THE GERMAN SHEPHERD SENTINEL
FEBRUARY 2006 - NEWSLETTER OF THE
GSDC OF GREATER RALEIGH
Pat Embrey, Newsletter Editor
1390 Sanders Road, Benson, NC 27504
PH: 919-934-6232, E-Mail: VonRillca@aol.com
Website: www.gsdcofgrraleigh.org
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Board Policy on Dogs at Club Sponsored Events
2. Minutes From the January Meeting
3. February Meeting Information
4. Information From the Program Coordinator, 2006
5. Consumer Guide Pet Money Tips
6. Microchips Lost and Found
7. Tips on Trimming Toenails
8. You Know You’ve Waited Too Long to Find A Mate
9. The Rainbow Bridge
BOARD POLICY ON DOGS AT CLUB SPONSORED EVENTS
The GSDC of Greater Raleigh welcomes your German Shepherd at our events, including meetings. However, the following rules must be followed:
Anyone with an aggressive dog (one that growls, snaps, or is in any way aggressive towards other dogs or people) must be muzzled.
Dogs will be free of loose hair and external parasites (fleas or ticks). Please brush your dog prior to bringing it to the meeting as we must clean up the room after we are finished.
For the safety of all members, guests and their dogs, it is strongly recommended that all dogs be kept up to date on their vaccinations. ALL dogs that are old enough, MUST have a current rabies shot.
MINUTES FROM THE JANUARY MEETING
The January meeting was held on the 4th with a nice attendance. We had two guests, Gary Ruess and Jean, and hope they enjoyed the meeting. Our speakers were Linda Bell and Patrice Bayer from Pet Partners, which is Pet Insurance that the AKC recommends. After refreshments and a short business meeting we adjourned.
FEBRUARY MEETING INFORMATION
Our February meeting will be held on the 1st which is coming up next week. We will meet at the regular time 7:00 PM for socialization with the program starting at 7:30 PM unless we decide to start the program a little earlier. Refreshments will be furnished by Mary Bjelica.
As noted in the following information from Mary Bjelica, our Program Coordinator, she is going to arrange to have Dog photos taken of our dogs with or without their owners. I have a couple of photographs that Mary or her husband Pete have taken of my dogs, and they do a beautiful job. We are so lucky to have Mary in our club as she is such an asset and willing to take on any work we need. This is a great opportunity for our members to get a great picture of their best friend
INFORMATION FROM THE PROGRAM COORDINATOR
FOR 2006
Hello all and Happy New Year from your club Program Coordinator!
The holidays flew by in a blur and the February club meeting will be here before we know it. So I wanted to send this email to let you know that the February club meeting will be a photo session. I will be bringing my digital camera and set up an area to take pictures of you with your German Shepherd or just your German Shepherd. While I'm taking photos, I'll have an area set up for you to make a custom frame for the photo. I don't have the equipment to print the photos there but will be bringing the pictures to the March club meeting.
I haven't finished the programs for the meetings this year but have lots of good ideas based on your input, i.e. nutritional facts about dog food, a visit from one or more police dogs, a review of the breed standard and judging standards/guidelines as we prepare for the club sponsored show this year. We'll also have our own club dog event where everyone will have a chance to win a prize - details to follow.I'm looking forward to seeing everyone in February…don't forget to gussie up for your picture :-)
Mary L. Bjelica
Administrative Assistant
FMI Corporation
5171 Glenwood Avenue
Raleigh, NC 27612
P. O. Box 31108
Raleigh, NC 27622-1108
919.785.9273e-mail: mailto:mbjelica@fminet.com
______________________________________________________________________
CONSUMER GUIDE MONEY TIPS
I am on the mailing list for the Consumer Reports Money Adviser, and they have an article with tips for the care of your dog.
Tooth Care: One tip is being sure to brush your dog’s teeth regularly, if your dog will cooperate. The cost of Veterinary teeth-cleaning can range from $100 to $500 and at least $50- or more for tooth extraction. See the American Animal Hospital Association’s Web site at www.healthypet.com for tooth brushing tips and other information
Buying Medications from Vets: They recommend asking y0our vet about a drug’s cost and see if it is available through pharmacies. Your local drug store may offer it at a much cheaper price. Also ask your vet about lower-priced generic medications that would be appropriate. In addition to your local pharmacy, check veterinary-medication prices at places like KV Vet Supply, Eckerd.com, and Costco. You have the right to ask your veterinarian for prescriptions that you can fill elsewhere, as well as medical records for your pet, which can be a big help if you decide to consult another vet for a second opinion.
