FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

We use  reward based methods. Rewards are given and rewards are taken away. More specifically--Positive Reinforcement and Negative Punishment. Positive Reinforcement is the presentation of something rewarding immediately following an approved behavior! This principle makes the behavior more likely to occur in the future, and is one of  the most powerful tools for shaping or changing your pup's behavior.  Negative punishment reduces a behavior by taking away Something Good. If the animal was enjoying or depending on Something Good she will work to avoid it getting taken away. They are less likely to repeat a behavior that results in the loss of a Good Thing. Things like biting, jumping up, barking, etc...

A Puppy Social is a great way to get your puppy exposed to  different people, environments and PUPPIES! Our socials are extremely safe as we take the utmost precautions in providing a clean and safe environment in which your pup can play and learn about life.

Puppy Class is like kindergarten and a puppy social is like pre-school!

Rewards are not just food treats. In fact, for some dogs, other things such as toys or play with another dog may be far more rewarding than food. The things that dogs value can be food, play, attention, or access to a desired place. These are all important and the appropriate reward should be delivered to your pup when he or she does something right. Sometimes treats may be most important to your dog, sometimes play may be, sometimes it will be attention (eye contact, petting, praise), and sometimes the opportunity to get somewhere (like jumping into the creek) will be the top on your dog's list.

But here is why we use food often in training: for many dogs, the fastest way to their brain is through their stomach, so food treats are often an effective way to reward behaviors as they are being taught. Also, the use of very small, tasty food treats means that rewards can be delivered quickly and repetitiously. However, food should never be the ONLY reward used. Once a dog has learned a behavior, food should be faded out and other rewards should be substituted.

We are small dog owners too, so we understand  your  reservations concerning big dogs. Carefully exposing your tiny pup to larger dogs is a fundamental part of training. For safety reasons, your little guy needs to learn how to act around the bigger guys. For example, if you run ... you WILL get chased!  Let's face it, it's a big dog world out there, and a big dog encounter is eventually going to happen. We will guide you throughout this delicate but oh so important process. We've done it zillions of times with great success!

On the contrary, your pup needs to begin puppy class at once! It is natural to want to safeguard our shy puppies from what scares them. But did you know that shyness can later develop into behavior problems? Problems like fear aggression, attachment disorders, submissive urination and the inability to cope in stressful situations. Reserved pups can sometimes be the recipe for quite an unhappy grown dog later. Your pup is still young, impressionable which means there is a lot we can do, but we must begin right away. This puppy needs careful, gentle socialization with people, dogs and "things". We can help you through this sensitive and sometimes slow process. A confident dog is a content dog.

Roundtable Discussion on the Risks and Benefits of Early Socialization for Puppies

We agree with the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior's Position statement -"In general, puppies can start puppy socialization classes as early as 7-8 weeks of age. Puppies should receive a minimum of one set of vaccines at least 7 days prior to the first class and a first deworming. They should be kept up to date throughout the class."

The primary and mostostost impoportatant time for puppy socialization is the first three months of life.1, 2 During this time puppies should be exposed to as many new people, animals, stimuli and environments as can be achieved safely and without causing overstimulation manifested as excessive fear, withdrawal or avoidance behavior. For this reason, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior believes that it should be the standard of care for puppies to receive such socialization before they are fully vaccinated.
Because the first three months are the period when sociability outweighs fear, this is the primary window of opportunity for puppies to adapt to new people, animals, and experiences. Incomplete or improper socialization during this important time can increase the risk of behavioral problems later in life including fear, avoidance, and/or aggression. Behavioral problems are the greatest threat to the owner-dog bond. In fact, behavioral problems are the number one cause of relinquishment to shelters.3 Behavioral issues, not infectious diseases, are the number one cause of death for dogs under three years of age.
While puppies’ immune systems are still developing during these early months, the combination of maternal immunity, primary vaccination, and appropriate care makes the risk of infection relatively small compared to the chance of death from a behavior problem.
Veterinarians specializing in behavior recommend that owners take advantage of every safe opportunity to expose young puppies to the great variety of stimuli that they will experience in their lives. Enrolling in puppy classes prior to three months of age can be an excellent means of improving training, strengthening the human-animal bond, and socializing puppies in an environment where risk of illness can be minimized.

