Inspired training for dogs and their families
Jill Bowers
Dog Training and Behavior Specialist

Thank Blog!
is written by Jill and Jamie Bowers.

Jill is a private, in-home dog trainer based in greater LA.

We believe that dogs offer companionship that adds unique and valuable richness to human lives. We help dogs and people realize the fullest potential of their relationship.

Should you have any questions about dogs or our services you can contact us or feel free to use the comments.

Jill Bowers, Behavior Specialist  Tuesday, October 31, 2006

I have been super sick

with the flu. It hasn't been a very fun week to say the least. My poor clients have had to wait an extra week to see me again...I am sure they all miss me. Haha...no but really, this flu was terrible and I wouldn't want to get anyone sick.

On a different note...today I AM feeling better...I have the sniffles but that is the extent of it. My goal is to get back on track tomorrow. I called all of my clients who I needed to reschedule with and am looking forward to seeing every single one of them! Yay clients!

Jill Bowers, Behavior Specialist  Saturday, October 28, 2006

Protection Dogs

I never thought I would see the day where I would actually need or want a protection dog. It isn't for me...it's for my mom and their farm. An unfortunate incident happened where my parents did a really nice thing for a boy who was abandoned by his family. I won't go into detail, this isn't the place for it, but I will say that what he did is unfathomable. My family now feels a protection dog is necessary for my mom.

I have spent several days talking to trainers and researching dogs. As anyone would guess, protection dogs can be very dangerous...a loose cannon if you will. I have heard real horror stories about them. Because of this, I have been wary of everyone I talk to and have asked every question you can think of.

We found a trainer, who is also a professor of international business and entrepreneurship, who we would like to work with. I was very impressed with his background; I liked that he would be around to help my parents should they need it; and we love the dog he recommended named, Baly.



They will be getting her on the 14th from Germany. We would be getting her sooner, but we are leaving for Florida and she needs to spend her first days at the farm exclusively with my parents.

She is 3 years old, she is titled in Schutzhund - level 1...has KKL1. She is off leash and will even heel next to you as you command it. She is beautiful.

When getting a protection dog, you need to make sure they have great family lines, reliable and confident temperament (titled) and that the trainer you are buying from is legit and would follow up with guidance should you need it. You have to make sure they are socialized with kids and other animals if you are around them a lot.

I can't wait to meet her!

Tags: Protection Dogs, German Shepard, Germany imports, Schutzhund

Jill Bowers, Behavior Specialist  Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Beautiful Doberman needs a home!



Linda BLair sent this to me. I would love it if we could find this little baby a GREAT home. Dobermans rock, I wish I could take her. Anyway, this is the text that was by her picture:

Absolutely beautiful dog. She is scared and in shock, like most dogs who first arrive. She needs time to adjust to her scary new surroundings. She seems like a nice girl, gets along with her kennel mate. I worry that she will end up in a crappy home in the shelter neighborhood.

Ifk someone can give this girl a home, I would totally get you started on training for free. My love for the Doberman breed is quite strong...so please, somone...this looks like a great lady.

They have her in:

South LA City Shelter
3612 11th Ave
LA CA 90018

213 485-0117 or 213 485-0119

Impound 836690, 2 year female Doberman, avail 10/24

Tags: Doberman Pinscher, Doberman rescue, Linda Blair

Jill Bowers, Behavior Specialist  Monday, October 23, 2006

Study supports theory that pets cut allergy risk

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Some people prone to allergies keep their homes pet-free, a study shows -- but such "avoidance" of furry companions only partly explains the lower allergy risk found among pet owners.

The findings, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, lend some support to the theory that growing up with a pet trains the immune system to be less reactive to potential allergy triggers.

A number of studies, for instance, have found that children exposed to a cat or dog early in life are less likely to develop allergies and asthma.

On one hand, this could indicate a protective effect of pets on immune system development. But an alternative explanation is that families with a genetic tendency toward allergies often opt for a pet-free home, whereas those with an inherently lower risk are more likely to keep pets.

