Safety is key with everything from kids to canines and everyone in between
In our last video we talked about 5 tips for puppy safety
If you didn’t see last weeks video, click here to watch it
THis week we are adding in another part to the Puppy Safety series and talking about
even more things to consider to keep your canine safe.
Before we start...
Be sure to hit the thumbs up and me know you’re watching
If you haven’t done so already hit the subscribe button so you can get notified when next week’s
video goes LIVE
Michele here with How to Train a Dream dog,
Don’t forget to check out my other social networks after you’re done watching this
video, you can grab the link to those in the description below!
In the last video I mention some heartbreaking things I had seen while working at the vet’s
office…
Many of these emergency surgeries or injuries could have been avoided with a little knowledge
ahead of time and that’s what I’m aiming to offer you today and over the course of
this series of safety video lessons
Lets get started
I often get asked when it’s ok to let a puppy meet another puppy
Your pup might be saying “Let’s meet some friends!”
Well, not so fast.
While your puppy is little we have to consider if your pup is up to date on vaccinations
and if the other pup is too, before setting up playdates
Especially when your pup hasn’t had all three rounds of vaccinations
it’s important to avoid dog parks, any area where other dogs might have been, and even
sidewalks where other dogs have walked.
Without all three rounds of vaccinations, your pup is susceptible to parvo which can
be deadly or other illnesses that can make your pup very sick
Most pups get their first round of vaccinations around 6 or 8 weeks, the second round is around
10 or 12 weeks and the last round is at about the 16-week mark
Talk to your vet about the vaccination schedule they prefer to follow and make sure your pup
is up to date before going on any playdates or field trips.
I hate to bring you sad news but...
Recently I was saddened to hear the news that a child broke their arm due to a small puppy
that got underfoot.
The puppy was racing around playing and chasing after the child, and puppy jumped up and knocked
the young child over.
We want to be aware that small dogs (and even big dogs) can get underfoot especially in
the kitchen when your cooking or in a hurry when you’re getting ready for work.
It may be best to use a puppy pen when you’re extra busy and can’t monitor pup’s every
move.
You can learn more about how to set up your puppy pen in this video here
Your puppy can play and you can finish your tasks without feeling like you may accidentally
trample them
Small dogs often follow us around like a little shadow and we don’t want to accidentally
step on a paw or trip and fall as they weave in between our feet.
Inside our online 30 Days to Puppy Perfection puppy training program, we teach puppies a
Go to your bed lesson.
Teaching your puppy to go to a designated place to lay down while your busy or even
when your eating dinner would be far better than them getting into something or tripping
you causing a fall
Or Jumping at you while your cooking or getting tangled in your feet as you walk through a
room
Speaking of eating dinner...How many of you give your pup treats?
I should hope so if you’re working on training
But there can be too much of a good thing.
We know you’ll be excited to work with your pups on all the great training games I have
inside 30 Days to Puppy Perfection,
but it is possible to give too much of a good thing.
Too many treats can really bother your pup’s tummy, and it’s not good for him to have
a big portion of his food come from treats.
Use kibble for some training games or just set aside his daily allowance of food and
take his training treats from that amount.
Did you know that 54% of American dogs are overweight?
All because they are given too many treats and are overfed.
This leads to a whole bunch of health and safety issues.
Be sure to speak to your vet about the correct amount of food
Treats really should only make up about 10% or less of your dog’s daily intake
Now… how many of you travel with your dog in the vehicle?
Do you take your dog to your friends house, the dog park, the vet, or the groomer…
Then they definitely will be traveling in a vehicle.
Lets talk about vehicle safety for a minute.
One of my big pet peeves is seeing dogs lose in the car wandering around, pacing back and
forth
And distracting the driver as well as just not being secured in the vehicle.
If someone slams on the breaks and your dog isn’t strapped in, your dog could get injured
or worse.
We put kids in a car seat to keep them safe in the event there is an accident, right?
