{"id":347,"date":"2018-11-29T19:22:30","date_gmt":"2018-11-29T19:22:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/?p=347"},"modified":"2018-11-29T19:22:30","modified_gmt":"2018-11-29T19:22:30","slug":"december-2018-newsletter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/december-2018-newsletter\/","title":{"rendered":"December 2018 Newsletter"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tips to Help if Your Dog is Leash Reactive<\/a>
\nBest Ways to Socialize Your New Puppy or Kitten<\/a>
\nKeep Up with Your Dog\u2019s Grooming Between Professional Appointments\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>Tips to Help if Your Dog is Leash Reactive<\/strong>
\nHaving a dog means taking nice long walks. However, if his behavior becomes unmanageable while on a leash, he may be leash-reactive, making that walk unnerving.<\/p>\n

According to the article, \u201cThese Dog Training Tips Can Help Your Pup Overcome Leash Reactivity\u201d at petMD.com, \u201cLeash-reactive dogs are triggered by stimuli in the environment, responding with over-the-top behaviors that increase stress levels for the pet parent, the dog and everyone within barking distance.\u201d Additionally, behaviors \u201ccan range from fear to frustration to true aggression,\u201d however, there are dog-friendly ways to remedy the issue.<\/p>\n

Leash-reactivity can mean a dog is anxious, fearful and trying to get away from the \u201cstimulus,\u201d the article said. The defensive reaction is used to \u201cprevent further confrontations.\u201d It can come from:<\/p>\n

1.\tLacking proper early socialization
\n2.\tA bad experience while walking
\n3.\tPunishment after he reacted
\n4.\t\u201cBarrier frustration\u201d whereby he is moved away from interacting with another dog before he is ready<\/p>\n

You can help by \u201cchanging your dog\u2019s perception of the stressor,\u201d the article said. The goal is your dog eventually will associate more positively to the stimulus. Include treats and a \u201cmarker\u201d such as a clicker or a particular word.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tDetermine the buffer zone and keep your dog \u201cbelow the point where he reacts to the trigger,\u201d the article said.
\n\u2022\tWhen your dog sees the \u201ctrigger,\u201d mark it with the clicker or the associated word. Then provide the treat as a reward, continuing as necessary until you see the dog associating the trigger with the treat.
\n\u2022\tAs your dog is more relaxed, you can \u201cbegin to decrease the distance between your dog and the trigger during walks,\u201d the article said.<\/p>\n

Continue the method and always keep an eye on your dog to see how he is reacting. Keep treats with you as well.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Best Ways to Socialize Your New Puppy or Kitten<\/strong>
\nOne of the many joyous occasions in life is bringing home a new puppy or kitten. You have to think about training, vet care, bedding, potty training, litter boxes, toys, etc. And don\u2019t forget socialization.<\/p>\n

According to the article, \u201cSocialization of Dogs and Cats\u201d at the American Veterinary Medical Association, \u201cSocialization is the process of preparing a dog or cat to enjoy interactions and be comfortable with other animals, people, places and activities.\u201d It\u2019s best to start at 3 and 14 weeks for puppies and 3 and 9 weeks for kittens.<\/p>\n

Start early so your puppy will be \u201ca more confident, relaxed and well-adjusted canine,\u201d according to the article, \u201cYour Guide to Socializing a Puppy\u201d at Vetstreet.com, which offers these tips:<\/p>\n

\u2022\tTeach your puppy to be relaxed in different situations so she can react confidently.
\n\u2022\tIntroduce her to sights, sounds and objects calmly and reward with a treat or toy.
\n\u2022\tExpose her to other dogs, livestock, horses, birds, etc., avoiding dog parks at first, the Vetstreet article said.
\n\u2022\tIntroduce her to a variety of people, grooming, the vet\u2019s office, car rides, shopping carts, visitors to your home.<\/p>\n

The article, \u201cYour Guide to Socializing a Kitten,\u201d also at Vetstreet.com, says to introduce your kitten to different people, sights and sounds, which makes for a confident adult cat. Speak to your vet about when to expose your kitten to other cats.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tGet your kitten used to being touched and handled by different people.
\n\u2022\tExpose your kitten to a variety of experiences so she is not scared or threatened later on in life, including a car ride, vet\u2019s office, a crate, music, harness, groomer, other animals, tooth brushing, nail clipping and bathing.<\/p>\n

The earlier you prepare your puppy or kitten for social interactions, the better adjusted and happier you both will be.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Keep Up with Your Dog\u2019s Grooming Between Professional Appointments<\/strong>
\nWhether you have a dog who is high maintenance and needs regular grooming or a dog who is groomed less frequently, it\u2019s important to keep up with grooming in between professional appointments. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition to maintaining your dog\u2019s beautiful coat, making sure that your pet is groomed will reduce the chances of many health problems, including painful tangled fur and the presence of flies and all the issues they present,\u201d according to the article, \u201cKeep dogs happy in between grooming sessions\u201d at Petmeds.com.<\/p>\n

The article offers simple advice:<\/p>\n

\u2022\tRemove your dog\u2019s collar every so often when at home to reduce matting and irritation of the skin
\n\u2022\tBrush your dog\u2019s coat regularly.
\n\u2022\tClean your dog\u2019s ears, especially if your dog has floppy ears, which are more prone to infections.<\/p>\n

If you plan on at-home grooming in between professional appointments make sure you feel confident. You will get to know you dog, get in some bonding, and also notice anything unusual on his body, including lumps or bumps, according to the article, \u201c7 tips for safe, stress-free grooming\u201d at Animal Wellness Magazine. The article offers the following advice:<\/p>\n

\u2022\tBuy the right tools and keep in good condition, including brushes\/combs, shampoo, scissors and clippers, blow dryers and nail trimmers.
\n\u2022\tFind a good, safe and secure place to bathe your dog.
\n\u2022\tBe patient and use positive reinforcement. Keep treats on hand \u201cto reward good behavior, and give him lots of love,\u201d the Animal Wellness article said.
\n\u2022\tGo slow and let your dog get used to the experience and sounds.
\n\u2022\tGroom regularly.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re uncomfortable doing a full groom at home, do the basics and leave the rest to your professional groomer. You don\u2019t want to accidentally hurt your dog or make him stressed so that he is afraid of getting groomed at all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tips to Help if Your Dog is Leash Reactive Best Ways to Socialize Your New Puppy or Kitten Keep Up with Your Dog\u2019s Grooming Between Professional Appointments\u201d Tips to Help if Your Dog is Leash Reactive Having a dog means taking nice long walks. However, if his behavior becomes unmanageable while on a leash, he… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=347"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":348,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347\/revisions\/348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}