Read more abut what the experts are saying: Roundtable Discussion on the Risks and Benefits of Early Socialization for Puppies

Files: 

veterinary medicine roundtable ps.pdf

Refunds are issued prior to class if (minus a $30. processing fee), and only if, we can fill your place in class, and have ample time (minimum of three days) to do so. We regret that we are unable to refund class fees once class has commenced. If something unexpected makes it impossible for you to continue with class, we will do our best to accommodate you in an upcoming class, space permitting (usually not ascertained until the day that class begins). For these reasons, please think seriously about your schedule and commitment to training, before enrolling in our classes.

Yes, yes, yes!!! We love kids and we want puppies to love kids too!

We encourage family members who will be participating in training your dog to attend class. An integral part  of the socialization/training process is exposing your puppy to children (and vice versa) in a positive way. Therefore, having children in class can be very, very good for all of the puppies. However, small children require special consideration in a class situation.  There are times when the child will have to sit quietly in class. If you think your child may have a hard time sitting still, then be sure to bring something for your child to do while sitting still. Just like their puppy counterpart, the attention span of a young child can be short,  and we want everyone to be able to fully concentrate on the class.

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) recently released a position paper ( http://AVSABonline.org/) outlining the importance of early puppy socialization, preferably before the puppy reaches 12 to 16 weeks old. The AVSAB encourages owners to take their pets to puppy classes as early as possible, even before puppies have completed their full vaccination series.

Some veterinarians remain concerned about allowing puppies to commingle before vaccinations are complete. So to further explore the practical and theoretical issues involved, the AVSAB has interviewed four veterinarians who have extensive experience with early puppy socialization. The participants' individual interviews are presented below in a roundtable format.

UNDERSTANDING THE BENEFITS

 What is Parvovirus?
Parvovirus is a viral disease of dogs. It affects puppies much more frequently than it affects adult dogs. The virus likes to grow in rapidly dividing cells. The intestinal lining has the biggest concentration of rapidly dividing cells in a puppy's body. The virus attacks and kills these cells, causing diarrhea (often bloody), depression and suppression of white blood cells -- which come from another group of rapidly dividing cells. In very young puppies it can infect the heart muscle and lead to "sudden" death.

Parvovirus Vaccination
Parvovirus is probably the most common viral illness of dogs at the present time. It is much more common in puppies than it is in adult dogs. It can be very hard to successfully vaccinate a puppy for this disease because the antibody protection the puppy acquires from its mother can interfere with vaccination. Many vets recommend vaccinating puppies every three to four weeks for this virus starting at 6 weeks of age and continuing until they are at least 16 weeks of age and preferably 20 weeks of age. It is possible that this vaccine confers lifelong immunity once it does work but most veterinarians continue to recommend yearly vaccination for it. It seems prudent to at least get the vaccination at one year of age. Since it is combined with the other vaccines it is often easier just to give it yearly with them.

What are the symptoms of Parvo?

Parvo" is a virus that attacks the lining of the digestive system. It causes dogs and puppies to not be able to absorb nutrients or liquids. Puppies are especially prone to it because they have an immature immune system. When dogs and puppies contract parvo, they often have diarrhea, vomiting and lethargy. Usually they stop eating and develop a bloody, foul-smelling, liquid stool.
Symptoms usually begin with a high fever, lethargy, depression, and loss of appetite. Secondary symptoms appear as severe gastrointestinal distress, such as vomiting and bloody diarrhea. In many cases, dehydration, shock, and death follow.
Parvovirus is characterized by severe, bloody diarrhea and vomiting, high fever and lethargy. The diarrhea is particularly foul smelling and is sometimes yellow in color. Parvo can also attack a dog's heart causing congestive heart failure. This complication can occur months or years after an apparent recovery from the intestinal form of the disease. Puppies who survive parvo infection usually remain somewhat un-healthy and weak for life.