Shop for Specialists: If your pet becomes seriously ill, you may need a specialist. Ask your vet to recommend at least two specialists so you can compare treatment quotes and options. An initial consultation will likely cost $50 to $70. Get an estimate of all costs including surgery, treatments, and any lifelong medications that will be required. You’ll also want to know about the prognosis for survival and the pet’s expected quality of life.
MICROCHIPS, LOST AND FOUND
In troubled times the identification of dogs and cats has become extremely
important. The Katrina victims and many of their lost dogs and cats have no
identification and are estimated to exceed 50,000. If they had been
microchipped and enrolled in the AKC Companion Animal Recovery (AKC CAR)
database, most would have been returned to their owners. AKC CAR is a
non-profit organization and affiliate of the American Kennel Club. Each
owners name, address and telephone number are linked to their pets unique
identification number, whether it is a microchip, tattoo, or AKC CAR issued
collar tag. Very few owners in the disaster zone expected to lose their
dog/cats. In retrospect they now wish they had enrolled in AKC/CAR who
provides recovery services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and reunites an
owner with their lost pet every 7 minutes.
<http://www.akccar.org/>www.akccar.org
AKC CAR has a highly-regarded philanthropic history, donating for
veterinary school scholarships, animal rescue efforts during times of
national disasters as well as the donation of microchip scanners to
non-profit shelters and rescue organizations around the country.
Breeders that have dog/cats microchipped and not enrolled in AKC/CAR can
enroll them on-line <http://www.akccar.org/>www.akccar.org
_______________________________________________________There are volumes of information available on most subjects, which is why I
tell my students, Those who don't read have no advantage over those who can't.TRIMMING TOENAILS
Here are tips I got off the internet through the years, on trimming toenails
..I do not believe in the one or two toenail approach. I believe you should win every battle you start. I put the dog in a big easy chair. Make him sit or lie down. I get on my knees in front of the chair. He has a choke collar and leash on. I pick up the foot, and when he pulls back, I make him stay, even if I have to lay on him! This continues until he gives up, and he will. I cut a nail, then cut another, and another, etc until the foot is done. Do not quick him. Cut as little as you can at this first lesson. Without a word, I pick up the other front foot and precede as above. Being in the chair seems to immobilize them, they have no place to go or gain leverage, and laying on them really does, LOL. Expect a terrible battle. Do all nails, then praise and give cookie. Syd
I have a foot-pest dog too! I ended up quicking him usually at least one nail because of him jerking.
He would argue with me nonstop about me doing his nails. While he is obedience trained, and I eventually won the arguments, it took a lot of time, effort, and energy that could be better spent
I went to Wal-Mart and got a little Black and Decker rotary grinder.; It's battery powered (rechargeable--comes with a charger, and I bought an extra battery to keep charged just in case the first one ran out when I was in the middle of a pedicure...lol) it's small, lightweight, and it's ergonomic so it wouldn't be too hard on your arthritis.; And it's only about $20 The coarse grind refill cylinder thingies are a matter of cents to buy.
My dog took a little bit of getting used to it, but he was never ever as bad as he was with the clippers ; Now he just lays there and lets me grind nails. All of them.; He might twitch a bit out of memory when I pick up a foot, but that's it
I used to have a real problem with my male "Zack" when I tried to cut nails>You know, since I bought a "dremmel" they like that MORE than having their nails trimmed; It took one day and they were hooked.; Sit on the grooming table and just enjoy it.; Man, that is the ONLY way to go! ; If you get them to trust that you won't "bleed" them, maybe once or two times, you will have willful nail trimmer wanters for the rest of their lives!
I used to have a real problem with my male "Zack" when I tried to cut nails.He never threatened to bite or anything like that, but we played tug of war with his feet -- and he won too often ; So I finally got some hot dogs and rewarded each clip with a piece of hot dog ; The next time, though, that I asked him to jump onto the table for a nail clipping session, he looked at the clippers and he looked at the hot dog, and decided it wasn't worth it.; So I went to the refrigerator for a chunk of roast beef, called one of the girls over, clipped one of her nails, praised her to the skies and gave her a huge chunk of beef. ; I then told her to get down and asked Zack to hop up.; Not only did he quickly hop on the table, he promptly sat down and held out his paw! Who says dogs can't learn by observation? Anyway, now all I need for nail-clipping cooperation is a really good treat (And, by the way, I'm up to one whole foot for one treat now – working towards one treat for the whole job.)
