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Saturday, May 10, 2008

We had a great time helping out with Pet Pals at the Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead!

	We visited the horses...
	...and said moo to the cow!
	The goat welcomed us.
	Don't forget our feathered friends!
	Sheep herding is so exciting!
	We talked about dog safety...
	...and taught the kids how to greet Stinky nicely!
	We hung out with our friends at Mastiff Hope...
	...and tried to help raise money for Theo's surgery.
	It was a great day!

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Press Releases

 

Family Friendly Training Techniques

Dogs&Storks Comes to KC!

Dog 101 Workshops for In-Home Workers

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Family Friendly Training Techniques

 

IT AIN’T CALLED MANHANDLING FOR NOTHIN’!
Families Seek Dog Training Techniques Mom and the Kids Can Handle, Too

Dog training isn’t what it used to be.  Once viewed as an endeavor of man against beast, the field was dominated by individuals whose physical presence and prowess were sufficient to that task: most often pioneering men who bent their backs and toiled alongside the animals in their care.  These animals were sometimes treated well, sometimes not – just as human laborers were variously treated depending upon cultural norms and the compassion of their employer. But as men left the farmsteads and ranches to follow the promise of greater financial security in urban employment, the working dogs of yesterday became the family dogs of today; then, more and more of their care fell to the women and children of the household.

In the decades since, our relationships – with dogs but also with one another – have changed; and just as parents around the nation have found that sparing the rod does not spoil the child, so dog training within the home environment has taken on a kinder, gentler aspect.  These changes are essential for, as Colleen Pelar, author of Living with Kids and Dogs… Without Losing Your Mind writes, “…any method that requires force cannot be safely performed by a child, so you run the risk of teaching the dog to be gentle only with people big enough and scary enough to manhandle her.”  More than that, modern studies show that force-based training methods are not only inappropriate for use by many dog owners, but that they are unnecessary and counter-productive.  “You may get obedience out of a dog by threatening him, but mostly you’ll get a dog who is afraid of you,” Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist Dr. Patricia McConnell writes in her book The Other End of the Leash.  She continues, “Far too often, you’ll get a dog who learns to defend himself by getting aggressive back.  Aggression leads to more aggression…”

Fortunately, reward-based training has proven to be as successful with family dogs as it has been known to be with zoo animals and marine mammals for many years, proving what Mom has always known: you really can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.  Aphorisms aside, though, reward-based training works because it operates within the bounds of learning theory.  Plus, it takes no special equipment, no physical force, and the whole family can be equally involved in Fido’s education because all of the training is brain-based, not pain-based.  Dad can appreciate reward-based training too, because though it is positive, it is not permissive, and solving problem behaviors using reward-based training is extremely effective.

Trainer Suezanne M. Law, owner of Sympawtico Dog Training, LLC in Lenexa, KS agrees:  “The emphasis of my curriculum is teaching families and their dogs the art and science of living well together.  If I were asking people to use force and pain to train their dogs that simply wouldn’t be possible because some members of the family just would not be capable of the techniques associated with that kind of training.”  Instead, modern training focuses on a combination of good management and handling skills, and training techniques based on behavior modification practices proven over decades of use in zoos and marine mammal facilities.  “Reward-based trainers also tend to focus on small class-size as a predictor of training success for those families wishing to train their dogs in a group setting,” Law continues.  “For instance, I have found over the years that enrolling a maximum of four dogs per class seems to provide the optimum balance between socialization, individual attention, and cost-effectiveness for the families in my classes.  That balance, plus the effectiveness of reward-based techniques equals success!”

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Dogs&Storks Comes to KC!

 

NATIONAL DOG AND BABY SAFETY PROGRAM NOW AVAILABLE IN GREATER KANSAS CITY METRO AREA
Program increases safety while decreasing stress for new parents

Baby’s homecoming should be a joyous event for everyone in the family.  But unfortunately, the pitter-patter of little feet – not to mention the crying, chaotic schedules, and cranky parents that follow close on their heels – strikes fear in the heart of many a brave dog.  Too many dogs lose their homes when, in a sleep-deprived haze their families decide that something has to give.  Now, however, dogs and their families in the Greater Kansas City Metro Area can breathe a sigh of relief: Dogs&Storks is here to help!

Created in 2002, the national Dogs&Storks program has helped hundreds of expectant parents integrate their two-legged and four-legged family members using gentle, effective techniques that are also fun and safe.  Jennifer Shryock, a certified dog behavior consultant, designed the program, drawing on her degree in Special Education, plus her experiences raising three children and over 70 foster-dogs.  Since the program’s inception in Shryock’s native North Carolina, Dogs&Storks has recruited a select number of highly qualified canine behavior specialists to take this vital service to the public nationwide.  Lenexa’s Suezanne M. Law, owner of Sympawtico Dog Training, LLC, is Dogs&Storks’ latest addition.

