If your dog is trick-or-treating, keep him or her on a short leash.

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Halloween is but 10 days away – is your dog ready?

Take care if you take the family dog with you on the trick or treating adventure. Dogs find the strange creatures walking the streets frightening, so be sure that your dog is in control at all times and has learned to heel with you - a short leash is a must.

If your dog wears a costume, make sure it does not impede his movement or vision.

When meeting other families, approach dogs and children cautiously, do not assume that just because your dog is friendly that the others are too.

Be alert if your dog is staying home to answer the door with you. Your dog may have perfect door manners after learning stay at the door with Online Dog Coach, but this is a special night and the costumes may be frightening. It may be in your dog’s best interest to put him in a quiet room away from the hubbub.

When the evening is winding down and the kids are home with their treasures, phase two of taking care of your pet’s well being should be in place. Not all human food and candy is safe for your pet. Be sure that the pets cannot get into your stash of Halloween candy and as always feed your dog right to increase their life span. Some dangerous foods:

• Chocolate: Bakers chocolate and unsweetened chocolate are the most dangerous.
• Macadamia nuts, along with other kinds of nuts are harmful.
• Raisins can be deadly even in small quantities (0.05oz of raisins per lb of body weight can be life threatening).
• Sugary foods can lead to obesity in our pets, just as in humans.

If you think your pet has been poisoned seek veterinary help immediately.

• ASPCA National Poison Control Center 1-900-443-0000 or 1-888-426-4435 $60.00 per case charge billed directly to the callers phone
• Pet Poison Help Line 1-800-213-6680 $35.00 per incident 24 hour service available throughout North America

For more about these tips and dangerous foods, read the Halloween Safety Tips for Dogs article found in the in the Online Dog Coach library.

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Yazzi speeds through a dog agility course

We had a very nice weekend. Very relaxed trial, outside in the elements. Hot Friday,and Saturday and sweatshirts on Sunday. Yazzie was successful with 6 qualifing runs.

This was Ryder`s first outing in a year due to illness. No “Q`s” (qualifying runs) but he seemed to enjoy himself, and he did come close to qualifing, hopefully he is back to being a healthy dog.

We had fun and you can too. Try our free online Dog Agility Training Class.

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Mushrooms can be poisonous to dogs

April showers are finally past, the flowers are blooming, and your yard is sprouting wild mushrooms?

While not all wild mushrooms are toxic to dogs, it is prudent to treat all mushrooms as toxic.  Toxic mushrooms are divisible into eight groups with varying symptoms and associated treatments (Toxicology Brief, Mushroom Poisoning in Dogs, Vetrinary Medicine 2007). If you suspect your dog has consumed wild mushrooms, it is important that you take your dog to the veterinarian as soon as possible including a sample of the wild mushroom (preferably in a moist paper towel rather than a plastic bag).

Suzy's dog Kalee helps inspect the yard for toxic mushrooms

Tips for preventing and recognizing exposure to wild mushrooms:

• Perform a daily inspection of your yard for mushrooms (perhaps while you are mowing and inspecting for sharp objects).
• Keep close tabs on your dog when hiking, at the dog park, or a friend’s house to be sure he or she is not indulging in an unknown treat.
• Know the common signs of wild mushroom poisoning such as vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy and abnormal drooling.

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Over the past few weeks, the Online Dog Coach trainers have been receiving a lot of e-mail traffic warning of the dangers of cocoa mulch.   If you Google the topic, you will find a plethora of Internet articles that both confirm and deny the toxicity of cocoa mulch for dogs.   According to both the American Vetrinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, consumption of cocoa mulch can result in methylxanthine toxicosis but is unlikely to result in death.  Both organizations recommend that pet owners limit the use of cocoa mulch in landscaping that is exposed to unsupervised dogs. 

The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center has a very informative article on cocoa mulch consumption by dogs, click here to learn more.

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