a new light. I ask that you do the same.


She has some awesome articles that everyone should read. Examples: Why You Shouldn't Use Physical Punishment, Why Dominance Doesn't Work and Top 10 Training Tips.

We now know what doesn't work. Change your way of thinking and do what does work!

Don't learn the hard way like many owners do. Be proactive and give these kids a chance.

Keep Wagging everyone because they will if you just give them the chance to.

You are all they have!

Monique

Keep Wagging success story Part deux

Okay, so I was trying to make a point that I wanted to spread a positive message, to be a part of the solution on some minimalist scale. Well guess what? I've got an awesome story that makes me tear up...and yes, it involves the message of "Keep Wagging".

Several years ago, my husband met a person who was enjoying a quiet morning at Panera with two baby bulldogs. Duke and Daisy. Ron struck up a conversation wanting to see if they knew what they were getting into. The person who had chosen to share his life with the two baby bulls was a Florida State Trooper and he turned out to be a most generous and kind person. Flash forward a bit and he ends up ordering two buddy belts from Noseprints.net. Unfortunately, shortly thereafter he was in a very bad motorcycle accident and was in a coma for days and in the hospital for a good stretch. After not even being sure that he would survive, he pulled through and went through the arduous task of healing. Obviously a very susceptable time frame and where it is easy to be in a not so good place. In one of the more depressing moments, he happened to glance at a card that I include with all my shipments and this is in a nutshell, what it says.
"Whenever an event occurs in your life you basically have two choices on how to react to it. You can look at it in a positive light or you can cst it in the shadows of negativity. There is absolutely nothing to be gained from negativity. So make a positive choice and KEEP WAGGING!"
When he read the card, he realized that was the key to getting through it all. Staying positive. Knowing that yes, you will eventually heal. I cannot tell you how absolutely thrilled I was to learn that the Keep Wagging message had touched someones life! How awesome is that?

Watch the video please.

Keep Wagging success story

When I first created my Keep Wagging line of T-shirts, it was with the best intentions. I wanted to spread a positive thought, to underscore what dogs can teach us about dealing with adversity. Sorry for being long winded but I think this is important. With respect to keeping a great attitude, I was always amazed that when an injured dog came into the hospital, it inevitably would wag when I would walk up to them to evaluate or treat them. And I couldn't help but think that, good lord, here's a dog with a compound fracture and he's frickin' wagging at me? In spite of the negative thing that has just happened, he's taking the positive track. And I realized a couple of things: one that an event in your life has no meaning - it just is, it just exists, it's life. And you put the meaning to it.  In the case of the dog with the fracture, it isn't "this sucks...I just broke my leg" it's most likely "here's a friendly approaching me and I'm glad to see them!" Okay, maybe not so clear cut but you get the point. You can sulk over your misfortune or you can put the positive spin on it. If that is too Polyannish for you, I can't help you.
And here's the kicker. When you frame life in a positive vibe, guess what? That is what you attract! Because I know most of you know someone who is really negative about everything, and they constantly have bad stuff hitting them. Think there's a correlation? Of course there is. Negative energy does no one any good. So stay positive and keep wagging!

A Warm and Fuzzy Story

If you know me, you know that I am quite vocal about adopting an animal in need of a home rather than buying a dog from a unscrupulous breeder (there are many bad ones out there) or worse yet, supporting a puppy mill – you know the stores. They’ll have a “puppy 4 sale” out front and they have a million puppies in little cubes or running around in a little pen. Impulse items that frequently get discarded. So, instead of ranting about the problem areas (we'll save this for a future post), I decided to focus on a positive story. Yes, in keeping with the Keep Wagging philosophy, we’ll focus on a good thing. But first we must look at a recent phenomenom, that of the “foreclosure” pet. A pet left behind when a family could no longer afford to take care of it.

Dante

My husband works with someone who noticed a Rottweiler running around the neighborhood for months – animal care and control could not catch the illusive lad after multiple attempts. So he decided he’d try to befriend the dog by walking his dog, making it sit, and see if the dog would come over. It took weeks but the dog finally came over to say hello. This was followed by a few treats and before you know it, this large intimidating dog turned out to be a large lump of sugar. He didn’t want to leave the home but Dave had just recently adopted a dog and could not afford a new member to the family so he did what most people will do. He brought him to the pound. After doing so, he realized he may have made a mistake. There was a very real possibility that the dog would be euthanized after five days if they could not find a home.  Long story short, a co-worker of Dave has a 14 year old and was possibly looking to bring in a new member, younger, that could possibly play with his Senior.

Dave was able to rescue the 80 lb Rottwieller and he and his coworker met up so the dogs could meet. The dogs hit it off and there hasn’t been a hiccup since – the Rottweiller is extremely well trained and is respectful of the other dog, his territory and his food.

It is so heartwarming to hear this story – a breed that is typically shunned due to fear about their behavior finding his forever home. 

If you're thinking of buying a dog, please consider adopting first. 

We found our bulldog, Bishop on www.petfinder.com. They're waiting for you!

Keep Wagging everyone!

Monique

Keeping your dog fit and flexible

I see a lot of overweight dogs at the hospital. Explaining exercise to owners can be difficult, especially if the owner is overweight themselves.  Exercising your dog is as important as you taking care of yourself by watching your diet and exercising. So the obvious and fun solution is to exercise together!

I grew in New York City and walking my dog wasn't an option. It had to be done, three times per day. We walked the streets of Manhattan and make our way to beautiful Central Park. When I moved to Florida, I noticed that people with back yards didn't seem to take their dogs for a walk. They open the door and the dog goes otside by himself and comes in a few minutes later. Not a high caloric burning sort of workout, right? Feel the burn! Feel the burn! Not.

Pretend you don't have a backyard and take your dog out once or twice per day. Make it part of your routine to take you and your dog for a walk. Yes, that's right...I said take yourself for a walk as well.

The benefits of going for a brisk walk (hell, a leisurely walk will even do) is not only the obvious physical exercise but the often overlooked benefit is that you and the pack are out and about! Dogs are not solitary animals. This is their moment to be with someone from the family/pack. That's all these dogs want... is to be with you. So get some exercise at the same time and enjoy the time together! Your dog will love you even more! Stay safe and healthy and remember to keep wagging!

And don't forget to check out noseprints.net for upcoming holiday specials on our Keep Wagging and Barkology clothing !

Pet Amber Alert

Have you ever had a pet that ran away or even worse, stolen?
Yes, every person who shares their life with a dog or cat probably has this fear. Obviously and sadly enough it happens but the good news is that there are steps you can take to protect your kid and make it easier to find him/her.

The biggest thing is having your kid microchipped. The micropchip is the size of a grain of rice and is injected under your dog or cats skin. They don't have to be sedated and it is painless. I highly recommend that you do so when you invite a four legged in to your home!

If you have any questions, please ask your vet! It could save a lot of grief in the future. Keep smiling, stay positive and Keep Wagging everybody!