Flying Paws Agility Presents ~ Karen Lechner

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Friday, October 20th and

Saturday, October 21st from 9 am to 5 pm

Agility veteran Karen Lechner (Pawz4Success) loves teaching her students to be fair, clear, and consistent in training. The result is her students create confident dogs and handler teams that love the sport, performing with speed and accuracy!  With Karen’s instruction you will learn the techniques needed to be a successful handler.

Working spots limited to 10 per day (FULL); Auditing spots unlimited

Cost:  $200 per day working spot – Auditing spot $50 per day
To Register, Email:  FPACEvents@gmail.com
Location: Flying Paws Agility Club, 6695 N Bottom Road, Bloomington, IN 47404

Prerequisites:  Dog must be at least 15 months old, proficient on all obstacles with sequencing experience.

DAY ONE:

Hocus – Pocus – Focus

  • Session will “focus” on tools to build your dog’s focus on start line obstacle as well as their focus forward to the next obstacle.
  • Session will also cover, helping handler to “focus” on the needs of their dog via understanding & seeing obstacle commitment.

Go the Distance!

  • Emphasis will be placed on the tools for gaining and handling from a distance through building confidence to ensure and enable the dog to work away from their handler.
  • In addition, teaching the dog to continue on the intended line.

DAY TWO: 

Go Where???

  • Improve your dog’s commitment to obstacles producing seamless and synchronized teamwork.
  • Session will focus on maximizing your distance skills, learning to send and go, utilizing verbal commands and improving your dog’s commitment to a line/path.

Smokin’ Challenges!

  • Session will focus on challenging your toolbox. Emphasis will be placed on skills needed to handle any challenge you may be faced with on any given course.

About Karen

In 1996, it all began for Karen. It was at that time that she purchased her first Labrador retriever, Cody.  She started agility “just for fun”.  After a few years she proudly became the sixth person in the country to earn a Master Agility Championship (MACH).

Since then, Karen has earned many placements and titles in both agility and obedience with several of her dogs; earning both obedience championships (OTCH) as well as agility championships (MACH). Karen currently competes in agility with her amazing partners Tag and Newz.

MACH SHR Rhumbline’s High Grade MXG MJS JH “Grady”

In 2011 Karen and Grady qualified to try out for and attended the AKC World Team tryouts in Minnesota, where they had some beautiful runs! In an arena full of border collies, Grady stood out, being the only Labrador to try out in the large dog division.

OTCH MACH3 SHR Rhumbline’s Pepsi With A Twist UDX11 OGM MXC MJC XF “Pepsi”

In 2012 Karen’s other Labrador, Pepsi, became the first female black lab in the United States to earn both her Obedience Trial Championship (OTCH) and Master Agility Championship (MACH). Karen and Pepsi have had the honor of being invited and attended three National Obedience Championship (NOC) events around the country.

MACH9 SHR Rhumbline’s Catch Me If U Can CDX GN JH MXB3 PDG MJC2 PJS MFS TQX T2B5 WC “Tag”
Tag is currently Karen’s agility partner; earning multiple MACH’s and proving to be a fierce competitor. He has qualified and competed in 4 consecutive Westminster Kennel Club events, earning a spot in the 2020 finals and placing 4th in the 2021 finals. He continues to be a “Top 25 Labrador“, receiving four consecutive invites to the prestigious AKC Invitational placing 3rd in the 2022 finals.  Tag is currently ranked as the  #2 overall AKC agility Labrador in the country.

Rhumbline’s Hot Off The Press  MXB MXJ MXF “Newz”

Newz is Karen’s newest agility partner.  At only just 3 years old she is already proving she has what it takes and is more than ½ way to earning her MACH.  She is also showing great promise in her obedience career as well.

Event Hosted by:
Flying Paws Agility Club
6695 N Bottom Road, Bloomington, IN 47404
Website:  flyingpawsagility.com
To Register, Email:  FPACEvents@gmail.com

Flying Paws Agility Presents ~ Stimulus Control with Samantha Parsons

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Stimulus control training is all about response to cues

For a behavior

  1. The behavior occurs immediately when the cue is given.
  2. The behavior never occurs in the absence of the cue.
  3. The behavior never occurs in response to some other cue.
  4. No other behavior occurs in response to this cue.