We need to do the same for our pups too
If you can, the most ideal setup us to secure your pup in the crate but the next best thing
is to use a harness that buckles into the seatbelt
If you need to know what size crate would be best to keep your pup in when you travel
be sure to watch this video here all about picking the right crate size
Ok, I mentioned a moment ago you might be taking your pup to the groomer… and if you
don’t think you need to hear me out
This is a safety topic too
I used to own a grooming and training facility.
I would say at least once a day a dog would come in that was severely matted…
lets just say it was so badly matted that when the poor dog got shaved it would come
off in a pelt.
1 whole piece
So many people don’t know how to properly brush their longer haired dogs.
They often don’t realize the mats happen closer to the skin
When a mat starts to form it actually will pull at your pup’s skin and cause sores
Those sores get infected and cause major problems.
If a groomer has to shave down a dog it is most definitely not because they wanted to
but because they absolutely hve to
Shaving down a dog doesn’t save the groomer time.
It takes them longer because they have to be more careful not to knick the skin because
the mat is pulling at the skin
And it puts a lot of wear and teat on their grooming tools…
Good quality tools are very expensive.
So please comb and brush your longer haired dogs as often as possible.
And both long and short-haired dogs need routine nail trims so their nails don’t cause problems
with their paws or how they walk
If the nails are toon long your pup can’t walk the way they are supposed to
This is super painful for your pup.
Be sure to have your pup’s nails trimmed at least once a month.
For more information on grooming your dog you may want to take a peek at this video.
I interview a local groomer that used to work with us but now owns her own shop.
She had some really important tips for grooming at home in between your dog’s professional
grooming appointments.
Some things are best left for the professionals.
So don’t attempt to do a full groom at home on your own.
Ok, moving on to an entirely new topic…
What happens if your dog bolts out the door?
Sure maybe you’re playing the recall or come commands games in my puppy training course
I mentioned but what if you aren’t or maybe your pup just doesn’t have a reliable recall
yet?
I’d consider getting your pup Microchipped.
A tiny little grain of a rice-sized chip can put right under your pup’s skin between
their shoulder blades.
This means if your pup runs away and doesn’t come back when you call come then when someone
finds them they can be scanned and returned to you
since you will have registered the chip with your contact info.
Oftentimes pups run out the door without their collar on and then get lost.
I remember one 4th of July when a dog wandered into our yard scared from all the fireworks.
We had the rescue group come over with the scanner and the dog wasn’t microchipped.
It took a lot longer to find the dog’s owner
Eventually, he was found but if he was chipped we could have called the owner to let him
know we had his dog.
Since we are on the topic of come command… it is important that you do not chase after
a lose dog, even your own
When you chase your dog they actually will run further away from you
Some dogs think you’re playing a game while others think they need to run further away
because they are in panic mode
If your dog gets loose or you see another loose dog, drop your body posture, clap your
hands, be silly and excited and move in the opposite direction.
I don’t want your dog or anyone else’s dog to panic and run into the road and get
hit by a car.
The technique I just mentioned works amazingly well until you practice the come command games
inside my course and really perfect that skill with your pup
Before I share the last tip for this week’s video… be sure to hit that subscribe button
so you get notified when the next video in this series comes out.
Now the last safety tip I am going to share in the video may come as a big surprise
Ok how many of you have seen cats play with laser pointers?
Well I’m here to burst your bubble and tell you that you can not use laser pointers with
your dog!!
We never ever want to use laser pointers with our dogs.
Dogs can become extremely fixated on the light they see and get very frustrated they can’t
get at it.
It may be funny to watch but what’s actually happening is a psychological nightmare is
forming for your dog.
Dogs start to focus on other flashing lights including shadows and beams of sun rays coming
in the window.
This is known as “light obsession” and it is not an easy behavioral problem to solve
once it has begun.
Many times the behavior becomes so strong that it causes permanent mental damage.
No amount of training can undo it and no amount of medication from the vet can fix it or calm
your dog down.
Even animal behaviorists may not be able to help you and your pup so please do not introduce
a laser pointer to your dog!
In the comments below tell me which safety tip did you find most helpful?