Doctors and mental health care professionals are prescribing more and more dogs and other animals as emotional support animals (ESA). We have long known the effects our dogs have had on us to help us stay calm and comforted. This is nothing new to any dog owner! BUT, there are a few things that should be clarified when someone is prescribed an emotional support dog by their health care professional.
“Oh boy! We are going for a ride in the car! That always means something fun! I love running and playing! I especially like the river! “Oh boy! Here we are! Look at this big space for me to run! I hope mom brought treats, too! It’s so fun to play that ‘come’ game where she calls my name, and when I get to her she gives me treats! I love that game so much!
(Stretching and yawning) “It’s time to get up! BREAKFAST! I LOVE breakfast! But, wait! The humans are hitting that darn noisy thing again! I hate when they hit that! Are they mad at me? I will hide in the closet until it stops that noise! “Now they are heading downstairs! It must mean that breakfast is coming! But, the tall human is putting on their jacket and has my leash! We must be going for a walk first!
It’s not what you think! When temperatures soar or your time is limited, the traditional exercise you give your dog may not work. During the summer months hiking for miles can be unsafe for your dog. They simply cannot effectively cool themselves as well as we humans can. Some dogs even become more irritated when they are hot lending themselves to unfriendly greetings with strange people or dogs. If you have an energetic breed, you already know how vitally important exercise is in order to have some peace and quiet at home!
Just what IS an exercise pen or x-pen? It is a management tool that “show dog” people have long known about. Essentially, it is a doggie corral. It gives dogs and puppies more freedom than a crate and can help teach so many things to dogs. For puppies, an exercise pen is much like a play pen for babies. There are made of many brands, colors, sizes, and materials.
Here in the Wood River Valley, we love to hike with our dogs. Very popular breeds in the valley are some of the herding dogs like Cattle Dogs, Aussies and Border Collies that have enormous energy which needs to be used up every day! These breeds seem like a perfect match for we hiking dog lovers! They are indeed, not the ONLY breeds that need exercise!
A question I am always asked is, “what should my dog be trained to do?” There are minimum safety behaviors any dog should learn. This is my list of should do’s and don’ts. Should do’s: Sit and wait at a door - to prevent darting out into the street or running someone over. Sit for meals - this teaches dogs respect for humans and food. Sit for petting – ANY time, not just with visitors.
It’s not just obedience. Essential dog training is teaching a dog the essentials of life and how to live in a family. Very few dogs I work with are professional dogs that live in kennels only to come out to work. They are all integrated into the family and are treated like family members. The very basics every dog should have aside from sit, down, stay and come, include teaching puppies to accept “restraint.”
NONE of us wants an aggressive dog! We want to take them with us everywhere and we want to be able to trust them that they will be playful and kind. We especially don’t want them to ever bite another human, especially children! In fact, most of us go overboard socializing our dogs going with the belief that socialization is the key to friendly behavior, and sometimes it is. We take them to the dog park, we have play dates, and we even get multiple dogs so they have doggie friends to play with.
This past week, a flight attendant was bitten by an Emotional Support Dog (ESA) and required 5 stitches. This is a travesty for all dogs, service dogs, the flight attendant, as well as the general public. Being exposed to - with nowhere to escape inside a plane – an aggressive dog is a horrible experience. Yet, consistently, people claim their pet dog to be an ESA by buying a doctor’s prescription online, and a vest. Anyone who does this is not only being fraudulent, but they are endangering themselves to legal liabilities from anyone bitten as well as the airlines. Yes, just because you call your dog an ESA does not relieve you from responsibility for damage your dog does.
Now back to work part time. Please call to schedule.
