Long-Dangerous Tails

For Week 2 of puppy class, our assignment was to teach gentle restraint to our dogs; that is, the practice of getting your dog to accept having all four paws off the ground, belly-up, while cradled on your lap. Dogs don’t usually like being restrained like this because when they have no paws touching the ground, they lose all leverage. I was having trouble “cradling” all 49.6 lbs of the Batmanimal on my lap, so I emailed Julie, Carole and Batman’s aunties (Susan and Barb) for advice.

Thank goodness I did because, turns out, flipping your dog over on your lap is NOT a safe exercise for GSDs or other large breeds prone to bloat. 

Here’s what Julie said:

NO he is too old and big for that, this would be an ok exercise for a GSD puppy up to 3 months.

Also this is a breed subject to bloat you do not want to flipping them into upside positions. Picture the spine as a curtain rod and the ligaments/tissues that hold the stomach, spleen and other organs in place are like a sling hanging from the curtain rod. Flip that upside down and you are going to have a tangled mess. In a dog you would call that torsion. Torsion can cause bloat and bloat can cause torsion.

Some people think you shouldn’t even  teach them the  ”roll over” trick.

In vet school they are taught a certain way to roll a dog from one side to the other.  They roll them feet under so they are rotated to the other side belly down , instead of rolling them over on their back. It is easier to roll them on their back, and helping Mos with xrays I have gone to do that way a few times and man – o-man did I get yelled at.

I would do a flat settle on the ground. You could also put him belly up between your legs …but agin I don’t like the whole belly up thing for a breed prone to bloat.

Do you think this should topic should go on the blog?

YES! We all thought this topic was important enough to go on the blog, so here it is.

Instead of doing the cradling exercise, I have Batman lay flat on my lap. I also practice lifting his front legs straight off the ground from a standing position to get him used to me handling him. He accepts this pretty readily.

Here is a series of photos taken over the course of 10 seconds of safe gentle restraint.

Woo-hoo, look at me! I'm dancin'!

"Hey, what's that blinking red light?"

"I sure hope you know what you're doing, lady."

 

Hope this helps! Thanks, Julie, for the very important info.

Axel at 10 weeks, 14 weeks, and 19 weeks

Axel is from the U-litter Gavin x Zucca an downed and loved by Jerry and Pam Dooley

Since this blog reaches so many people in so many areas, I thought I’d pose a couple of questions to see how Long-Dangerous Tails people select their vets and dog trainers.   Our animals are like our children and we want only the best for them.  How do you choose?

What do you look for when selecting your veterinarian or dog trainer?

For basic dog obedience training do you look for certain credentials, experience, use Angie’s List, word of mouth or Google?     Do you look for a certain style of training?   Or maybe you have certain things you try to avoid?  Maybe you skip organized training all together because you’ve found the best book or video that can walk you through how to do the training.

How do you pick the best Vet for your furry family member?   Friends recommendations, the biggest clinic, use Angie’s List or the yellow pages? What do you look for to help you feel you have made the best choice for the best care for your furry family member?

Soldier grieving the loss of two of his comrades.

Thank a hero, thank a four legged soldier. And what wonderful soldiers they are. RIP, heroes.

Rebloged/reposted from “Tennis Officals blog

Julie says that bite work builds confidence.

I have BIG teeth