Harmony Forum

Residents throughout the state are experiencing poor air quality due to ongoing wildfires. For many areas, air quality has reached hazardous levels. Poor air quality is just as much of a concern for animals as it is for humans, and we should take the same precautions for our dogs that we do for ourselves. If you live in a area that is affected by wildfire smoke, the following safety tips may help you and your dog stay safe and healthy. Smoke Safety The main danger of breathing smoke comes from the inhalation of fine particulate matter. These fine particles can reach deep into lungs and cause a variety of health concerns, including congestion, coughing, and burning eyes. Safety Tips: Keep pets indoors with you. Close windows, and keep doors closed as much as possible. If possible, keep your air conditioner running to filter the air. Keep your potty breaks short and avoid long walks or other outdoor exercise. Keep hydrated! Be on the lookout for signs of respiratory stress or eye inflammation. Brachycephalic dogs, like Bulldogs or Pugs, are more susceptible to respiratory distress. Puppies and senior dogs are also at higher risk. Any dog with a pre-existing condition, such as asthma or bronchitis, should be monitored closely. Signs of Respiratory Distress in Pets: Difficulty breathing, forced or labored breathing. Unusual coughing, sneezing, vomiting, or loss of appetite. Swelling or inflammation of the mouth, eyes, or nose. Unusual open-mouthed breathing. Weakness and Lethargy. Increased salivation. While we may brave the smoke for a walk, we do do have the benefit of being able to wear masks to help filter the air. Keep in mind that your dog may suffer the same poor air quality symptoms as you, and that we need to be proactive in keeping them safe and limiting their exposure. Air quality for your location can be checked on the Airnow.gov site. If the air quality is anywhere above 150, you should be concerned about your exposure as well as your pet. Always check the Air Quality Index before taking your pet outdoors. If the AQI is between 100 and 150, it is likely safe to take your pet outdoors for limited periods of time. If the air quality is compromised, avoid prolonged exposure and outdoor exercise. Find a different way to burn off excess energy, such as Scent Games .

It’s hot out there! This week’s heat wave has forced many of us back indoors (as if we weren’t spending enough time in the house already…) and has made afternoon walks and trips to the park a bit less appealing. If you’re looking for ways to release some of your dog’s pent-up energy, encourage them to follow their nose in these rewarding, mentally stimulating indoor games. Why Scent Games? Dogs have extremely sensitive noses, and they experience much of the world around them through their sense of smell. Hiding treats or a specific odor around the house can help them engage their senses, enrich their minds, and keep them mentally stimulated while they’re indoors. A good mental workout is often more tiring than physical exercise, and is a great way to build communication and teamwork between you and your dog. If your dog has a great nose and a love of finding things, they might enjoy moving forward with training that focuses on utilizing their senses. There are a variety of sports that allow you to team up with your dog to find odors. From Nosework and Tracking to Barn Hunt, there are a variety of scent-sational activities that you can train your dog to compete in! If you'd like more information about training for these specific sports, please contact us at info@harmonydogs.net . Starting Simple: Which Hand? A game you’ve probably played yourself (without using your nose, of course) that can be just as fun for your dog! In this simple game, put a treat in one hand and present both closed hands to the dog. Ask them “Which Hand?” and let them use their nose to sniff out the treat. As your dog gains more understanding of the game, you can insist on a nose bump or a paw tap as their “alert” to identify the correct hand. If your dog guesses the wrong hand, show them the hand with the right treat, add some dramatic hand gestures as you rearrange your hands, and let them try again! Shell Game The shell game, a swindling trick that you might see in movies or in your local park, can be recreated in your own home (betting is optional, but we won’t judge). Using identical dog bowls, dishes, or cups, hide a treat under one and let your dog watch as you shuffle the cups around. To start, let your dog knock over the cups and try to find the treat. To increase difficulty, wait for them to indicate on a particular cup before revealing their reward. If they pick the wrong cup, show them where the treat is and shuffle them again. Hidden Treat Obstacle Course Creating an obstacle course of open boxes is a great way to get your dog searching and engage their mind and body. If you’ve been doing a bit of quarantine shopping, you probably have a few Amazon boxes lying around that can be utilized for a fun game of treat hunting. Fold the top flaps of boxes in so that they are open containers, and place them around the room you want to work in. You can put some boxes up high, like on a couch, and under chairs or tables so that your dog has to work to find the treat. To being, wander around the room and drop a high-value treat into an open box. Your dog will hear the treat fall, and then can use their nose to source it. As your dog begins to understand the game, you can hide treats more quickly so that they are motivated to search through the containers quickly. As you near the end of your session, allow your dog to go back and search the remaining boxes for any treats they haven’t found yet. In this video, Biscuit, a Harmony School puppy, learns to follow his nose in his first experience with treat hunting. Hide & Seek For the dogs who only have eyes for you, Hide & Seek might be their new favorite game! This game is fun, but it can also help your dog learn some important life skills. By asking your dog to stay until called, you can help teach them a strong out-of-sight stay. You can also use this game to improve recall skills. This will be a rather on-sided game of Hide & Seek. You will do all of the hiding, and your dog will do the seeking. To play, put your dog in a stay (or leave them with a family member—you can take turns hiding!) and leave the room. If you’re working with another family member, they can give the command (example: “Find Dad!”) or you can call the dog. You might just use the dog’s name “Fluffy! Come find me!” or you can get creative with something like “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” The dog will hear you to get your general direction, and then will use their nose to find your exact hiding spot. Great places to hide in the house include under the bed, in the closet, or in shower. We hope these beginner scent games will help you and your dog stay cool and occupy your time indoors!

