Follow Me Dog Training

E4 at That’s My Dog! Inc

Follow Me Dog Training LLC strongly believes in continuing education. That is why every year we have made the trip to Hazel Green, Wisconsin for a conference that Robin MacFarlane of That’s My Dog! Inc has hosted. The first 3 years I actually worked out at That’s My Dog! Inc and loved meeting dog trainers and professionals from all over the world through the E-cademy and the conference E-collarpalooza.

This year Leinie and I planned to go out to Wisconsin a few days early to visit Rhinelander, where dog trainer Sharon Larson lives. Sharon just finished building a training center that any dog trainer would love to work in. I last visited them when they barely had the roof on and now it is amazing. Rubber floors, room for a large group class, a Kinaesthetics room and a soon to be confidence course that leads out to the river.

Leinie and I played and trained and took full advantage of all the wonders of Rhinelander. Thanks to the Canine Coach of WI from Leinie and Follow Me Dog Training LLC  for letting us participate in your puppy class and enjoy such a great facility!

Then we were off to Hazel Green WI, the home of That’s My Dog! Inc. This year’s presenters was the most incredible lineup Robin has hosted at E-collarpalooza. The incredible Dick Russell came all the way from Baton Rouge LA to show us his Large Field Socialization. Mare Potts with a fantastic flyball clinic. Pete Fisher from the Dogtra Team gave a presentation on the evolution of remote training collars and the influence the Dogtra Company has had on today’s trainers. George Cockrell amazed even the veteran trainers with his ability to teach tricks and showed off his Doberman, Tempest. (Leinie is already working on some of them and Follow Me Dog Training LLC is putting together a lesson plan for a tricks class!) Robin MacFarlane gave us in-site into working with different personalities in our clients. JT Clough, talked about marketing and the power of the Internet. All these people were pretty darn fascinating but honestly the kicker was having Gary Guller talk to us about his climb up Mount Everest. Gary was the first person to summit Mt. Everest with one arm. His story was phenomenal!!!

We learned a lot on our travels, caught up with some human and dog friends, and are happy to be back in the Richmond, Virginia area! To see more pictures of Leinie’s travels check out the Follow Me Dog Training LLC Myspace page.

Follow Me Dog Training LLC offers FREE evaluations and demonstations with your dog. Contact us today and see how we can “Lead you to Success”

Remember…..

In the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 terrorist bombings, amazing dogs were used in many different capacities. They were used first on site looking for live bodies, then other dogs came in looking for cadavers and remains. Many other dogs were helping as care dogs to help provide therapy and warm tail wags to workers at each site. Search and Rescue dogs were highly underestimated until that fateful day when they showed how steadfast the canine resolve and bond are. Like their human counterparts, they worked to exhaustion, finding any nook and cranny to take a quick nap before heading back into the destruction. They were tireless and did their job selflessly.

I can’t even begin to tell you the story of each dog so I encourage you all to go to your local bookstore, or library and check out two books, both of which are a special part of my collection.

Dog heroes of Septeber 11th: A Tribute to america’s Search and Rescue Dogsby Nona Kilgore Bauer. This is a great book that captures pictures and stories of 78 Canines and their handlers that worked at The World Trade Centers, the Pentagon, Shanksville, Pennsylvania and the Fresh Kills Landfill.

DOGNY: America’s Tribute to Search and Rescue Dogs by the American Kennel Club. Canine Search and Rescue groups rely mostly on donations and volunteers to help them build strong groups of dogs and handlers that help out all over the world when tragedy strikes. The American Kennel Club put together the AKC Companion Animal Recovery Corporation Canine Support and Relief Fund to help allocate grants and monies directly to Search and Rescue Organizations, the Veterinary units that support them and the not-for-profit shelters that take in animals displaced or orphaned by disaster. This book shows the first public art exhibit and fundraiser, sculptures of German Shepherd Dogs that were painted and displayed and then auctioned at Sotheby’s.

Follow Me Dog Training LLC asks you to take a moment today as we are remembering our fallen family members and friends to also remember the hardworking Canines that risked their lives to find them.

Grooming

Being a dog groomer or a professional pet stylist takes a bit of courage, creativity and knowledge! Trust me when I say cutting, stripping or styling a dog’s coat isn’t for everyone. It takes hard work and dedication. Some dogs take hours of work to make them “show” ready. But for most of us we just want our dogs to look good, be clean and not shed too much.

If you have a dog that requires regular grooming, how do you find the right groomer? Probably the same way you would find the right hair stylist for yourself. Research and word of mouth. The International Society Of Canine Cosmetologists has some great articles about finding the right groomer, lists some accredited grooming schools and is a great organization dedicated to education in the pet stylist field. How cool is that?

I know a couple really cool dog groomers that have given me tips in the past years…so I’m going to name drop a little. PJ Stull of The Dawg Trainer is one of my favorites. She gave me some great tips on stripping out my Irish Terrier ,Pepper. Sharon Larson, the Canine Coach is also a fantastic groomer..check out her website to see a picture of 5 month old Leinie. She put Leinie under a dryer and made his fur poof the first weekend I had him…better that your dog knows what that is and is comfortable with it from an early age!

It pays to find a groomer that not only you like, but that your dog gets along with well also. Groomers can do everything from the basic bath to nail clip, shave down or more exciting clips like those Poodles!

If you choose to groom on your own, check out what your breed should look like before tackling any thing that requires changing the coat length! Alot of groomers will also give helpful tips on the best ways to take care of ears, eyes and the best way to bathe your dog.

Having an Irish Terrier, takes a lot of grooming to keep them to standard. I used to keep on top of how Pepper looked but it got away from me the busier I became. To keep a clean dark coat on an Irish, they suggest hand stripping and that can really wear on a body (human) and not many groomers actually hand strip anymore. I used to with Pepper, but it makes her a bit cranky. So now I just do my best to keep her tidy and clean. Check out some before an after pictures of Pepper.

She looks like a shaggy beast doesn’t she? Although cute, I have to brush her out daily when she has her full coat like this. When it rains in the hurricane weather we are now getting in the Richmond Virginia area, I don’t want to have to take a long time drying and cleaning her off. So I took an hour or so and groomed her out myself.

I can’t say that she enjoyed being groomed and having a bath, but she looks better and will be able to handle the heat better. At least I know she can see better!

Taking care of a dog doesn’t include just training and exercise. Grooming is also integral to a well balanced dog. Whether it is brushing your dog out daily, cutting nails once every two weeks or taking them to a groomer, it is all a part of a happy healthy relationship with your dog.

Follow Me Dog Training LLC  can help with the training, just contact us for a free evaluation with your dog. Unfortunately we don’t help with the professional grooming…wait I shouldn’t say that, we have been known to bathe a dog or two in the interest of learning, just ask Clyde the hound mix! sometimes you might even catch us cutting nails, but we like to let the real pros do it!