I like Leslye's ideas here. And, if I may add a few more along the same gentleness theme.. I've found that the nails are softer after a warm bath... I don't have the luxury of a grooming table, but do use the same ideas with the animal tied to a secure fixture on the ground. After rinsing, I introduce the nail cutter... and, make a definite point of shifting their weight onto the other leg. I'll clip a few then, and perhaps a few later while blow drying... I talk sweet nothins in their ear... and lots of praise. They soon accept it.
Well, the score is Rags 10, Tish 0. She definitely won this round. Bob was holding and I was trying to cut but the way she was fighting I was afraid I would cut off her toes. Any suggestions on how to get her to permit us to cut her nails (I may just present her to Dorothy at the Board meeting and hand Dorothy the nail clippers!!! LOL). Monty feels he has to grumble the whole time (only dog I have ever had growl at me while I cut their nails) but at least he let us do it.
I put my dogs in an EASY CHAIR. I would muzzle this dog, if you think for a minute that she would bite. You will still need help. You can put your body weight on her in an easy chair, if you are kneeling in front of the chair. I would use a pair of Miller's forge clippers, they have a nail guard, that will only let you cut a small amount at a time, there is no way you can quick her with the Miller's Forge. You HAVE to win the battle, they will ALL give in if you stick to it long enough. You may need 3 people, whatever it takes.
Please do not take a chance on quicking the dog, you can imagine how this does not help. Threats by the dog are unacceptable, and should be met with severe discipline. The dog will give up, if you do not give in. Shalom, Syd
First thing I would do and do do!
Put them on a grooming table. Still need two people. If you dont have a grooming table...get one! Cut off the legs if it is too tall. Grab leg above the foot, turn foot under with pads up and you behind leg, and cut. FAST! If you worry about blood letting. You lost the battle. DOG KNOWS IT. KEEP BLOOD STOP OR styptic stuff. Repeat in two days, with just handling feet. Do this AFTER the first toenail clipping. Just keep doing it. Desensitizes the dog! And might also work with you!
I always get disbelief when I speak of my nail grinding method, but it works for me. I sit on the ground with whatever dogs WANTS to go first. They lie down in front of me, sleeping style. I sit with my legs over their side. And Dremel grind. As soon as I am through, I rub their tummy, play with them, rub and giggle. They get up rather unwillingly and the next dog (who is sitting waiting) lies down in front of me. Honest! I start as pups with little clips weekly, holding them in my lap, graduating to the grinder just as soon as the little nails are strong enough. They love to do whatever is being done to the others and we have lines for grooming table, baths, ears (well, not as anxious there) and, ( ahem LOL) food. Might take a few minutes longer with the Dremel, but nice rounded corners and no dread of quick cutting. And no, the nail doesn't get hot. I hold the nail with my finger tips and have never felt heat coming through.
Well itgot a good laugh out of that one .the first time Ii tried to cut miss Patti cakes nails There was 5 of us .& you guessed it miss Patti 10 , helpers 0.all dogs nails are cut & ground once a week. Unless I am sick. Miss Patti still hates having her nails done & so does the big Hobbs. he howls & screams the whole time. I know the neighbors think I am killing him. finally he just sobs & throws his foot at you. get it over with , You don't love me anymore is what his eyes say. just enough to make you feel guilty. Keep handling their feet & nails, you can't let them win. Usually they give in so you can get the job done
Once you let her win, it becomes harder to get control. Our dogs are too big to let them be the boss. Also, if you do cut the quick, the dog is going to be even more reluctant the next time and it's understandable from their point of view--it hurts.
We try to avoid this problem by working with our litters from the start. We touch and play with the whole body, paying extra attention to the ears (so the vet can look into them easily), with the butt (in case they need their temperature taken) and the legs and feet. Not only do we trim them from little on up, we handle the feet each time we pick them up (which is often). Our vet says we have they so well handled, that they are not puppies, they are ladies and gentlemen. He also says he can give them a better exam (with their first shots) because they stand so nicely for him, not wiggling and scratching like some of the other puppies.
Being able to check them over better helps us to know they are doing fine as well.
