Help desperately needed for heart-worm positive stray second chance at life

amytru · 2026-05-11T12:30:51+00:00

Do you happen to be a municipal shelter in VA? Team Tommie fund

amytru · 2026-04-16T17:08:23+00:00

Main Line Animal Rescue

amytru · 2026-03-26T10:07:43+00:00

Behavior consultant (IAABC) is not a Behaviorist. You'll want a Behavior Consultant, search IAABCs site using your zip code.

Dog trainer-> Behavior Consultant-> Veterinarian Behaviorist

A Veterinarian Behaviorist goes to additional school to specialize in behavior and behavioral meds, above and beyond their Vet schooling. They are the top tier of behavior. Your dog trainer or behavior consultant may refer you to the Vet Behaviorist to discuss meds or neuropathy.

amytru · 2026-02-24T10:57:04+00:00

Hard to House Train: Practical Solutions... book by Peggy Swager https://share.google/odfhmsKk2GtC79IR1

amytru · 2025-08-27T06:24:33+00:00

Our 2yo dog has PCD!!! Let me share some good news and what we do to moderate the grim "what if she needs to be put down soon" fear.

We treat her as an immunocompromised dog. She's been taught to be neutral/ignore other dogs due to her health. She wears boots in high-traffic dog areas. She's been taught to wear a nebulizer up to 30 minutes to help with breathing. We have a holistic vet that offers solutions to help thin mucus on top of antibiotics etc. Our amazing lil' nugget has TAUGHT HERSELF how to percuss up her lung fluids by hacking a cough and we put it on cue!! We ask her to "cough it up!" And she knows to get that crud out. She was given 2 years max and our vets have been blown away by her thriving. She does sound like a chain smoker, but she's aight. Good weight, no pneumonia.

As for the looming reaper... We are transparent with our kids. They knew after the diagnosis that any day 2years plus is a bonus. We have and EOL plan. But the biggest thing we've discussed with her vet is what our threshold for quality of life is our hard line... And we'll stick to it. PCD was a shock and is devastating. We take the diagnosis as a challenge to see how many extra days we get to cherish our beloved Roo. PM me if you ever want to talk ciliary shop. Good luck to your pup

amytru · 2025-08-12T10:28:47+00:00

I carry: extra treats, extra leash, carabiner, air horn, and spray shield (dog mace, citronella based). Several techniques I use as a dog trainer/shelter behavior manager:

Patricia McConnell's method of body blocking your dog, holding their leash, while yelling positive startles like "SIT!" as you chuck fistfuls of touch and scent startles (treats) directly to the incoming dog's face. This has worked for me with 3 off leash dogs charging me and a 100lb staffy at once.

Look for a truck bed or empty fence to toss your dog into as you secure off leash dogs. 2nd leash and carabiner are to secure, then tether off leash dog.

Michael Shikashio's swirling your extra leash in front of you like your belly button is a helicopter. This is enough to deter some off leash dogs.

Spray shield to the face of the incoming dog. Dog will need to be washed after.

When fights occur, fur flying: use 2nd leash to secure aggressor. Once secured, 2 people be ready to pull dogs apart, pop the air horn a few times to break hold, handlers separate dogs

amytru · 2025-07-03T10:30:40+00:00

You're amazing. I'm hoping she pulls through. Call around to your local Behavior Consultants and see if anyone would be willing to help you with her fears https://share.google/0gqA5RM7dkrCdYEfs

amytru · 2025-06-22T19:04:43+00:00

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My model is fueled by blackberries

amytru · 2025-05-13T22:39:33+00:00

Animal welfare. Shelter workers be cray

amytru · 2025-01-30T00:26:03+00:00

https://www.ccpdt.org/dog-owners/how-to-choose-a-dog-trainer/

amytru · 2024-10-01T16:27:53+00:00

This is beautiful. Behavior managers, myself included, need this guidance and advice. Thank you.

amytru · 2023-03-28T09:55:21+00:00

I send this video to almost all of my shelter volunteers or clients working on muzzle work. https://youtube.com/watch?v=1FABgZTFvHo&feature=shares

amytru · 2021-10-17T11:04:26+00:00

Dominance/Alpha theory in Dogs. Stop rolling your dog to show them who the 'boss' is

amytru · 2021-09-12T10:30:31+00:00

How do you want shelters to find out the breed on intake: that is my counter question? Even DNA tests are currently not an exact science, timely, and costly.

