Even if I find it too difficult to achieve all these lofty goals, I think that 2018 will be a year of growth for me! Do you have any New Year’s resolutions in mind for yourself or your pets? Let me know in the comments!
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Gus, my brother, hates Halloween. He barks and barks at the small humans like they’re real monsters and gets scared. Silly Gus! I suppose for some animals, this can be a stressful time, so I’ve collaborated with my dog brothers, Gus and Oscar, and my cat sister, Peanut, to come up with tips on how to keep pets safe this Halloween!
Candy can make animals sick. I love treats. Love them! Mom hands out treats for the small monsters to take in their baskets and bags. They seem very happy, like how I feel when I get a treat. Once, I tried to get into the human treat bowl and Mom loudly called me Brody-No (in front of everyone). She said that those treats are poisonous to me! The chocolate can really hurt me but also the wrappers can get stuck in my belly. Sounds like a trick and not a treat. This bowl should be kept somewhere safe and away from pets. If it were easy to reach, I don’t know if I could help myself! Keep skittish animals confined and away from the door. For most pets, it’s a good idea to keep them away from the door while handing out treats, and best to keep the pets home on Halloween instead of walking around in the neighborhood. A lot of pets get scared of all the disguises and bark, bite, or run away. I’m a T.D.S.D. (Therapy Dog Show Dog), so I’m an exception. I love being the exception. Proud! Keep cats (especially black cats) indoors. Keep cats inside a few days before, during, and a few days after Halloween, just to be safe! Sometimes mean humans will play tricks on animals in the neighborhood, especially black cats. I’m not sure why, but some people mistakenly think black cats are bad luck and will hurt them! My cat sister, Peanut, is a black cat, and she is the luckiest cat I know. I mean, she lives with me, doesn’t she? Be careful with candles. Around this time of year, Mom likes to put little fires around the house. Not the outside big kind but the small smelly kind. Mom seems to like them, but to me, they are just weird! These small fires should be kept in high places where they’re out of the way of wagging dog tails and passive aggressive cat behavior, like knocking things off of tables and shelves for no apparent reason. I will need to discuss this further with Peanut to get to the bottom of it... Supervise pets in costumes. Since I’m Good-Boy-Brody, I love everything. I don’t even mind wearing outfits! Mom likes to put me in a simple Halloween costume to be “so cute.” Sometimes, I see animals wearing really elaborate or ill-fitting costumes. What a stress! Only animals that like wearing things should wear one, and they should always be supervised just in case they decide to eat part of it or have trouble walking or breathing. Know the signs of food poisoning. If your pet is vomiting, has diarrhea, fever, rapid heartbeat, or shortness of breath, they might have eaten a bad thing! Make sure to call your veterinarian for a their opinion. Treating early is the safest and cheapest way to help a pet that may have been too tempted by the candy bowl. Do your pets wear costumes? Do you have any funny Halloween pet stories? Let me know in the comments! Yours truly, Hi! My name is Brody, and there are four things you should know about me.
I know what you’re thinking. You? Eat the cat litter? But you’re a therapy dog!
I couldn’t help it, okay? The cats cook up such glorious treats, and so what if the food is second-hand? I know therapy dogs shouldn’t succumb to such temptations, but hear me out. With Mom so busy opening her new hospital, I haven’t been going to school a lot lately. And, believe it or not, those litter box treats were piling up, just sitting there, basically presented to me on their blue plastic platter. The sound of my name was what brought me back to reality. And there I was, face caked in litter, staring up at my very angry Mom, aka, Alpha Female. I knew it was Alpha Female instead of just Mom because only she calls me by the cursed nickname, “Brody-No.” My actual full name is Good-Boy-Brody, and Mom calls me that more than anything. Like I said, I truly am a good boy. It was a slip-up, a collapse in morals, whatever you want to call it, I admit it. It happened. After she cleaned up my mess, all the while muttering about some mysterious bad dog, I heard her talking to Dad. I would be going back to school! For all the humans out there, let me get a few things straight about school. It can be fun. It can be frustrating. It can be exhilarating, or it can be scary. Much of that depends on you. So, without further ado, I present you with “Brody’s Tips for Training Your Not-So-Good Dog from a Dog’s Perspective,” certified and tested by me, Good-Boy-Brody T.D.S.D. (Therapy Dog Show Dog). I made up that title for myself. Pretty cool, huh? 1. Figure out your training method As a T.D.S.D. (Therapy Dog Show Dog) (proud!), I’ve been to lots of school, and I’ve been trained lots of different ways. There’s no one best way to train your dog. Pick the method that works best for both of you! I personally recommend trying out a couple to see what feels right. Just remember to think about it from our perspective and be kind. 2. Train your dog like you’re teaching someone something for the first time (because you are!) I notice that a lot of humans forget that they’re actually teaching, not only training when they do school with their dog. My sister, Payten, a human, just turned three. I watch the bigger humans teach her things patiently, trying to explain difficult concepts in simpler ways if she doesn’t understand. This is just how to train a dog! Don’t just go through the motions. Think about what your dog isn’t getting and come up with a better way to explain it. With that big head humans have, you should be just fine. 3. Once your dog is trained, keep training As you can tell from my regretful experience today with the litter, good behaviors need to be reinforced to be remembered. If you taught your dog to stay during puppyhood and they haven’t stayed for the last six years, don’t expect them to. Training is a lifelong process! 4. Old dogs can learn new tricks Dogs are smart. I know some humans think that just because a dog is old, they won’t be able to learn anything new. That is speciesism, my friend. My adopted cousin, Ellie, a 9-year-old Pitbull, had never been trained a day in her life! Can you imagine? Now she potties outside and knows how to sit, stay, lie down, and come when called. What a success story! Your dog, no matter how old it is, can learn something new. 5. Be patient Being a dog is great, but it’s hard to live in the human world. There are tons of distractions like cats, food, balls, and squeaky toys, plus quite the language barrier. The point is, be patient. Our minds wander, and we get upset if you get upset. We only want to make you happy (while smelling and eating and playing as much as possible). Work through difficult concepts with us slowly, and don’t expect us to get it on the first try. Especially if your dog is older, patience and persistence will get you far. 6. Only the best treats will work! It sounds like a ploy, I know, but trust me, it’s necessary. No matter what training method you choose, all dogs love treats! When my mind is racing and my tail is wagging and my ears are picking up all the sounds, it’s hard for me to focus, but hold a bit of dehydrated beef liver in front of me, and it’s a game changer. Those aromatic waves of beef are like magic that reins me in. Use training treats to get your dog to focus on the treat (and you) during school. Liver treats are just my preference. Find out what your dog likes the most (just introduce new treats gradually!). 7. End training time on a high note It may be tempting to give up training your dog if they’re not listening. Instead of getting frustrated and quitting, go over some basics that you know your dog knows. You’ll be proud that they’re listening, and they’ll be happy to please you. If you end training with anger, your dog will be upset, and next time, they might not be so excited for school. That’s it for today! Let me know what training method you prefer and what your dog can do in the comments! I can’t wait to read them! |
AuthorGood-Boy-Brody, T.D.S.D. (Therapy Dog Show Dog), a qualified expert, offers pet care tips from a canine perspective. Archives
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