A couple of seats are available for the Canine First Aid Class that will be held not this Sunday, but next, Sunday, August 12 from 1 – 5 pm at 19202 Nelson Court, Valley Lee, MD 20692. Cost is $47 and includes a book. We must submit names of attendees (for certificates of completion and books) by noon this Monday, so if you would like to attend please let me know before then.

Debora Storey
Instructor
MD CPR and First Aid Training

Will cover basic first aid including medication administration, managing urgent care situations, such as car accidents; wounds; electrical shock; and eye, foot and ear injuries.

Refreshments will be served.

RSVP to johnsonpat@verizon.net or call 301.994.0132

(Currently have Kim Adams, Al Huey, Peggy Dziewit, Barb Davis, Joe & Pat Johnson signed up.)

For those of you in the southern part of the county, keep an eye on your dogs!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/rosenwald-md/post/pack-of-vicious-wild-dogs-in-md-killing-other-dogs/2012/08/02/gJQAD5BpRX_blog.html?hpid=z5

Blaze is just one of the SIX other golden retrievers at our house. He thinks he’s big, like the others. He and Holly play all the time. He rarely has accidents in the house. In general, he’s a sweetie and still available for adoption.

Here he is trying to jump onto the deck to follow the other dogs into the house.

It’s take your dog to the ball game night at the Blue Crabs this coming Saturday, Sept 8th. The game starts at 6:35 pm and lots of rescue groups and animal lovers will attend. We’ll have an info table so please stop by and say “hello.”

I have a handful of $10 tickets available. Send me an email at johnsonpat@verizon.net and I’ll get them in the mail to you on Tuesday. The $10 tickets are in the “golden section.” Send a check to GRRSM, Box 6, Great Mills, MD 20634 or use paypal to contact@goldenretrieverrescueofsouthernmaryland.org.

You can also go online and buy tickets at http://www.somdbluecrabs.com/index.cfm. Click on “Fundraising logo” and the rescue gets half the price of your ticket. They opened more seats for us since our first 20 sold out.

NOTE: If you bring your dog/s you might want to leave right after the game as there are going to be fireworks post game.

Some trainers will tell you that you should not play tug of war with your dog because it will cause them to be “aggressive.” Others say it is okay to play, but you have to win each time to demonstrate you are the alpha of the pack. Here’s what my favorite dog journal says.

The game of Tug has an undeserved bad rap in some training circles, while others, most notably the Agility world, have fully embraced it as an excellent activity to create focus and high arousal. Those two extremes aside, it’s a great game just because it’s fun, many dogs adore it, it’s the perfect play activity for human family members who might otherwise want to get in appropriately physical with the dog and it’s a terrific energy-burner.

One of the most commonly-heard myths about playing Tug is that it makes the dog “dominant.” There’s so much misinformation passed around about hierarchy in dogs – this is just another log on the fire. If you are concerned about what Tug might do to your relationship with your dog, just remember that the definition of leader is “the one who controls the good stuff,” and orchestrate your Tug-play accordingly.

I’m solidly in the pro-Tug camp. I strongly recommend setting rules for canine and human players of the game to protect against the possibility of reinforcing unwanted behaviors, but with those in place, you and your dog can Tug to your hearts’ content. The rules are general guidelines for making Tug a positive training/relationship experience. The calmer and better-behaved your dog is, the less necessary it is to follow them strictly. The more rowdy and out of control your dog, the more closely you will want to adhere to them. By the way, don’t be alarmed by your dog’s growls during tug – it’s all part of the game. As long as his other behaviors are appropriate, let him growl his heart out!

For more ideas and advice on the best ways to play with your dog and the benefits to both you and your dog, purchase Pat Miller’s book, Play With Your Dog.

Whole Dog Journal