Celebrate your big day with cake!

        Last night Bella the Yorkie, Bella the Bichon, Sophie the mini Aussie, Duffy the Poodle cross and Spirit the Bichon all completed Puppy class with near perfect attendance for all of them! Bella the Yorkie's owner brought a cake from her favorite doggie bakery Three Dog Bakery in San Clemente.
Congratulations, piggies--I mean puppies! From the pictures, you can tell they had a great time!


I can't wait to see them all in the next class.

Coyote attacks terrier, dog bites back

Coyotes see your pet, alone in the yard, as fast food. Their barks are the dinner bell. Don't leave your dog alone in your yard.

Coyote attacks terrier, Dog bites back -Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Wire fox terrier protects Rossmoor owner and small dog from aggressive coyote By JAIMEE LYNN FLETCHER The Orange County Register

ROSSMOOR – A coyote was apparently no match for a terrier that confronted the aggressive scavenger in his back yard, fought back and chased the coyote until it scampered away. Eric Christensen said his wife was in their back yard near Martha Ann and Kempton drives about 7:40 p.m. Saturday with two of their three dogs when a coyote jumped a 6-foot-tall wall and landed within 10 feet of his wife and pets. Christensen said his wife was holding their 8-pound silky terrier while their larger wire fox terrier, Ronnie, ran in front of the coyote, blocking his owner and the silky terrier. The coyote clamped down on Ronnie’s shoulder but the terrier fought back and bit the coyote, sending the wild animal running for the wall. Ronnie chased the coyote until it was out of sight, Christensen said. Ronnie suffered two puncture wounds to his upper shoulder and is recovering at home. The brave dog is on restriction for a month, which means no walks until his wounds heal, Christensen said. "He’s on house arrest, as the animal control officer put it," Christensen said Monday. "But he seems to be doing fine physically and psychologically." Ryan Drabek, spokesman for Orange County Animal Control, said an officer gave the couple literature about how to keep their pets safe. "This is not considered an abnormal circumstance,’’ he said. "If a coyote was showing aggression toward a human, that would obviously be more serious, and we would have to look further into that.’’ Christensen said the coyote did not seem to be afraid of humans and could still be lurking in the neighborhood. "We believe this is a serious threat to other owners of animals in Rossmoor," he said. "The coyotes are getting pretty aggressive." Christensen said he and his wife were shocked at Ronnie’s behavior, which seemed uncharacteristic of the timid 30-pound terrier. When they take their three dogs on walks, Ronnie is the one who cowers behind his owners when children come up to give the dogs a pat on the head. "When we told this to our daughter and son-in-law they said, ‘Ronnie?’ " Christensen said, laughing. "Possibly it was just a reaction to something being in his back yard. "But he could be a hero … and, by the way, we are treating him as a hero." Contact the writer: 949-553-2932 or jfletcher@ocregister.com

Coyote tips:

Residents can lower the risk of coyote encounters by following these suggestions from the Los Alamitos Police Department. •Do not feed coyotes. •Don't leave children outside unattended. •Keep small pets indoors and supervise pets outside. •Don't leave pet food outside. •Don't leave a water source for coyotes, cover pools and bring in pet water bowls. •Trim yard shrubbery. Overgrown foliage gives coyotes a place to hide. •Don't leave fallen tree fruit on the ground. •Secure garbage containers.

Coyote attacks terrier, dog bites back coyote, christensen, ronnie, terrier, wife - News - OCRegister.com

Suggestions for a better training class experience

I am here to help you make your pet a better family member. Training is about creating a two-way communication. You are telling the dog what you want and the dog lets you know it understands by complying. I am here to help you clarify and reach your main objective of a good and well-behaved dog. The group classes are one hour once a week for eight weeks or six weeks for Advanced or Click a Trick. If you have chosen the 4 hour package of private instruction, our sessions will be divided into 6-45 minute lessons or 8-30 minute lessons. This is for the dogs’ benefit and your convenience. However, please keep in mind there is no timeline for success when it comes to training your dog. Learning is always a lifelong process. The number of lessons necessary to achieve your goals cannot be predetermined. So in order to make the most out of the time you purchased, please keep the following recommendations in mind.

1. Train in an environment with minimal distractions—to start.

2. Practice everyday. Every interaction you have with your dog is a training opportunity because your dog is always learning—what it can get away with.

3. Control your dog’s environment so that it learns that all the best things in life come through you.

4. Add one new challenge at a time. For example you can practice in more difficult locations or for longer durations, just don’t do both until your dog has mastered each separately.

5. Don’t try to do too much, too soon. Picture the final behavior you want, and then imagine the proper baby steps required to get there.

6. Behaviors that are rewarded will be repeated. You need to maintain a high rate of reinforcement and many repetitions to make a new skill stick. Be generous but careful of what you are rewarding. Behaviors that go unrewarded become weaker. Use it or lose it.

7. Just because your dog knows a behavior doesn’t mean they’ll do it unless the proper motivation is there.

8. Behaviors you are trying to eliminate always get worse before they get better.

9. Do your homework. Be sure you and your dog are at the required skill level before we proceed to the next lesson. I understand the time constraints that limit the ability to practice. If you need more help with the lesson, we can arrange additional private lessons to spend more time on that particular skill. Either way we will need more time to reach your final goal.

10. I want to give you the tools you need to work with your dog between sessions, so make sure you understand your assignment before you go home to practice.

11. Training is not meant to be a chore; getting a dog is not about adding another hassle to your already busy life. Getting a dog is about having a companion to do fun things with. Training should be one of those fun things you can get out and enjoy together.

Let me know if you found these hints useful at all. I will gladly answer any question you might have about training.