This means, for example, if I have trained the behavior, “Sit pretty,”:

  1. When I say, “Pretty,” the dog immediately sits up with his front feet in the air.
  2. He doesn’t ever do that unless I cue it.
  3. He doesn’t do it if I cue something else like down or sit.
  4. He doesn’t sit or lie down when I say, “Pretty.”

Saturday, April 22nd and Sunday, April 23rd, 9 am to 5 pm

Samantha Parsons is a dog trainer and dog agility enthusiast. Sam’s goal is to develop teamwork between the dog and handler through clear communication and positive experiences.  Sam leads with compassion and empathy in her work.

Working spots limited to 10 per day.

Cost:  $150 Per day working spot
To Register, Email:  FPACEvents@gmail.com
Location: Flying Paws Agility Club, 6695 N Bottom Road, Bloomington, IN 47404

Day 1:  General Stimulus Control:

Reinforcement Markers Review

  • Food markers (from hand, room service, from ground)
  • Toy (preplaced, tug from hand, thrown, placed behind the dog)
  • Discrimination between different markers (food vs food, toy vs toy, food vs toy)

Reinforcement Markers with Agility

  • Toy placement for independence (weaves, contacts, turning cues)
  • Food for handler focus (Bypassing off courses/dog name for handler focus, soothing/arousal control)

Crucial Stimulus Control Prerequisites for Agility

    • Loose leash walking (dogs not pulling to enter rings etc.)
    • Start-line stays
    • Stopped contact / table faults & building duration for stopped behaviors
    • Control around reinforcement (when should the dog take the reinforcement, delayed reinforcement – dog doesn’t get rewarded in the ring but rather ring side etc.)

Day 2:  Stimulus Control During Agility Exercises (putting day 1 into practice):

  • Tunnels – when to take and when not to take
  • Dog obstacle preferences (tunnel, contact, weave “sucking”)
  • Ring of fire exercises (pinwheel of jumps with tunnels on the outside of pinwheel- dog must take jumps and not tunnels until handler cues tunnels, basically a compare and contrast drill for tunnel suckers)
  • Patience circles (just running with the handler without taking obstacles)
  • Nose touches & handling (helps cue convergence, obstacle discrimination, threadle help)
  • Sequence work and how to handle errors

Each session will be a full day of training.  Some will be lecture, and some will be hands-on with your dog.

We strongly recommend that people attend both days to get the most benefit out of the seminar.

Day 1 is required to attend day 2.  Day 2 will be a continuation, and use what was learned in day 1 within the agility environment.

Prerequisites:

Since day 2 will do some course work, attendees must have jump, tunnel and short sequencing experience.

About Samantha (Sam)

Samantha Parsons is a dog trainer and dog agility enthusiast. Sam’s goal is to develop teamwork between the dog and handler through clear communication and positive experiences, and leads with compassion and empathy in her work.

Her credentials include a Bachelor of Science degree in the field of animal science, as well as over a decade in the sport of dog agility and dog training.

Some noteworthy accomplishments include:

  • Qualifying for AKC national agility championships from 2012-2021 with three different dogs. In 2019, she was able to place 2nd place at AKC national agility championships in the preferred 12” class with her border collie Trio.
  • She has completed personalized coaching with Sarah Stremming to improve her problem-solving skills with performance dogs.
  • Currently, Sam is training and trialing a rescue, border collie mix named Mucho. In addition, she is training a young border collie, Zippo, for the sport of dog agility.

Event Hosted by:
Flying Paws Agility Club
6695 N Bottom Road, Bloomington, IN 47404
Website:  flyingpawsagility.com
To Register, Email:  FPACEvents@gmail.com

Opening of 2023 Agility Season: Try-It Day and Classes Start

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Bring your dog to join us at our Try-It Day on Saturday, March 11th from 1 until 3 p.m. at our facility at 6695 N. Bottom Road in Bloomington, IN.

