Harmony Animal Hospital's Blog

As Florida experiences a heat wave with temperatures soaring into the 90s, it’s crucial for pet parents to take extra precautions to ensure their companion animals remain safe. Here are some essential safety measures to help you protect them:

Ensure your companion animals have constant access to fresh, cool water. Hydration is key to helping them regulate their body temperature. Consider placing multiple water bowls around the house and yard, and refill them frequently.

Walk your companion animals early in the morning or late in the evening when temperatures are cooler. The asphalt and pavement can become extremely hot during the day, potentially burning your pet’s paws. Always check the ground temperature with your hand before setting out.

Even with the windows cracked, the temperature inside a car can rise to dangerous levels within minutes. Leaving companion animals in a parked car, even for a short period, can lead to heatstroke or even death.

Ensure your companion animals have a cool place to rest indoors. Use fans or air conditioning to maintain a comfortable temperature inside your home. If your pet is outside, provide shaded areas and consider using cooling mats or damp towels for them to lie on.

Heatstroke is a serious condition that can affect companion animals quickly. Symptoms include excessive panting, drooling, lethargy, vomiting, and uncoordinated movements. If you suspect your companion animal is suffering from heatstroke, move them to a cool area, offer water, and contact your veterinarian immediately.

Regular grooming helps to keep your companion animal’s coat free of mats, which can trap heat. However, avoid shaving your pet’s fur down to the skin, as their coat also provides protection from the sun.

By following these tips, you can help ensure your pets remain safe and comfortable during the extreme heat. Remember, your vigilance can make all the difference in preventing heat-related illnesses and ensuring your pets enjoy a healthy, happy summer. Stay cool, Florida!

Dog training is a crucial aspect of ensuring that our furry friends are well-behaved and happy members of the family. Unfortunately, not all training methods are created equal, and some can do more harm than good. It’s essential to choose a training approach that is both effective and humane. That’s why we strongly advocate for positive reinforcement training methods.

Why Positive Reinforcement?

Positive reinforcement is a training technique that rewards dogs for good behavior, encouraging them to repeat those actions. This method focuses on using treats, praise, and play to reinforce desired behaviors. Here are some key benefits of positive reinforcement:

• Builds Trust and Strengthens Bond: Positive reinforcement helps to create a strong, trusting relationship between you and your dog. Your dog will associate you with good things, making them more eager to please and follow commands.
• Effective Learning: Dogs learn more quickly and retain information better when they are rewarded for their actions. Positive reinforcement makes training sessions enjoyable and engaging for your companion animal.
• Promotes Good Behavior: By focusing on rewarding good behavior, you encourage your dog to repeat those actions, making it easier to manage and guide their behavior in various situations.
• Humane and Ethical: Positive reinforcement avoids the use of fear, pain, or intimidation, ensuring that training is a pleasant experience for your dog.

Avoid Negative Training Methods

Training methods that rely on negative reinforcement, such as pinch collars, shock collars, or physical punishment, can be harmful. These techniques can cause fear, anxiety, and even aggression in dogs. They undermine the trust between you and your companion animal and can lead to long-term behavioral issues.

Additional Fun Services

Many reputable dog training facilities offer a variety of fun and engaging services beyond basic obedience. These activities not only provide mental and physical stimulation for your dog but also strengthen the bond between you and your companion animal. Some popular additional classes include:

• Barn Hunt: A fun and challenging sport that allows dogs to use their natural hunting instincts to locate hidden objects.
• Agility: A dynamic activity where dogs navigate through obstacle courses, which helps improve their physical fitness and coordination.
• Trick Training: Teaching dogs a variety of tricks not only entertains but also enhances their cognitive skills.
• Rally Work: A teamwork-oriented sport where dogs and handlers navigate a course with various obedience stations, promoting focus and precision.

Recommended Trainers

To help you find the best training for your dog, we recommend the following reputable trainers who practice positive reinforcement and offer a variety of additional services:

Treasured Canine Academy

• Website: https://www.treasuredcanineacademy.org/
• Classes offered: Puppy training, Barn Hunt, Conformation Handling Class, Agility, Scent Work, Obedience, and Puppy Classes

Dog Days

• Website: www.dogdaysandnights.com
• Classes Offered: Positive basic obedience & trick training

Jupiter-Tequesta Dog Club

• Website: www.jupitertequestadogclub.com
• Classes Rally, Nose Works, Obedience, Therapy, Puppy, Conformation Handling Class

Susan Goldsmithdt-KA, Fear Free Certified

• Website: prodog.net
• Pro Dog Training offers a complete line of puppy and adult
  training programs, including on and off-lead training. They begin by assessing your expectations and developing a plan, with you, to address your unique dog’s training needs.

Choosing the right trainer is an important step in ensuring that your dog receives the best education in a positive and supportive environment. Remember, a well-trained dog is a happy dog, and a happy dog means a happy owner!

---

Pets’ attitudes toward arriving at veterinary, grooming, and boarding facilities vary widely. Some dogs dance through the front door, eagerly searching for snacks, while others appear so worried that we need to carry them inside. Cats, typically stressed, often attempt to hide, and small mammals and birds may show varying levels of interest or agitation. Every pet is an individual, just like us.

It’s especially endearing when dogs attempt to “check out” another dog, but it can be overwhelming for the other pet. Even when two dogs clearly want to play, another nearby pet might be disturbed by the extra activity. Cats hearing strange dogs playing nearby, even if they live with dogs of their own, often become very upset.

Considering this, it’s best to keep your animal close and not allow or encourage interactions with other pets. You never know if a pet is waiting for a routine wellness visit or is here due to illness or pain. The lobby can create significant stimuli and “big feelings” for nearly all patients. Treating the lobby as you would any other waiting room in a medical facility is the best approach, acknowledging the unique minds of our animal companions.

We want clients to know that if they’re ever concerned about their pet’s fear, stress, or anxiety while waiting, they can ask to wait in an exam room if available or wait in their vehicle. Being out of the lobby’s “traffic” provides relief for some pets. There’s zero judgment, and don’t forget, we have pets too!

If staff ever requests you to move with your pet to a specific area or wait outside, please do not take offense or feel embarrassed. The staff is highly trained to observe signs of stress in animals, and they have a broader view of the lobby to ensure all puzzle pieces fit just right.

Whether your pet is a social butterfly when here or would rather be anywhere else, it doesn’t change how we feel about them; we just want them all happy and well.