Got Orders?

This is the time of year when most military families are on the move. They are going through what is called a Permanent Change of Station (PCS). What this means for anyone not affiliated with the military, individual soldiers and families are moving. Moving to a different town, state or even country. PCSing is filled with many emotions from excitement to sheer dread. Since we as humans have the amazing ability to verbally communicate and rationally plan for a major life change, how does you’re furry friend cope with moving?  How does your furry friend relocate?

The answer; depends on your moving disposition and strategy.  Our pets depend on us for guidance and for a general sense of the world that surrounds them. If we’re angry, agitated, anxious, you better believe your pet will feel those emotions and probably have some behavioral issues. If we are calm, have good coping mechanisms, your dogs will feel more relaxed and generally go with the flow.  During times of transition, remember to find some relaxation.  This will benefit you, your family and your pets!

Since Eddie and I have done overseas moves with Jack, we’ve learned a few things. Even if you, the reader isn’t involved with the military, there are some good moving tips you may also find useful.

Before moving to El Paso, we lived in Bavaria, Germany. We loved living in Europe and became accustomed to the life style. We lived in a small farming community, so the quality of life was quiet, laid back and free from the demands of what’s new and the perceived need to have it. We created a life there. We had a good group of friends, I established myself in a job and we had amazing opportunities to travel. Then Eddie received orders to move to Ft Bliss in El Paso.

A beautiful day in Bavaria!
A beautiful day in Bavaria!
Enjoying some sunshine and beautiful June weather!
Enjoying some sunshine and beautiful June weather!

This wasn’t the best news to hear. I was pretty skeptical about moving to West Texas, moving back to the States and once again resettling into a new way of life. I chose not to lament on the what ifs because there was so much organizing and planning that needed to be done to have   a successful PCS.

I found the best way for me to get organized was get a binder.  If I learned anything from my formative school years was using a binder complete with dividers and document protectors helped me organize school work, but it also proved to be a useful tool in my adult life.   I put together and chronologically organized all of our health records, our car information and its shipment paperwork, taxes, shipment of all of our household items, and anything else I felt needed to move with us. Along with our important information, I made sure I had several copies of Jack’s vaccination records, microchip information which I registered with AKC Reunite and began researching transportation options for Jack.  I often hear of military families finding new homes for their pets because they didn’t plan ahead.  It will take some money to move your pet with you, but the financial piece can become a non issue if you plan accordingly and ahead of time.

We adopted Jack while in Germany. In Europe, pets get their own EU passport which veterinarians can put vaccination stickers showing when vaccinations were administered. This is fantastic. It consolidated the paperwork and it made it easier to ensure I had everything in one spot for him.  All I had to do was supply a copy of his passport.  I adhered his paperwork to his crate, so any custom or airline agents can easily access them and Jack wouldn’t get caught up somewhere in between.

Eddie and I wanted the most comfortable travel arrangements for Jack. We were moving to Texas during the summer, so I knew there could be an issue with flying with Jack when he had to fly with baggage :(.  Jack was just too big to fit under the seat in front of us. We also discovered airlines won’t fly with pets in baggage if the ground temperature is too hot or too cold since many airplanes aren’t equipped with temperature control in the baggage section of the plane.  We were lucky, we flew with Lufthansa which was equipped to carry animals and we had a direct flight from Germany to Texas. Lufthansa also had a pet space at the Frankfurt airport where he could stretch his legs and go potty.  I was so grateful Jack traveled with us.  Since he’s high energy and relocating to somewhere unfamiliar, I wanted him with us to ease any frustration or anxiety he may feel in the process.  As a plan B, we found Pet Express.  They would pick Jack up at home and get him to our final destination.  They also would keep him company if he arrived before us.  Now, I  see there are many more pet travel services available, so make sure the one you choose not only has the best price, but more importantly has the best interest of your pet at heart.

The last piece of the puzzle in transporting Jack was obtaining a health certificate for him from the veterinarian.  The health certificate demonstrates your dog is free from disease and can safely travel to another state or country.  In our situation, since we were traveling from Germany to the US, Jack’s health certificate was required to be in both English and German.  We were grateful, our local vet was able to do both translations, so we didn’t have to wait on receiving a German version.  In most situations, the translation can tack on time extra time from when you request translation and when you receive the document. Remember, take a copy with you and adhere a copy on your pet’s crate before you separate for the flight.

During the time we were shipping our home items and making final arrangements to move back to the states, we kept a regular routine with Jack.  We ran every day.  Not only did exercise keep a routine with Jack, but exercise alleviated stress myself and Eddie felt while living in transition.  This in turn kept our anxieties mostly at bay which left Jack feeling rather settled.  He didn’t show any behavioral issues before, during or after we safely arrived.  Actually, when we picked him up in baggage claim in Dallas, he was resting comfortably in his crate alongside a cat in the next crate!  We continued in our training and working on basic obedience.  We wanted him to have good manners while traveling outside of our care.  We made sure he felt secure in his crate and gave him some items from home that were safe to be inside the crate with him.

It takes a ton of mental energy to efficiently schedule movers and to actually get yourself and your pet safely to your final destination.  With careful planning and keeping a fit mind and body, any transition will appear seamless!

LET’S GO!

Exercise, exercise, exercise seems to be the rule of thumb not only overall health and well being, but I’ve found it to be profoundly important in my dog training regiment. Exercise is not the cure all, but it certainly has its place in my daily routine as much as it does in Jack and Bernie’s routine.