We’ll have club members and instructors on hand to answer all of your questions.

Flying Paws Agility is happy to announce the start of our 2023 class season!

Classes will begin the week of April 10th.  We encourage you to take a look at the class description and if you have any questions, please email us today!

Flying Paws Agility Presents ~ Karen Lechner

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TNT – Timing N Techniques!

Friday, October 21st and

Sunday, Saturday, October 22nd from 9 am to 5 pm

Agility veteran Karen Lechner (Pawz4Success) loves teaching her students to be fair, clear, and consistent in training. The result is her students create confident dogs and handler teams that love the sport, performing with speed and accuracy!  With Karen’s instruction you will learn the techniques needed to be a successful handler.

Working spots limited to 10 per day (FULL); Auditing spots unlimited

Day One: Let’s Get Connected!
Day Two: Do You Have Commitment Issues?
Cost:  $200 per day working spot – Auditing spot $50 per day
To Register, Email:  FPACEvents@gmail.com
Location: Flying Paws Agility Club, 6695 N Bottom Road, Bloomington, IN 47404

DAY ONE:  Let’s Get Connected!

  • Strengthen basic foundation skills and connection between you and your dog. Learn skills that will carry over to all your future training.
  • Session will focus on positional cues, motion, focus forward, obstacle commitment, motivation, tunnel skills, verbal commands and much, much more.

Prerequisites: Dog must be at least 15 months old, and proficient on all obstacles, with sequencing experience.

DAY TWO:  Do You Have Commitment Issues?

  • Improve your dog’s commitment to obstacles producing seamless and synchronized teamwork.
  • Session will focus on maximizing your distance skills, learning to send and go, utilizing verbal commands and improving your dog’s commitment to a line/path.

Prerequisites: Dog must be at least 15 months old, and proficient on all obstacles, with full sequencing experience.

About Karen
In 1996, it all began for Karen. It was at that time that she purchased her first Labrador retriever, Cody. She started agility “just for fun”. After a few years she proudly became the sixth person in the country to earn a Master Agility Championship (MACH).

Since then, Karen has earned many placements and titles in both agility and obedience with several of her dogs; earning both obedience championships (OTCH) as well as agility championships (MACH). Karen currently competes in agility with her amazing partner Tag.

MACH SHR Rhumbline’s High Grade MXG MJS JH “Grady”
In 2011 Karen and Grady qualified to try out for and attended the AKC World Team tryouts in Minnesota, where they had some beautiful runs! In an arena full of border collies, Grady stood out, being the only Labrador to try out in the large dog division.

OTCH MACH3 SHR Rhumbline’s Pepsi With A Twist UDX11 OGM MXG MJG XF “Pepsi”
In 2012 Karen’s other Labrador, Pepsi, became the first female black lab in the United States to earn both her Obedience Trial Championship (OTCH) and Master Agility Championship (MACH). Karen and Pepsi have had the honor of being invited and attended three National Obedience Championship (NOC) events around the country.

MACH6 SHR Rhumbline’s Catch Me If U Can CDX GN JH MXS2 PDS MJS2 PJS MXF T2B2 WC “Tag”
Tag is currently Karen’s agility partner; earning multiple MACH’s and proving to be a fierce competitor. He has qualified and competed in 3 consecutive Westminster Kennel Club events, earning a spot in the 2020 finals. In addition, he continues to be a “Top 25 Labrador“, receiving two consecutive invites to the prestigious AKC Invitational and is currently ranked as the #1 MACH Labrador in the country.

Rhumbline’s Hot Off The Press “Newz”
Newz is Karen’s newest agility partner. At only 22 months old she is already showing great promise and sure to be another superstar of Karen’s.

Event Hosted by:
Flying Paws Agility Club
6695 N Bottom Road, Bloomington, IN 47404
Website:  flyingpawsagility.com
To Register, Email:  FPACEvents@gmail.com

Prepare for Nationals, or Run for Fun

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Flying Paws Agility Club, Bloomington IN, is hosting Nationals Inspired Run Thrus

Join us for some practice on the dirt!