To investigate this question, researchers used data from 9,812 European adults who took part in a 9-year study of respiratory health. Participants were asked about childhood allergy and asthma symptoms, as well as their exposure to pets throughout life.

The researchers found that when people developed allergies or asthma as babies or pre-schoolers, their families were less likely than others to get a cat or keep a cat they already had. However, this was not true of families where a parent had allergies or asthma.

And while people with both current and childhood asthma were less likely to have a cat in adulthood, childhood symptoms alone did not prevent adults from getting a pet.

In general, adults who had pets before developing respiratory problems usually kept the animal, according to the researchers, led by Dr. Cecilie Svanes of the University of Bergen in Norway.

"People appear to prefer taking asthma medication rather than getting rid of a beloved pet," the researchers write, "which seems reasonable."

Like many previous studies, the current one found that pet owners had a lower risk of allergies - one third lower than that of their pet-free peers. But "pet avoidance" among allergy sufferers explained only part of this relationship.

"Thus," the researchers write, "although selective avoidance is certainly present, it appears to account for only a part of the protective effects of pets presented in the literature."

However, even if pets exert a true protective effect, experts don't recommend running out and buying a furry friend to prevent young children from developing allergies. If a child is already sensitive to pet dander, this will worsen the situation.

SOURCE: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, September 2006.

Jill Bowers, Behavior Specialist  Sunday, October 22, 2006

Jumping from a plane today

Yep, that's right, I am jumping from a plane in 2.5 hours!

http://www.skydiveelsinore.com/

Wish me luck!

Jill Bowers, Behavior Specialist  Friday, October 20, 2006

Hearts!

Dog saves owner from fire, dies trying to rescue cat

ELKHART LAKE, Wisconsin (AP) -- After a disabled woman's cat started a house fire, her specially trained dog came to the rescue, then died trying unsuccessfully to rescue the cat.

Jamie Hanson said her 13-year-old dog Jesse brought her artificial leg and a phone she used to call 911.

"She got me outside and then she heard the cat upstairs and she went up there to get the cat, and she wouldn't come back to me," Hanson, 49, said at a news conference Monday at Aurora Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center, where she was being treated for her injuries.

She received third-degree arm burns in the fire Sunday night at her home in Rhine, south of Elkhart Lake. Both pets died.

Hanson, who lost a leg in a car accident three years ago, said she was on the couch watching television when the cat ran over the back of the couch.

"And he jumped onto a table that had a candle on it and tipped it over and lighted the artificial plants on fire," she said.

Hanson said she fell off the couch and was unable to get her artificial leg from the table, "so my dog got my leg for me and went and got the phone and brought the phone to me so I could call 911."




http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/10/18/hero.dog.ap/index.html

Jill Bowers, Behavior Specialist  Tuesday, October 17, 2006

What breed is your dog?

Mixed breed dogs are everywhere, especially in shelters. Most of the time, dog owners have no idea what breed their dog is. Either they are left guessing (and are usually wrong) or they only know the prominent breed - like a Lab mix. Most rescues have multiple dog breeds in them, which is exactly what makes it hard to determine the kind of dog they are.

However, sometimes you will come across a dog that only have two breeds in them. I don't mean "designer dogs" like the Maltipoo (Maltese/Poodle), where the traits are well known. I'm talking about when you come across a random dog where it's so blatantly obvious which breeds it came from and sometimes, how weird the combination can be.

I went to the dog park awhile back and saw the most strange, yet hilarious mixed breed ever. The two breeds that came together to make this dog were unmistakable. He had a Corgi body and an honest to god, FULL German Shepard head, tail and coloring with the long hair. To put it in more simple terms...it was a German Shepard on a Corgi frame.

The reason I am sharing this with you is because I have recently stumbled across another obvious mix that is very dear to me. Why is she dear to me? Because of my love of the Border Terrier (Emmitt is a Border Terrier) and of the small Riley type (my minpin who everyone mistakes as a Chihuahua).

Meet Baci...she is a Border Terrier/Chihuahua mix. Seriously, she is really cute. It is sooooo obvious as to what kind of dog this is. It's hilarious. She has the body, coloring and head of a Chihuahua, however, she has the hair, ears, mustache, eyes and tail of a Border Terrier.


