Lifestyle

Brickell Bow-Wow’s

As autumn settles over our city, what better way to participate in the (slightly) changing season than by strolling across our scenic climes with a new best friend? Below are 3 tender-hearted pooches selected from our area’s finest shelters and rescues.

Baloo
A heartful, handsome Husky who is an exemplary example of his breed, we can’t imagine why anyone would want to give away such a loving pup. Shockingly smart and endlessly loyal to his owner, if you want a forever friend sure to stand by you in times thick and thin, look no further than this beautiful, fun-loving canine companion; Paws4You.org.

Morena
If you’re looking for an adventurous playmate always eager to accompany you on the next camping trip or beachside break, Morena is a 4-year-old housebroken Shepherd Mix who easy to train and very affectionate with other animals — there’s not a home in the area that wouldn’t benefit from having just a little more Morena in the mix all day long; 100PlusAbandonedDogs.org.

Gage
Do we really even have to write about why you might want to add this adorable piece of puppyhood into your home? A housebroken Malinois Mix whose mother, Godiva, was featured in last month’s issue, Gage is just the thing needed for a family looking to add a lifetime of loving memories to an already heart-filled home; 100PlusAbandonedDogs.org

Ask The Doggie Trainer

With Dee Hoult, MBA, CDBC, CTDI

Q: Will feeding my dog “people” food create begging behavior?
A: No, the act of giving your dog “people” food will not create begging behavior. What creates this behavior is the context in which you give your dog food. If you are in the kitchen cutting up a rotisserie chicken and your dog is giving you those big, sweet food-wanting eyes, it’s important that in that moment you ask your dog to move away from the kitchen and stop staring at the chicken. Even better, you should ask your dog to go lay down in his bed. If you were to take some of the chicken you were preparing over to where your dog is laying down in his bed and feed it to him there, you would be reinforcing his place/bed training, not begging. But, if you were to cave in to those puppy eyes back in the kitchen and hand your dog a piece of chicken while he’s sitting nearby, watching you cut it up, then you would be unintentionally reinforcing begging behavior. When you reinforce behavior, the behavior gets stronger! Before you know it, you have a dog that is glued to your side, always staring and begging for food anytime you are eating or preparing something. I’m huge on sharing my food with my dogs, it just has to be given to them at the right time, for the correct behavior. Keep in mind however that not all human food is safe for dogs. If it has already been seasoned or is fried or fatty it’s best never to give to your dog. Things like chocolate, onions, and citrus are always off the menu as these food items can be fatal to dogs.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dee Hoult is the CEO of Applause Your Paws, South Florida’s largest privately owned pet dog training company and a 2018 finalist for Pet Industry Woman Of The Year through the Women In The Pet Industry Network.