April 23rd from 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Two dirt rings of “Nationals” inspired courses will be setup.
Get a feel for Nationals level courses, OR work on skills, the time is yours.

Standard with embedded Traditional Jackpot and Jumpers

Set up and check-in from 11:00 to 11:45

$20 for a full day (per dog) or $7 for a single run

Pre-registration is preferred.

To register (or if you have questions), email us at FPACEvents@gmail.com

Address: 6695 N Bottom Road Bloomington, IN 47404

Flying Paws Agility Presents ~ Karen Lechner ~ Drills, Skills & Thrills

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Drills, Skills & Thrills!

Saturday, October 2nd and

Sunday, October 3rd, 9 am to 5 pm

Agility veteran Karen Lechner (Pawz4Success) loves teaching her students to be fair, clear, and consistent in training. The result is her students create confident dogs and handler teams that love the sport, performing with speed and accuracy!  With Karen’s instruction you will learn the techniques needed to be a successful handler.

Working spots limited to 10 per day; Auditing spots unlimited

Day One: Drills, Skills and Thrills
Day Two: Mastering Courses
Cost:  $200 per day working spot – Auditing spot $75 per day
To Register, Email:  FPACEvents@gmail.com
Location: Flying Paws Agility Club, 6695 N Bottom Road, Bloomington, IN 47404

DAY ONE:  Drills, Skills and Thrills
Session will focus on Serpentines, Threadles, Backsides and more.  Improve your handling techniques, and your dog’s understanding.

Prerequisites: Dog must be at least 15 months old, and proficient on all obstacles, with full sequencing experience.

DAY TWO:  Mastering Courses
Day two will put your skills to the test.  This session is aimed at addressing key handling skills and choices needed by teams of all levels.  If you attend day one, this will build on what you learned and help put it into practice.  Teams will be provided detailed feedback for improving their handling, with emphasis placed on clearer and faster handling execution.

Prerequisites: Dog must be at least 15 months old, and proficient on all obstacles, with full sequencing experience.

About Karen
In 1996, it all began for Karen. It was at that time that she purchased her first Labrador retriever, Cody.  She started agility “just for fun”.  After a few years she proudly became the sixth person in the country to earn a Master Agility Championship (MACH).

Since then, Karen has earned many placements and titles in both agility and obedience with several of her dogs; earning both obedience championships (OTCH) as well as agility championships (MACH). Karen currently competes in agility with her amazing partner Tag.

MACH SHR Rhumbline’s High Grade MXG MJS JH “Grady”
In 2011 Karen and Grady qualified to try out for and attended the AKC World Team tryouts in Minnesota, where they had some beautiful runs!  In an arena full of border collies, Grady stood out, being the only Labrador to try out in the large dog division.

OTCH MACH3 SHR Rhumbline’s Pepsi With A Twist UDX11 OGM MXG MJG XF “Pepsi”
In 2012 Karen’s other Labrador, Pepsi, became the first female black lab in the United States to earn both her Obedience Trial Championship (OTCH) and Master Agility Championship (MACH). Karen and Pepsi have had the honor of being invited and attended three National Obedience Championship (NOC) events around the country.

MACH4 SHR Rhumbline’s Catch Me If U Can CDX GN JH MXB2 PDS MJB2 PJD MXF T2B2 WC “Tag”
Tag is currently Karen’s agility partner; earning multiple MACH’s and proving to be a fierce competitor. He has qualified and competed in 3 consecutive Westminster Kennel Club events, earning a spot in the 2020 finals.  In addition, he continues to be a “Top 25 Labrador“, receiving two consecutive invites to the prestigious AKC Invitational and is currently ranked as the 4th Labrador in the country.

Event Hosted by:
Flying Paws Agility Club
6695 N Bottom Road, Bloomington, IN 47404
Website:  flyingpawsagility.com
To Register, Email:  FPACEvents@gmail.com

Flying Paws Agility Presents ~ Karen Lechner ~ Drills, Skills & Thrills

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Drills, Skills & Thrills!

