There has been such great feedback on Behavior Adjustment Training from other trainers and advanced students that I have decided to make a discussion group for us all.

Click here to join FunctionalRewards, a discussion group and creative space for people interested in BAT and related methods for aggression, fear, and other dog issues.

I (Grisha) have decided to join the modern age and try Twitter!

@doggiezen is the more official one with tips and updates about Ahimsa.

@peanutseattle is life from my dog’s perspective.

Experienced folks, can you follow and and let me know if I make any technical or etiquette mistakes?

If you are thinking of getting a dog, but can’t make a full committment yet, or want to test out the waters, fostering is a great way to help a dog in need without committing 10-20 years of your life.

Most area shelters and rescue organizations have a foster program.  One such program is Ginger’s Pet Rescue.  Ginger’s “specializes in Death Row Dogs” and is about to have 80 dogs from a puppy mill bust in the next few weeks.  It seems like every time I hear about Ginger, she’s getting another huge batch of dogs. She needs to mobilize all the foster homes that she can get!

Find out more about Ginger’s a www.GingersPetRescue.org.

A group called Families Against Breed Bans that works to block Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) in the Seattle area and elsewhere. There has been talk of creating a breed ban in Seattle for pit bulls or “fighting breeds” and I know that this is *not* the answer.
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I’m very happy to announce that the details have finally been hammered out and Ahimsa is going to host a dog trainer workshop by Kathy Sdao in Seattle this summer. The I-Cue seminar is open to professional dog trainers and regular dog owners who have interest in taking their training a big step further. Click for seminar info & registration.

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The Saturday puppy classes are changing times somewhat. The good news is that we now have a play time for bigger dogs – under 30 pounds instead of just 20 and for tiny dogs under 15 pounds. (more…)

We’re excited to begin offering private behavior consultations with world-famous dog expert Kathy Sdao, MA, CAAB at Ahimsa. Sessions take place at our facility in Ballard. Topics include aggression, fear, separation anxiety, and most other dog behavior problems. For more information, visit the private training page.

* Workshops this week: Coming When Called, Fraidy Dog, Baby-Proofing Your Dog
* Online dog training forum is up and running!
* Featured product at the store.
* Free Training Practice class moving to Mondays.
* TIP: Teaching your dog to fetch.
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We have offered agility classes at Ahimsa for several years. Our core focus is to improve the relationship of dogs with their humans, and while agility does serve that goal, the training center is so busy these days that I had to decide between continuing to offer agilty classes and offering more manners classes, (more…)

We did it! The dog training forum is ready for people to visit. Complaints about off leash dogs in Seattle? Need help with coming when called? Or weaning off of treats? This is the place to post your questions, rants, and raves. Visit the forum at http://doggiezen.com/forum.

In this Newsletter:

• New class: Intermediate Puppy, a.k.a. Puppy Jr. High
• Baby-Proofing Your Dog workshop – this Saturday
• Rally Obedience starts on Oct 18.
• Wallflower Shy Dog class starts Nov 17.
• More Agility Classes on the Schedule
• CityDog’s TopDog votes are in!

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Once again, I have a boatload of news for you…

In this newsletter:

• CityDog TopDog voting ends today! (maybe tomorrow)
• Free Practice Class for past and current students
• Join the Humane Society’s fight to end Dog-Fighting!
• New Round of Dog Agility
• Wallflower Shy Dog class returns!
• Baby-Proofing Your Dog – workshop
• Burien classes: Terrier & Puppy

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We have new classes!

The Baby-Proofing Your Dog workshop for expecting parents is completely new, and the Wallflower Shy Dog Class is a returning favorite.

I’ve also added a ton of new classes to the schedule: Agility, Basic Manners, Terrier classes in Burien, and a new Saturday puppy class in Burien.

Click here to see the schedule.

COLLAR & HARNESS WARNINGS

I have some awful news. A dog that took puppy class with me this spring passed away last week. Her harness caught on the exercise pen that she was kept in when her owners were gone for a bit, and she strangled.

The family emailed me because they wanted to prevent other dogs from danger. They asked me to be sure to tell people that it was a Shih Tzu – not the kind of dog one might expect to leap acrobatically into the air and get stuck on something high up.

I had heard rumors of this problem, and put my dogs into breakaway collars, but having never actually known a dog that had this happen, I thought it was very rare and got rid of the collars.

Looking into it, it seems it’s common enough to warrant warning you: 91% of vets say they have had 1-5 dogs in their practice who have strangled in the last year. I have just ordered several KeepSafe breakaway collars, which bust open if the dogs tangle in something but can be clipped to work like a regular collar when on leash. You can get them at the training center starting next week, or you can order them on our online dog store.

If you do get a breakaway collar, or have your dog go collarless in the home, it’s *especially* important to microchip your dog.

Love them every day, and don’t sweat the small stuff. Life is too short for dogs, even if we do everything right.

FOXTAILS – Danger!

Foxtails are a plant seed that land on your dog’s fur and then keep burrowing in, given the chance. I’ve had clients whose dogs and cats have had them in eyeballs, paws, and skin. They are known to go deeper, too, into the animal’s body, winding up in hearts and lungs. The dog parks are full of them and they are traveling now due to the hot weather drying up the plants. I spent yesterday removing as many as I could from the front of the training center.
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I have quite a few new bits of info for everybody and finally decided to make an online version of the newsletter. Here we go….

• Please Give Feedback
  • We now have an online class evaluation form.  Please take a moment to give us feedback on the quality of your experience at Ahimsa.
• Advanced Puppy is a Success!
  • We’ve had several Advanced Puppy classes and I continue to be amazed at how well they go.  They’re almost entirely off leash.  Depending on the class and the time of day, we’ll either work indoors or fence off the nearby parking lot and use that as a training space.  At the end of my last class, we had the students all lined up in sit-stays about 4 feet apart, while another student dog weaved in and out of them in heel position.  That last part was on leash, but wow! Click here for more info on this off-leash adolescent manners class. I’ve justed switched the Monday night one starting next week to All Sizes, so there’s room available in this popular class.

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