Now...tell me she isn't the most darling thing ever! Wow, I mean...sometimes she even resembles a little man, like Emmitt does. Nothing but cuteness coming from her...you should see her in person.

Oh yeah...she is real smart too. She goes to her place already!

Those of you who don't know what "go to your place" is...it's only the best command ever! Email me to find out! (wink wink) ;)

By the way...want some more cuteness? This is the other mixed breed that is comprised of my other two favorites...meet Riley...



Tags: mixed breed, Chihuahua, Border Terrier, designer breed

Jill Bowers, Behavior Specialist  Friday, October 13, 2006

Sooooo, yeah...a driving dog?

Guilty of DWC — driving while canine
Who could have expected it? Car crashes when woman lets dog take wheel

BEIJING - You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

A woman in Hohhot, the capital of north China's Inner Mongolia region, crashed her car while giving her dog a driving lesson, the official Xinhua News Agency said Monday.

No injuries were reported, although the vehicles involved were slightly damaged, it said.

The woman, identified only by her surname, Li, said her dog "was fond of crouching on the steering wheel and often watched her drive," according to Xinhua.

"She thought she would let the dog 'have a try' while she operated the accelerator and brake," the report said. "They did not make it far before crashing into an oncoming car."

Thank you Alex for sending me this! HA!

Jill Bowers, Behavior Specialist  Tuesday, October 10, 2006

HOME AT LAST- World Heart Foundation

I work with Linda Blair when she needs help with the dogs she rescues.

She is a great lady and has really devoted her life helping dogs, specifically Pit Bulls. Anyway, she is trying to raise money for a rehabilitation property so she can bring the 51 dogs she rescued from New Orleans (Katrina), other rescue dogs and eventually cats to a "safe haven" as they await to be adopted out. Please, if you can help her out...donate...every dollar counts.

Email: worldheart10@sbcglobal.net
Web: http://www.lindablairworldheart.org

Tags: Linda Blair, Hurricane Katrina dogs, Rescue, World Heart Foundation

Jill Bowers, Behavior Specialist  Thursday, October 05, 2006

Dogs are amazing sometimes...

Dog puts himself into area ER
Staff at Bellflower Kaiser find limping Buddy in waiting room.
By Kristopher Hanson, Staff writer


BELLFLOWER - Was it the ambulance sirens, a canine's internal instinct or just plain luck?

Authorities are scratching their heads today after a mutt named Buddy somehow dragged himself into a local hospital for treatment of a broken leg after being struck by a car.

The 6-year-old German Shepherd mix limped through the emergency room doors of Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Bellflower about 2 p.m. Wednesday and lay on the floor of the waiting room until doctors arrived.

The friendly dog, who ran away from home about two weeks ago, was later picked up and treated by veterinarians at the Southeast Area Animal Control Authority's (SEAACA) facility in Downey.

"It's a big mystery," SEAACA Capt. Aaron Reyes said of Buddy's surprise visit to the emergency room. "Nobody can figure out how he ended up at the hospital, but the good thing is he wound up getting treatment ... and he doesn't even have insurance."

Vets figure Buddy, due to his sweet nature, was able to lure scraps from friendly locals while on the run.

He slipped out of the American Rental yard, where he lives with another dog that escaped the same day after fencing work was completed in September, Reyes said.

As for Buddy's prognosis, vets believe he'll make a full recovery from the broken leg.

"Dr. Brunskill, SEACCA's veterinarian, stated that Buddy looked alert and in good spirits, but that his rear leg may be dislocated or fractured due to being hit by a car," Reyes said.

The other dog, also a German Shepherd mix, remains missing, Reyes said.

Anyone with information on the dog's whereabouts can call SEACCA at (562) 803-3301.

Kristopher Hanson can be reached at kristopher.hanson@presstelegram.com or (562) 499-1466.

Jill Bowers, Behavior Specialist  Monday, October 02, 2006

Who let the dogs out? Woof! Woof! Woof!

 



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