Saturday, October 2nd and

Sunday, October 3rd, 9 am to 5 pm

Agility veteran Karen Lechner (Pawz4Success) loves teaching her students to be fair, clear, and consistent in training. The result is her students create confident dogs and handler teams that love the sport, performing with speed and accuracy!  With Karen’s instruction you will learn the techniques needed to be a successful handler.

Working spots limited to 10 per day; Auditing spots unlimited

Day One: Drills, Skills and Thrills
Day Two: Mastering Courses
Cost:  $200 per day working spot – Auditing spot $75 per day
To Register, Email:  FPACEvents@gmail.com
Location: Flying Paws Agility Club, 6695 N Bottom Road, Bloomington, IN 47404

DAY ONE:  Drills, Skills and Thrills
Session will focus on Serpentines, Threadles, Backsides and more.  Improve your handling techniques, and your dog’s understanding.

Prerequisites: Dog must be at least 15 months old, and proficient on all obstacles, with full sequencing experience.

DAY TWO:  Mastering Courses
Day two will put your skills to the test.  This session is aimed at addressing key handling skills and choices needed by teams of all levels.  If you attend day one, this will build on what you learned and help put it into practice.  Teams will be provided detailed feedback for improving their handling, with emphasis placed on clearer and faster handling execution.

Prerequisites: Dog must be at least 15 months old, and proficient on all obstacles, with full sequencing experience.

About Karen
In 1996, it all began for Karen. It was at that time that she purchased her first Labrador retriever, Cody.  She started agility “just for fun”.  After a few years she proudly became the sixth person in the country to earn a Master Agility Championship (MACH).

Since then, Karen has earned many placements and titles in both agility and obedience with several of her dogs; earning both obedience championships (OTCH) as well as agility championships (MACH). Karen currently competes in agility with her amazing partner Tag.

MACH SHR Rhumbline’s High Grade MXG MJS JH “Grady”
In 2011 Karen and Grady qualified to try out for and attended the AKC World Team tryouts in Minnesota, where they had some beautiful runs!  In an arena full of border collies, Grady stood out, being the only Labrador to try out in the large dog division.

OTCH MACH3 SHR Rhumbline’s Pepsi With A Twist UDX11 OGM MXG MJG XF “Pepsi”
In 2012 Karen’s other Labrador, Pepsi, became the first female black lab in the United States to earn both her Obedience Trial Championship (OTCH) and Master Agility Championship (MACH). Karen and Pepsi have had the honor of being invited and attended three National Obedience Championship (NOC) events around the country.

MACH4 SHR Rhumbline’s Catch Me If U Can CDX GN JH MXB2 PDS MJB2 PJD MXF T2B2 WC “Tag”
Tag is currently Karen’s agility partner; earning multiple MACH’s and proving to be a fierce competitor.  He has qualified and competed in the 2018, 2019 and 2020 Westminster Kennel Club event (making it to the finals in 2018 and 2020).  In addition, he continues to be a “Top 25 Labrador” earning him 2 consecutive invites to the prestigious AKC Invitational.

Event Hosted by:
Flying Paws Agility Club
6695 N Bottom Road, Bloomington, IN 47404
Website:  flyingpawsagility.com
To Register, Email:  FPACEvents@gmail.com

Flying Paws Agility Presents ~ Behavioral Wellness with Samantha Parsons

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Jump start your agility training by building a better relationship with your dog through behavioral wellness.

Saturday, June 12th and Sunday, June 13th, 9 am to 5 pm

Samantha Parsons is a dog trainer and dog agility enthusiast. Sam’s goal is to develop teamwork between the dog and handler through clear communication and positive experiences.  Sam leads with compassion and empathy in her work.

Working spots limited to 10 per day.

