Easeyourworriesknowingthatyourdogiswalkedbyaprofessional.

cheerfuldogschroniclesDogsInAction:RollerbladingWithYourDog

Issue32Certified.Force-free.Dog-centred

Thinkbladesanddogsdon’tmix?Thatdepends.Certainly,just

grabbingtheleashandstrappingonthebladesisabadidea—

onesuddendogmoveandyou’redown.Ifyouloveto

rollerbladeandwouldliketosharetheopenpathswithyour

dog,trainheruntilit’ssafeforbothofyou.First,practisebasic

behaviourcuesuntilyourdog’sresponsetoheelandwaitis

solid.Tobesafe,workonleaveittoo;youdon’twantan

errantsquirreltoderailyourniceouting.Second,findthe

rightleashandharness.Youwantsomethingthatwillkeepyour

dogcloseandyetcomfortable.Andthird,practisewithoutblades.Walkorrun

byyourdogandpractiseallthebehavioursyou’llneedforrollerblading:forwardskating,braking,

turning,goingbackwards,etc.

Whenthetwoofyouarereadytotrywithblades,goslow(itmighttake

severalsessionsbeforeit’ssafetospeedup).Nowthepathsareyours.

Remembertobladeonlyinrollerbladeorskating-friendlyareas.Always

ensurethatyourdogenjoystheactivity,andthatherenthusiasmforitgrows

tomatchyours.Takefrequentbreakstowaterandtreatherwithsomething

juicyandspecial.

2

DogsInAction:Seizure-AlertDogs

MicrochipandIDtagyourdog.Compilea

listofplacesthatmightboardanimalsinan

emergency,e.g.friendsandfamily,boarding

facilities,orlocalveterinarians.

MakeanEmergencyKit.Whereveryougo,

you’llneedsupplies.Gathertheessentialsin

aneasy-to-carrydufflebag.Bring:

medicationsandmedicalrecords;leashes,

harnesses,and/oracarrier;currentphotos,

incaseyourdoggetslost;food,water,

bowls,andcanopener;notesaboutfeeding

schedules,medicalconditionsand

behaviourproblemsincaseyourdoghasto

beboarded.

Planforevacuation.Health&safety

regulationsoftenprecludebringingpets

(exceptserviceanimals)intoevacuation

shelters—soplanahead!

Tips&Tools:DisasterPreparedness

As the name suggests, seizure-alert dogs can detect anoncoming seizure in people and warn them so they can takeprecautions. To people with epilepsy or other convulsivedisorders,aseizure-alertdogcanmeanthedifferencebetweena normal life and isolation. What exactly the dogs alert toremains amystery. It couldbe subtle changes inbehaviourorodouroritcouldbesomethingdifferentaltogether.Becausewedon’tknowthis yet, seizure-alertdogs have to be testedfor the ability beforethey can be trained asservice dogs. Reportssuggest the ability candevelop over time indogs living with peoplewho suffer from seizures,butthere’snoguarantee. However, some dogs reliably alert to seizures bywhining,pawing,pacing,orbarkingpersistently.Theycanserveascanineearlywarningsystems,givingtheseizingpersontimetotakemedicationorliedowninasafeplace.Bothseizure-alertdogsandseizure-responsedogs(servicedogsthatdon’talertbefore a seizure)are trainedtodomanyotherhelpfulthings.Theymightgethelp,activateanalarmduringanepisode,orfetchatelephone.

cheerfuldogs.comYourgo-totrainerforenlighteneddoglovers

Website:cheerfuldogs.com

cheerfuldogswalking.comProfessionaldogwalkingyoucantrust

Website:cheerfuldogswalking.com

Tel:96303884

Email:cheerfuldogswalking@gmail.com

Savetheenvironment,accessoure-newslettersonourwebsites

FollowusSupportedby