Here's my two cents on nail cutting I agree with the grooming table, but if you must do it on the floor, have
the dog sit in front of you so that both of you are facing the same direction. You can use your legs to keep the dog from slipping back. ( Can you tell I usually do this alone?) I don't grab any part of the dog. I put my hand on his paw and let him adjust to the idea that my hand is there before I gently but firmly lift the paw. With a dog that is nail phobic I don't worry about how good a job I'm doing the first few times. My goal may be only to hold the paw or touch the nail clipper to a toe without even cutting. If the dog accepts that much, he gets a cookie and released. Then, fifteen minutes later, I'll repeat the performance. Little by little I will repeat this, adding more as the dog accepts each level. I find that having another person hold the dog usually activates the dog's reactive resistance and makes him fight against being held. I also find that most dogs prefer the dremel to the nail clippers.
Once the dog is acclimated to the nail clippers and it is associated not with being held, grabbed, or in pain (not accusing anyone of doing this to their dogs. It's just what might be in the dog's mind.) they will sit nicely and offer their paws. It also helps to have them around when you clip nails on dogs that don't mind it.
For whatever it's worth.
YOU KNOW YOU'VE WAITED TOO LONG TO FIND A MATE WHEN:
--you think stripping is something you do to a terrier.
--you meet a guy named Bob and instantly visualize purple and gold rosettes.
--you think nothing about loudly discussing studs and bitches in a fancy restaurant.
--the first thing you notice about a guy is what breed of dog he has.
--your biggest turn-off is a guy with an obnoxious untrained dog.
--you have ever ruled out a guy as a prospective date based on the breed of dog he owns.
--you dismiss all the guys your mother introduces you to as "not breeding quality".
--you never could stick to a diet to impress a guy, but you can do it to get through that TDX track.
--your only nice jewelry features either dogs, dumbbells, or rosettes.
--you have a video on how to artificially inseminate your dog but last watched a dirty movie in junior high school.
--when you talk about "scoring" you mean how you did at last weekend's obedience trial.
--your dog has more letters after his name than the last ten guys you've dated, and actually completed obedience school.
--you start using operant conditioning techniques to get what you want from your boyfriend, and you hide your copy of "Don't Shoot The Dog".
--you think that maybe your current guy has potential if you use the proper combination of positive reinforcement and the occasional well-timed ear pinch.
--you "people watch"! at the mall by making mental lists of the conformational faults each by-passer has to contribute to the gene pool.
--you think if you ever did marry and have children that you wouldn't have to buy a playpen because you already have an extra x-pen. And why buy a crib?? Crates are cheaper and they're enclosed on all sides.
--you give all of your married friends child-rearing advice based on your extensive background in dog training.
--your mother's worst fear is that you'll have a child and make it wear a pinch collar.
--your mother's second worst fear is you'll get married and your dog will be in the wedding party.
--you actually have friends whose dogs HAVE been part of the wedding party.
--when your cousin tells you how much her wedding costs you think how many show-quality puppies that could buy you.--all of your friends always include your dog in any invitation they issue to you. Of course, you reciprocate because you only have doggy friends left....the others have stopped inviting you places because you insist on bringing the dog!
--when you read the personal ads you skip past the vital statistics and rule out any that don't say "animal lover".
--you know your dog's cholesterol but not your own.
--when you lament to your friends about chronic yeast infections, they don't know you're talking about your dog's ears.--you last had a professional portrait done for your high school graduation, but you just spent 50% of your dog's purchase price having his done by the best canine photographer in the country.
--you and your dog use the same kind of hairbrush, and you never can keep straight whose is whose.
--you spend 8 hours grooming your dog for a show the day before, and 1.25 minutes pony-tailing your hair the morning of.
--you think that people with bad bites shouldn't be allowed to breed.
--your mother is ecstatic to see you browsing the aisle with the hair coloring, after hounding you for three year to try highlighting.... only to be disappointed when she finds you are looking for peroxide to "touch up" your Clumber's drool marks.
--when someone mentions single bars , you wonder if they are talking about utility or agility jumps.
--when you go "clubbing", you have your choice of the all-breed club, the specialty club, the obedience club, or the tracking club.
--you once made earrings out of old rabies tags, and all your friends wanted a pair.This is dedicated to my “ Belle” , who at the age of fourteen had to leave me and cross the Rainbow Bridge alone, and to all others who have had to let their loved pets leave them .