How is Parvo transmitted?
Canine parvovirus is carried by dogs. Adult dogs may be infected carriers without showing any clinical signs. Dogs with the typical diarrhea that parvovirus causes shed the virus as well. It can last a long time in the environment, perhaps as long as 9 months or longer.
Generally, it takes 7-10 days from the time of exposure for dogs and puppies to start showing symptoms and to test positive for parvo.
Parvo is highly contagious to unprotected dogs, and the virus can remain infectious in ground contaminated with fecal material for five months or more if conditions are favorable. Extremely hardy, most disinfectants cannot kill the virus, however chlorine bleach is the most effective and inexpensive agent that works, and is commonly used by veterinarians.
The ease with which infection with Parvo can occur in any unvaccinated dog must be stressed. The virus is extremely hardy in the environment. Withstanding wide temperature fluctuations and most cleaning agents. Parvo can be brought home to your dog on shoes, hands and even car tires. It can live for many months outside the animal. Any areas that are thought to be contaminated with parvo should be thoroughly washed with chlorine bleach diluted 1 ounce per quart of water.
Dogs and puppies can contract parvo even if they never leave their yards. Parvo virus, despite what you might hear, is NOT an airborne virus. It is excreted in the feces of infected dogs, and if someone -- human, dog, bird, etc. -- steps in (or otherwise comes in contact with) the excrement, the possibility for contamination is great. Some people speculate that birds invading a dog's food dish can deposit the parvovirus there. If you think you may have come in contact with parvovirus, a strong solution of bleach and water does kill the virus, so you can wash your shoes and clothes, even your hands with it, to reduce the risk of infecting your dog.
Rest assured that parvovirus is specific to dogs alone and cannot be transmitted to humans or other pets of a different species, such as cats.

Can you kill the parvo in the environment?

1. Parvo cannot be killed by regular hand sanitizers and lysol. There are very few disinfectants that will kill parvo. Even disenfectants used in hospitals that claim to kill HIV and AIDS do not kill the parvo virus. Diluted bleach will though.



2. the strength used with a bleach dilution that is strong enough to kill parvo will ruin carpets, wood flooring, furniture and other fabrics. Also using it on other pets in the house will harm them.



3. Even if the puppy infected with parvo never left your home. You did. It can be passed on the bottoms of your shoes. So you step someplace the infected puppy was. It sticks to the bottom of your shoe and you go check your mail, get the paper or just walk outside. It is now in your yard.



4. Parvo can live over a year's time in the environement.

How is Parvo treated?
Without intense treatment, the victims of parvo die of dehydration. Treatment generally consists of IV or sub-cutaneous fluids and antibiotics. There is no cure. Veterinarians can only treat the symptoms palliatively, and try to keep the dog alive by preventing dehydration and loss of proteins. As there is no cure for any virus, treatment for parvo is mostly that of supporting the different systems in the body during the course of the disease. This includes giving fluids, regulating electrolyte levels, controlling body temperature and giving blood transfusions when necessary.
Dogs who have survived parvo can get it again. In the case of some puppies, a puppy testing negative for Parvo one day could succumb to the virus within a matter of days. It strikes fast and without mercy. Dr. Cathy Priddle has warned that sulfa drugs have been known to cause dehydration in dogs, suggesting that animals infected with parvovirus should not be given sulfa drugs.
You may also consult a homeopathic or naturopathic veterinarian for alternative Parvo treatments. There are some natural and homeopathic treatments for Parvo on the retail market. Amber Technology offers Parvaid, an all natural herbal formula that the manufacturer claims has helped some animals overcome Parvo.

Will my dog die if he gets Parvo?
This is a very serious disease. Some puppies infected with parvovirus will die despite prompt and adequate treatment. While no extremely accurate statistics are available, a good guess is probably that 80% of puppies treated for parvovirus will live. Without treatment, probably 80% or more of the infected puppies would die.
Due to the high death rate, parvovirus gets a lot of free publicity. Many people just assume that any case of diarrhea in a dog is from parvovirus. This is not true. There are a lot of other diseases and disorders that lead to diarrhea. If you have a puppy, don't take any chances. Have your puppy examined by your vet if diarrhea is a factor in any disease. It is better to be safe than to be sorry.
If your dog becomes infected with parvovirus, he has about a 50-50 chance of survival. If he makes it through the first three to four days, he will usually make a rapid recovery, and be back on his feet within a week. It is vital, however, that he receives supportive therapy immediately. It must be stressed that this is not a bad case of doggy flu; without medical treatment, most puppies die.

Are some breeds more susceptible than others?
For some reason, Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers, and other black and tan breeds are especially prone to Parvo, and seem to succumb to parvo faster and with less chance of recovery than any other breed. If you have one of these breeds, it's even more important to make certain your puppy or dog gets immunized properly. But these breeds are not alone -- the Parvovirus can affect all breeds.