White Mountain K9 Academy Fall Newsletter

The Animal Mind In Human Terms Newsletter

Fall 2008 / issue 2

A NEW NAME ???

As we have regularly added more services over the years, we have become increasingly aware how limiting our name White Mountain K9 is. We work with dogs, cats, rabbits, chickens and birds. To better represent the extensive training services we offer; we have split into two distinct services.

White Mountain K9 Academy will continue to function primarily to serve those in need of assesment, evaluation, diagnostic interpretation and modification of canine behavior. Aggression, anxiety, phobias and cognitive disorders will be the main concentration. Basic training and common behavior problems will be serviced through our College for Pets.

White Mountain College for Pets will assume responsibility for all training, research and minor behavior problems. The services currently offered are:

• Basic & Advanced Obedience
• Level 1 & Level 2 Agility
• Trick Training
• Cat Training and Behavior Change
• Canine Good Citizen and Service Dog Training and Certification
• Clicker Training
• Behavior Modification
• Tracking
• Personalized Programs
• Trick Training for Chickens
• Various Training for Birds, Rabbits and Other Pet Aminals
• Seminars and Workshops
• Obedience Instructor Course
• Dog Playgroup
• Ongoing research into alternative training methods

This is just a name and function change. Our location and ownership remains the same. The day to day operation remains the same. You may only notice advertsing and hand-out changes reflecting the new name.

PLAYGROUP RESUMING SOON

We will resume Playgroup on Saturday morning November 1st at 9:45 am. The location of our playgroup, The Pemi Youth Center, has completed renovations to it's exterior facade. Impressive!

Please visit the Playgroup section of our website for details and to sign up.

WHAT TO DO THIS WINTER?

Winter doesn't have to be the end of activities with your pets. Here are just a few suggestions on how to stay active with your pet.

• Go snowshoeing - either on your own or with a WMK9 arranged group walk
• Teach your dog or cat to ride in a sled
• Teach a fun, new skill - dogs and cats readily take to Trick training
• Design a treasure hunt course in your home for your pet to navigate
• During nice weather, take a walk - we sell foot booties to protect the paws
• Read a book - we sell a number of pet related books in our online store
• Sleep in late - what pet or human wouldn't enjoy this?

Thank you for your continued patronage. We are here to serve!

Warm Regards,

Mike Robertson, C.P.F.A., C.D.T., C.S.D.E
Owner, Behavior Specialist.

ps: We have released a new version of our Private Basic Obedience Manual. If you are an alumni of our Private Basic Obedience Class, email me for a free copy. Copies are also available for purchase at Pets Country Store.

In this issue:

• A New Name??
• Playgroup Resumes
• Winter Activities
• Q and A
• Branch Updates
• Teaching "Touch"
• Calendar

In the Winter issue:

• From Mike's Desk
• Service Training is for more than just disabled people
• Late season sale
• Why do animals shed?
• Teach your dog to ring a bell

SEACOAST BRANCH UPDATE

Robin Weller, C.O.I.G. operates out Seacoast trainng branch. Robin offers in-home Basic Obedience, C.G.C. and Behavior Problem Solutions to the following towns: Exeter, Derry, Portsmouth, Deerfield, Nottongham, Sandown and the surrounding communities.

SOUTH-CENTRAL BRANCH UPDATE

Robert Jacques, M.S., C.O.I.G. operates our South-Central training branch. Rob offers in-home Basic Obedience and Behavior Problem Solutions to the following towns: Tilton, Franklin, Northfield, Laconia, Salisbury, Concord and the surrounding communities.

NORTH COUNTRY BRANCH UPDATE

Unfortunately, we have found it neccesary to eliminate our North Country operation base. We will still service the North Country communities ( those above Franconia Notch), however the travel fees will be based on one way clock time from our main office in Plymouth, NH.
Should demand for service increase, we may resume local operations to the North country.

Q: CAN DOGS & CATS SEE IN COLOR?

A. Yes, although not in the same way that humans are accustomed to seeing the color spectrum. The latest studies suggest that dogs and cats only see in three colors: yellow, blue and gray.
Wondering why your pets eyes reflect light at night? This is due to a reflective layer under the animals retina called the tapetum. The effect of the tapetum helps both dogs and cats see better in dim light.

Have a question you would like to see anwered in our newsletter? Email us.

Save 10% off any purchase during the month of October. Enter the code: OCTSAVE during checkout.

We have a handful of "favorite" dog toys: The Buster Cub, Kong, IQube and now the Kong Wubba.
This toy contains two balls ( one with a squeeker) wrapped in an extemely durable nylon fabric. They are hard to rip & they floats. They make great fetch and tug toys.

FREE CLICKER!

Just mention this newsletter while visiting our office or enter code FALLCLICK during checkout at our online store: Pets Country Store.

The clicker is an essentail tool in trick, agility and service dog training.

TRAINING A "TOUCH" COMMAND

At "touch" skill has many uses in dog training. Two of the most common usages are to direct a dog to a contact zone in agility and to direct the dog to an object ( phone, bell, doorknob, etc) during service dog training. Teach ing the "touch" is very easy, assuming your dog has already been clicker trained. You will need a clicker, bag of treats and a target stick. All these items are available at the Pets Country Store.

Begin by holding the target stick near the dog's face. Most dogs will naturally investigate the stick with their nose. If this happens, click the moment the dog's nose touches the tip of the stick and reward. Repeat until it is clear the dog has made the connection between touching the tip of the stick and obtaining a reward. Once this is proficient, you should begin naming the action "touch." To do this, simply present the stick and speak, "touch," as the dog is moving towards the end of the target stick. Click and reward.

The second stage of Touch Training is to have the dog target the palm of your hand, rather than the tip of the stick. This is trained using the same technique used for training the target stick.

Next issue we will begin the steps in turning the "touch" command into the act of pressing a doorbell.

STAY IN TOUCH

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CALENDAR

GROUP CLASSES	ACTIVITIES
Canine Good Citizen - Service Dog Intro Where: Pemi Youth Center - Main street Plymouth, NH When: Beginning Friday 12/5 at 7:15 pm for six weeks more information	Dog Playgroup Where: Pemi Youth Center - Main street Plymouth, NH When: Resuming weekly on Saturday 11/1 at 9:45 am more information

Tricks! Where: Pemi Youth Center - Main street Plymouth, NH When: Beginning Friday 1/23/09 at 7:15 pm for five weeks more information	Old Hill Village Fall Group Hike Where: Meet at Profile Falls Natural Area, Bristol-Hill NH When: Saturday 10/25 at 10:30 am more information

Main Office
661 Mayhew Turnpike
Plymouth, NH 03264

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