Do you struggle with taking your dog to the vet? Is their stress and fear so intense that they tremble, salivate, pant, or even resort to attempts at escape or aggression? In the end, the vet visit is likely essential, so you probably force your dog to complete the visit (and promise to make it up to them later!). When grooming, does your dog panic at the sight of nail clippers? Do they tremble in the corner as you draw a bath? Is a trip to the groomer a stressful experience for everyone involved? Regular grooming is just as essential for health and happiness as regular veterinary care, and, in the end, you and your groomer will likely muscle your way through the visit… and of course give plenty of cookies afterwards. Learning by Association & Fear Learning Most dogs only visit the veterinarian once or twice a year, and, for most dogs, grooming is maybe a monthly occurrence. Dogs are masters of classical conditioning—or learning by association. When we force a dog to submit to physical handling they are not comfortable with, we’re conditioning an innate reflex to the signals of that event. Over time, our dogs learn to associate those signals with that uncomfortable event. For example, the sight or smell of a veterinarian’s office might bring on panic and the sound of grooming equipment or sight of nail clippers are signals that an uncomfortable grooming session is approaching. Fear learning is a powerful thing. When we are scared or stressed, our brains try to remember details, signs, and other signals so that we can avoid a similar event in the future. This can result in dogs being triggered by sights, sounds, and smells that we might not expect, and can lead to dogs to be less confident in the safety and security of the world around them. Cooperative Care In the past, both in grooming and veterinary medicine, it was common to believe that some dogs were simply better equipped for being handled for exam or grooming, and that for those who were less tolerant a certain amount of pressure or force was needed to complete the service. The intention was never to do harm to the dogs. When an essential service must be provided, those who care for dogs rarely have the option, or time, to try to alleviate the stress of the experience entirely. Most professionals who work with dogs will do everything in their power to make sure that the dog’s visit is as stress-free as possible. It is not the fault of your groomer or veterinarian if your dog is stressed by appointments with them. But if your dog only associates a bath or the sight of a stethoscope with an unpleasant experience, chances are they will be conditioned to have a negative response. As dog owners, we owe it to our furry friends to make these experiences pleasant and stress-free. Cooperative Care and Fear Free handling are words to describe a growing trend in the veterinary and grooming world that focus on training an animal to become a willing participant in the process of caring for them. This concept avoids the common force, pressure, or coercion that can occur in the veterinarian’s office or grooming salon, and instead focuses on building up positive association to being handled, and allows the animal to “opt-in” and be willing participants in their care. This training is accomplished at home, in hundreds of positive moments or short training sessions that prepare your dog for uncomfortable or even unexpected types of physical handling. The concept of cooperative care has been applied successfully across many species. [ HERE ] you can see a tiger undergoing a voluntary dental exam and blood draw, and [ HERE ] a stingray presenting herself for a pregnancy ultrasound. Be proactive! If cooperative care can work for zoos, it can work for your dog! By committing to cooperative care training long before you need to apply it in a veterinary office or grooming salon, you are committing to the health, happiness, and quality of life of your pet. Cooperative Care protocols can be taught by a trainer in classes like our Virtual Private Lessons or Dog Only Private Lessons. These methods are best taught in a safe, neutral environment such as at home or inside the Dogs In Harmony training center. You can also look for groomers or Fear Free veterinarians who support these practices. In our next Harmony Forum post, we’ll be discussing how to get started with cooperative care. For Sunnyvale locals, we’ll also link to Veterinarians and Groomers in the area who support Fear Free/Cooperative Care practices. Looking to help your dog have a fear free veterinary or grooming appointment? Contact us at bark@harmonydogs.net to schedule private lessons.