“I’m thrilled that Jennifer asked me to join Dogs&Storks,” Law states.  “I have been reaching out to families in the Kansas City area for a number of years now, specializing in training and behavior modification for the family dog.  But unfortunately I usually see families after trouble has already begun.  The Dogs&Storks program allows me to reach expectant couples before baby comes home so that everyone in the family is prepared for a safe and smooth transition into the busy new life that babies bring.  That makes for happy homecomings, and happily ever after, too!”  Shryock agrees, “We want to make education available even before families know they need it.”

By teaching expectant families to understand their dogs’ sensitivities, body language, and attention seeking behaviors, the Dogs&Storks program provides practical education during pregnancy and continued support after baby arrives.  Licensed Dogs&Storks presenters help to address the concerns of expectant parents, decrease the stress associated with baby’s arrival, and ensure the safety of all family members.  Dogs&Storks offers private consultations as well as 2-hour semi-private workshops.  And because presenters are not only educators, but also qualified professional dog trainers and behavior modification experts, they can design and implement management and training plans tailored to each family should the need for more in-depth intervention arise.

“What a gift it is for families to know that when their two-legged babies come home, they can keep their four-legged ones, too,” says Law.  Her clients agree. “Our eight-year-old dog, Oliver, is an important part of our family,” writes new mom Angela. “We wanted to do all we could to keep him in the family after the baby came.  Our vet and a friend of mine, who also had a new baby, both highly recommended Suezanne, so we called.  Now he’s like a new dog. The best part is that he has adjusted better than we could have imagined when we brought our baby home from the hospital.  And he is very gentle around her.”

Suezanne M. Law, owner of Sympawtico Dog Training, LLC, is the only Dogs&Storks presenter in the Midwest. 

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Dog 101 Workshops for In-Home Workers

 

DOG BITES ACCOUNT FOR NEARLY 75,000 OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES IN FIVE YEARS
New Dog Safety Program Helps KC Metro Workers Stay Safe on the Job

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, during a five-year time span 75,000 American workers were injured on the job after coming into contact with animals.  375 of those workers died due to their injuries.  Letter carriers, utility providers, realtors, in-home nursing staff, maids, and nannies are just a few of the employees who visit or work in American homes in the course of their daily routines.  And since nearly one in three of those households is home to a dog, dog safety is a priority for these workers.  In fact, U.S. Postal Service Consumer Advocate Delores Killette reports that more than 3,000 letter carriers were attacked by dogs in 2006 alone.  To protect postal workers from dog bites, she makes this simple request of homeowners:  "Keep your dog inside away from the door when a letter carrier comes to your home.”

Many families will not heed Ms. Killette’s request, however, and many workers will be unable to avoid contact with dogs if their jobs take them inside the homes or yards they visit.  “My sister is a visiting nurse,” Certified Pet Dog Trainer Sharon Woodrum says, “and she comes into contact with dogs nearly every day in the course of her work.  Sometimes they are well-behaved, but often they are not.  She calls me for advice on how to handle the situation so she can stay safe and do her job.  She was the inspiration behind Dog 101 Workshops.”

Woodrum, owner of Personable Pets Inc., Dog Training of Louisburg, KS partnered with Suezanne M. Law, Accredited Dog Trainer and owner of Sympawtico Dog Training, LLC in Lenexa to create Dog 101 Productions, the company behind the Dog 101 Workshops.  “Often in classes, my clients would ask me not just how to deal with their own dog, but how to deal with their neighbor’s dog, or the dog in a home they had to visit while giving a job estimate or providing a service.  Sharon and I would discuss these questions, and it became clear to us that most people don’t understand the very real language barrier that exists between humans and dogs,” Law states.  Woodrum agrees, “So we developed a workshop designed to address that communication gap.  Dog 101 Workshops give workers the information they need to make good choices and, by making those good choices, to hopefully stay safe while interacting with other people’s dogs.”

Each 90-minute Dog 101 Workshop teaches participants a five-point canine body-language assessment, human-canine communication skills to make workers’ interactions with family pets safer and more productive, plus management techniques to keep dogs occupied and entertained so the workers can do their jobs.  The workshops also help workers to recognize when it is important for them to communicate with dog owners regarding the need for outside help.  “Workers win because they stay safe on the job, and dogs win because they don’t lose their homes due to behavior problems that are really just simple miscommunications,” Law says.  “It’s a vast improvement for everyone involved.”

Dog 101 Workshops were created by Sharon Woodrum, Certified Pet Dog Trainer and Suezanne Law, Accredited Dog Trainer.  In their practices, Sharon and Suezanne concentrate exclusively on human-canine interaction and communication.  Focusing on the family dog, they guide their clients – both two-legged and four – on the road to living well together.

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