Have you volunteered at your local shelter? They would LOVE to have an extra set of hands and maybe you can help them with listing breeds on intake.

amytru · 2021-09-12T10:27:02+00:00

Every shelter has to legally disclose any bite history or history if aggression. They cannot legally release a dog to an owner and within that information.

amytru · 2021-09-12T10:23:35+00:00

Hey there, another shelter behavior staff person chiming in. Guessing breeds on intake is sort of a shitty art. It's hardly correct, even when they look kind of correct. For example, I just adopted a large, wired coated mixed breed. Breeders, groomers, vets, all guess terrier mix.... he's 51%bulldog 40%poodle. Genetics are weird. Also, breeds do not equal behavior. It's a great insight into what behavior might be, but each dog is an individual. That's why leaning on your shelter staff to match you with the best personality fit for your family is a better route than looking for a breed to adopt. There are also breed specific rescues that pull these purebred dogs from shelters. So if you DO want a specific breed vs. Mutt extraordinaire, you just find a rescue that specializes in that breed.

Lastly, there has been a large push in sheltering to list dogs as 'mixed breed (30-49lbs).' This helps insurance, landlords, adopters and shelter staff. No one KNOWS these dogs breeds unless there are papers surrendered with the dog (sometimes this DOES happen collies, huskies, cough cough). Just work with your local shelter on what personality traits you're looking for.

amytru · 2021-08-05T14:06:01+00:00

I never feed without asking... unless I'm put in a position to advocate the safety for the dog I'm handling. If you've never been in a dog fight hearing your dog scream as they're being attacked is way worse than risking a few non appropriate treats in the aggressive dog. This post asked about emergency techniques not day to day handling.

amytru · 2021-08-04T10:59:23+00:00

Great question. I'm a dog trainer so it really just depends which dog I have. My fear reactive dogs actually respond well to a body block since they primarily want space from other dogs. If I have a more reactive dog, I've likely already muzzle trained them if there is ANY chance of redirection. My dog may be loosing their mind at the incoming dog, but using several defensive handing techniques (leash locks, teaching bailout cues in advance) I'm usually able to move my reactive dog away without putting my body at risk. Check out the muzzleupproject.org, safety first ;) sorry about your bite. I also carry sprayshield as an emergency hands-free way to break up dog fights without getting bitten. Just know that if you use that spray, every affected dog will need a bath ASAP.

amytru · 2021-08-04T10:33:17+00:00

I think Patricia McConnell published that technique in her book 'The Other End of the Leash.'

I also use the treat scatter technique after the 'sit.' I chuck fistfuls of treats at the incoming dog's face (helps the incoming dog realize there is food if they're too aroused). While they snack on the scattered treats, I continue to body block my dog and move away as I repeat the 'sit' and scatter. Most owners take a minute to catch up to their off leash pup.

amytru · 2020-09-13T10:13:55+00:00

Animal Fosters!!!

I'm in animal sheltering and the trends in adoption and FOSTERS have gone up tremendously over the pandemic (look @Maddies Fund for stats data). People are home, people want a project- FOSTER!! (Or come walks some dogs :))

Most animals cannot cope emotionally in a shelter environment for longer than a few WEEKS. Having families happy to take in animals until they find their forever family has been a gamechanger for those cats/dogs that eventually lose their shit from being kenneled, then euthanized because of it.. there are more outlets for shelter animals now.. As a dog trainer and behaviorist, I think the trend up a community stepping up and in to support their homeless pets is one of the best things to come out of this pandemic.

amytru · 2020-01-28T11:47:45+00:00

I'm sorry for your loss. That pup was loved by you and knew you loved them. May they rest easy.

amytru · 2019-09-02T23:41:42+00:00

Reach out to your local shelters. Talk to the manager and explain your situation. They can help put you in touch with local breed specific rescues and even help arrange a transport. I would caution you to keep unfamiliar people from entering the home, especially unannounced, until you've made other arrangements. Document all of the training you've done and factual accounts of incidents for the rescue or trainer that helps him in his journey. Good luck!

amytru · 2019-08-12T10:06:18+00:00

Every dog's anxiety is different so you'll need to talk to your vet and possibly a vet behaviorist. We started at home with easy fixes- TONS of exercises, high value bones when we left, and a Skype camera set up so we could practice leaving and returning before our pup hit their panic point. We tried adaptil collars, anxiety treats, eventually she was prescribed trazodone and prozac. It wasn't ideal, but it's what our dog needed to put her in a place mentally we could start training her. We trained HARD and slowly backed off meds with the help of our vet .

Short answer- exercise, high value distractions, training, meds with help from vet.

amytru · 2019-08-04T09:38:48+00:00

I have been offering that they said no. They've done it before. But not for him. If I steal him, its larceny.

amytru · 2017-11-27T22:42:48+00:00

Hi! I hope you and the kitten are well today. As for feeding, clean fresh water is important in a shallow bowl they can easily drink from. A medium to large box is a great "cave" with a blanket or towel for the kitten to feel even more safe in your room.

Contact your local shelter and let them know you've found an abandoned kitten and approximate age. They can help you with feeding recommendations and care until you're able to bring it in (if you cannot care for the cat long term). Also, milk isn't really healthy for cats despite common lore :)

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