Cost:  $155 Per day working spot
To Register, Email:  FPACEvents@gmail.com
Location: Flying Paws Agility Club, 6695 N Bottom Road, Bloomington, IN 47404

Day One:  Dog Training Necessities:

  • Behavioral wellness
  • Reinforcement strategies for clear communication
  • 4 steps necessary prior to work
  • Consent/ability to opt into work
  • Planning for a solid work/training session
  • Stationing/stand by cue

Day Two:  Implementation of Necessities into agility training

  • Reinforcement strategy refresher
  • 4 steps necessary prior to work
  • Planning for the session
  • Problem solving with working teams (working teams will provide Samantha with the background on a “problem” they are experiencing, and we will develop a plan for each team)

This seminar will be more of a lecture format than the typical handling seminars.  Following the lecture for each topic, working teams will be given time to practice what was covered in the lecture.

Note:  Since day two builds on day one, registration priority will be given to those registering for both days.

About Samantha (Sam)

Samantha Parsons is a dog trainer and dog agility enthusiast. Sam’s goal is to develop teamwork between the dog and handler through clear communication and positive experiences, and leads with compassion and empathy in her work.

Her credentials include a Bachelor of Science degree in the field of animal science, as well as over a decade in the sport of dog agility and dog training.

Some noteworthy accomplishments include:

  • Qualifying for AKC national agility championships from 2012-2021 with three different dogs. In 2019, she was able to place 2nd place at AKC national agility championships in the preferred 12” class with her border collie Trio.
  • She has completed personalized coaching with Sarah Stremming to improve her problem-solving skills with performance dogs.
  • Currently, Sam is training and trialing a rescue, border collie mix named Mucho. In addition, she is training a young border collie, Zippo, for the sport of dog agility.

Event Hosted by:
Flying Paws Agility Club
6695 N Bottom Road, Bloomington, IN 47404
Website:  flyingpawsagility.com
To Register, Email:  FPACEvents@gmail.com

Heat Stroke Prevention Warning Signs and Treatment

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Hot and humid conditions are here for the foreseeable future. The following information was provided to us by Denice Rackley, who is a freelance writer, an RVT, a working Border Collie breeder/trainer and a livestock producer.

Photo by Lum3n.com on Pexels.com

Summer heat is upon us in the Ohio valley.  We head to pools, lakes or inside in the afternoons but we need to be aware of the health risks heat poses to our pets.

Dogs can overheat due to exercise in warm weather and being confined in a hot environment with no way to get out of the heat or cool off.  People do not realize they can also overheat in rather cool temperatures due to mental stress and anxiety.

Evaporative cooling is the most efficient means of lowering body temperature.  We are able to sweat over our entire body, dogs can’t because of their hair.  Panting is the primary means of evaporate cooling for dogs. High humidity quickly multiples the concerns of summer temperatures.  Similar to us when the humidity is high dogs have difficulty keeping cool becoming overheated more easily. Overweight dogs, dogs that are not physically fit and those that are medically compromised have even a tougher time with weather extremes.  Overheating can cause organ and heart failure, it can be fatal.  Knowing how to prevent heat stroke, the warning signs and action you can take immediately to cool a dog could save your dog’s life.

Preventing Heat Stroke

Knowing how your dog normally behaves in warm or humid weather is the first step to recognizing warning signs.  Most dogs’ normal temperature is 101 to 102.  It is not uncommon for dogs that are nervous or scared to have temperatures of 102.5.  (Temperature can be taken rectally with a normal human thermometer.)  After exercise the temperature can easily be 103.  If they reach 104 some dogs will exhibit warning signs of becoming to hot.

Preventing heat stroke is easier than treating a dog after it has overheated.

  • Know your pets’ normal temperature
  • Provide clean cool water to keep dogs hydrated
  • Exercise early morning / late evening
  • Provide small amounts of water frequently
  • Take breaks during training or exercise allowing pets to cool off
  • Walk dogs on grass or dirt rather than cement/asphalt
  • Offer opportunities for your dog to take a swim or cool off in running water
  • Feed smaller meals
  • Be aware of what is “Normal Behavior” for your dog
  • Know your vets’ policy on emergencies
  • Know the location and phone number of the nearest 24 hour emergency clinic

 

Signs of Heat Stroke

Dogs can exhibit multiple signs of overheating.  The first signs can be subtle continuing to get more serious as the condition worsens.  Most agree that a temperature of 103 is high. A temp over 106 indicates the dog is in immediate danger and veterinary care needs to sought.