I know first hand how exercise impacts my day.  After a run, I feel balanced, empowered and rejuvenated.  I know a run can be both meditative or an avenue to work through stress by problem solving while I put one foot in front of the other.  For me, running is an opportunity to release stress, tension and do a little something for myself.  The days when I don’t run because its a rest day or life got a little too in the way, I feel it.  I crave to move and release the energy within while I remained static.

I recently read a blog post which cited research on the impact of movement in managing anxiety (http://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/treatment/exercising).  The biggest take away I found centered on the lack of movement creates tension.  Tension is what some people link to feelings of anxiety.  Therefore, when I move, in my case, run, I release the build up of stress in my body through exercise and my endocrine system releases endorphin, the feel good hormone. Humans were designed to move and in the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, he points out the science behind humans actually being designed to not walk, but run. Let me just say, this book was a great read and even if you’re a nonrunner, still a great one to put on your list!

If us humans were basically meant to run, what about our furry friends?  If we find balance and generally feel good after exercise, wouldn’t our dogs feel the same?  I regularly see dogs who are highly anxious at home and demonstrate displacement behaviors which include barking and destructive chewing as some examples.  They are showing frustration and or separation anxiety in more severe cases.  These dogs rarely get exercise where they are panting and focused on moving with or for their owner. Not only is exercise or a high level of play necessary for a dog to become more relaxed in the home, its also necessary for the longevity and well being of the dog.

My active pups!

Let’s take Jack, who I’ve mentioned to be highly active.  I’ve seen first hand, if his energy doesn’t get worked out, he becomes frustrated, vigilant and impossible to keep under control.  Structured exercise regimen allows his visceral energy release and he becomes a more focused, relaxed and obedient dog.  Exercise alone doesn’t change your dog overnight.  A daily regiment of exercise, training and a structured relationship with you and your dog all together will lead your furry friend in becoming more settled and reliable.

If you want to start moving with your dog and running is the avenue you would like to pursue, check out the Runners World article which gives steps of how to do so http://www.runnersworld.com/running-with-dogs/see-spot-run.

No!No!No!

Last week, Eddie and I took a little vacay to Southern California to visit family.  Jack and Bernie had a bit of a vacation too at Howl A Day Inn in El Paso.

Bernie relaxing poolside at Howl A Day Inn
Bernie relaxing poolside at Howl A Day Inn
Enjoying their daily activities of playing with other guests.
Enjoying their daily activities of playing with other guests.

If you, the reader, find yourself in El Paso and have some time or are needing recommendations for boarding facilities, Howl A Day Inn is the place for you.  Check out their website for info: http://www.howladay.com.  They provide exceptional care for all the dogs in their facility.

While spending some relaxing time out in Sierra Madre or we like to refer to it as the ‘Dre, I was amazed by the plethora of out dated dog training methods and techniques still being used.  While imbibing on some tasty beers while watching some amazing World Cup soccer games, I saw 4 or 5 dogs with pinch collars.  (If you’re not familiar with pinch collars, check out one of my previous blog post about this issue).  Not only were people still using or rather misusing this tool, there were neighbors who were also telling their dogs NO!NO!NO! rather than redirecting or asking their dogs for a more appropriate behavior.  These experiences highlighted how positive reinforcement benefits the dog and owner.

What is positive reinforcement dog training?  I’ll start to answer this using the philosophy statement of Animal Behavior College (ABC) where I completed and obtained a certificate in dog training. According to ABC, “It is our philosophy that creating a relationship built on positive interaction and consistency can often deter future unwanted behavior problems, facilitate faster learning and even solve some existing behavior challenges” (http://www.animalbehaviorcollege.com/training_philosophy.asp).  What this means to me, is rewarding behaviors which you want and redirecting and or ignoring the behaviors you don’t want. As I often tell clients during initial consultations, people tend to learn new and recall those things quicker when its paired with a positive experience.  Some of my most memorable educational moments were ones where teachers made learning fun and same goes with your dogs.  Dogs will go back to giving those behaviors which he finds enjoyable and its the owner’s responsibility in guiding the dog towards doing those favorable behaviors and encouraging them so he continues to do so.

How?  A huge factor is identifying what motivates your dog.  Dogs are motivated in different ways and finding those things which the dog finds the most exciting as the most beneficial to the owner.  Once you, the owner, knows what is the most exciting thing for the dog, you have the key to unlocking your dog’s potential.  Then its just a matter of pairing those motivators with appropriate behaviors.

One example of a unwanted behavior which can become an appropriate one for the dog is chewing. As science discovered, dogs chew to feel good.  When chewing becomes an issue for owners is when the chewing is perceived to be destructive.  All the dog is doing is acting out what he innately knows how to do.  More often than not, as humans, we tend to say “No”.  When we do so, we are expressing our displeasure with whatever is going on.  When the dog hears “No” he doesn’t rationally associate chewing on this shoe or this piece of furniture as inappropriate, he sees his owner with an angry face and an angry tone in her voice.  Often, us saying “No” actually reinforces the dog to continue the unfavorable behaviors since we are giving him attention and essentially marking that particular behavior for the dog.  A more pleasurable experience for the owner and dog is to redirect the dog to a chew toy when the dog is chewing on something he shouldn’t be and giving praise. Its also important to praise the dog whenever the dog is chewing on his own toys.  If the owner remains 100% consistent in redirection when the dog is chewing on something he shouldn’t be and praise when the dog is chewing on his toys, the dog will be conditioned to chew on only his toys.  Until this becomes second nature for your dog, managing the issue is a necessity.  Try positive reinforcement dog training, you’ll for sure see faster and more reliable results.