Signs of overheating and heat stoke can include

  • Slower to respond to commands
  • Panting excessively – panting can turn loud and raspy indicating air is not being moved efficiently
  • Squinting or Glazed eyes
  • Weakness – most notice in rear legs first
  • Wobbly, Lack of Coordination
  • Disorientated
  • Gums and/or tongue becoming bright red or blueish
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Lethargy
  • Irregular heart rate
  • Loss of Consciousness

If caught early simply offering cool water to drink and running cool water on the dog’s stomach, legs and paws will help lower their temperature.  Putting a dog in a tub of water, allowing it to stay there is not as effective as running water over the dog or having the dog get in and out of water.  When a dog is immersed in a tub of water the water trapped in the hair will get warm acting as an insulator against the cooler water.  Just getting a dog wet is not the point, you want the water to be cool taking heat from the body then away from the dog.  You need the water to evaporate aiding in cooling. Placing the dog in front of a fan or in air conditioning will help with evaporation.

A Caution

If the dog is alert offer cool water to drink but only allow a few laps of water at a time every few minutes. Swallowing lots of water while panting excessively could lead to the dog swallowing air possibly leading to bloat.  Do not force your dog to drink which could result in water getting into its lungs.  Monitor the dogs temperature every 3 minutes.  As soon as their temperature begins to drop stop cooling efforts and continue monitoring.  Dry the dog off, keeping them in a cool environment.  If you continue cooling you may cause the temperature to drop to low.  Once the dog’s temp is normal and panting has slowed more water can be offered allowing the dog to rehydrate itself.

Dogs don’t lose electrolytes through exercise like we do. Oral replacements of electrolytes are not effective.  If a dog exhibits heat stroke there are physiological changes that make intravenous fluids and electrolytes necessary.

Do not confine a dog to a crate that has had recent exercise even if they appear fine.  This is especially true of warm dogs that are wet.  The crate will act as sauna.  The water being cooler than the dog restricts the blood vessels reducing the blood flow to the dog’s skin forcing the heat inward raising the dogs temperature.  A crate restricts air flow preventing evaporative cooling.  The dog will be hotter inside the crate than outside.

Contact your veterinarian if you are concerned about your dog.

Risk Factors

While All dogs are at a certain risk for overheating there are some breeds that have a higher risk.

  • Brachycephalic breeds (those with short noses and/or flat noses) shih tzus, pugs, boxers, bulldogs…
  • Overweight dogs
  • Those of compromised health – breathing problems, heart conditions, very young or old dogs
  • Extremely active dogs – hunting and herding breeds. Some of these dogs will keep going till they drop so it up to you to have them take frequent breaks to hydrate and cool off.
  • Environmental factors can place a dog at risk ie no shade, confined in sun, high humidity

Dogs can over heat rather easily. It is up to you to know your dogs normal behavior and the warning signs that your dog is getting overheated.  Prevention is rather simple – provide cool water, shade, frequent rest breaks for your four-legged friends in an environment with good air flow.  The best course of action is to prevent this potentially life-threatening condition.

By Denice Rackley

 

Opening of 2020 Agility Season: Try It Day and Classes Start

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Flying Paws Agility is happy to announce the start of our 2020 class season!

Bring your dog to join us at our annual free Try It Day on Saturday, April 4 from 2 until 4 p.m. at our facility at 6695 N. Bottom Road in Bloomington, IN.

We’ll have club members and instructors on hand to answer all of your questions.  And, there will be an agility demonstration as well as a free give-away of some awesome Flying Paws items.

Classes will begin the week of April 6.  We have changed our class structure a bit to make it even better for our students.  We encourage you to take a look at the class description and if you have any questions, please email us today!