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Maria G. Huntoon Canine Consulting Services
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  • Home
  • About
  • Services
  • Contact
    • New Client Questionnaire
    • Dog Selection Consult Questionnaire
  • Testimonials
  • Training Library
  • Lady'sBestFriendBlog
  • Supply Shop
  • Essential Oils
    • RELAX Essential Oil - Dropper
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  • The Sheba Chronicles
A blog for all things dog-related: training, behavior, fun new doggie items, veterinary information and, of course, ways to enhance your relationship with your best four-legged friend!

Lady's Best Friend

Our New Hudson Hiking Adventure – Black Creek Preserve! - And How to Enjoy It On a Long Line

6/27/2016

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Today my dog and I discovered one of our new favorite hiking spots in the Hudson Valley!  Not that it’s a new spot – it has been around for years – but it’s one we have never experienced before.  A chance traffic detour from one of our go-to hiking spots landed us here – it must have been fate!  I’m talking about ​​Black Creek Preserve on Route 9W in Esopus – one of Scenic Hudson’s little-known gems.
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From the moment we started on the trail, we were welcomed by a wooden trellis and a little further up, a pretty impressive suspension bridge.  I felt like we were in a movie!  Black Creek on one side, the expanse of nature surrounding – it was perfect.  The trail was very well-marked and easy to follow (a trait of all Scenic Hudson trails).  The park had some inclines, so we did get a bit of a workout, but the openness of the dirt trails made the experience so pleasant (perfect for someone who doesn’t want to wade through waist-high grass and brambles).   And the fact that the trail is all shaded is another big plus in my book – especially for hot summer mornings.  Just watch your footing – the abundance of natural shale along the trails means that there are occasionally some loose rocks and gravelly spots. 
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Driving Miss Daisy - Traveling With Your Dog

6/21/2016

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Are you planning a summer getaway?  Is your best four-legged friend serving as your co-pilot, cohort, and travel companion?  If you’ve made the decision for your dog to join you on your vacation, be sure to look at traveling from your dog’s perspective so you can set her up for success on your trip.  The last thing you’d want is to get to your destination and have an incident out of “Marley & Me” occur when you’re so far from home.  It kind of puts a damper on VACATION!!  So plan ahead…
Long Car Rides:
Some dogs LOVE the car and will enthusiastically travel anywhere with you, while others do not.  Especially if her only real time in the car is back and forth to the vet or if she’s had a bad experience in the car (like throwing up), your dog may have a harder time traveling long distances than you might realize.  To make it easier for your friend…
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“Secret” Scenic Spots to Take Your Dog Hiking in the Hudson Valley (Even if You’re Not an Athlete!)

6/18/2016

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Many of us are familiar with the hugely popular walking and hiking places in the Hudson Valley – like Mount Beacon in Beacon, Mohonk Preserve in New Paltz, or the Walkway Over the Hudson State Park and rail trails.  People come from all around to enjoy these lovely vistas and expanses of nature.  But there are many lesser-known areas, best kept “secrets” if you will, for walking and hiking in the Hudson Valley too. 

Especially if you have a dog that isn’t used to a lot of exciting stimuli, handling public situations, or doesn’t have a lot of socialization skills yet, going to some of the more popular places becomes a training experience rather than a chance to blow off some steam.  What you may want as a leisurely walk and productive exercise outlet for your dog can quickly turn into a fit of overstimulation – which makes the outing “work” instead of the relaxing afternoon of “play” you were hoping for. 
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Here is a list of just some beautiful places that are off the beaten path, which offer peace, lovely views, and a lot of fun for dogs and their humans alike…

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Why It's So Important to Keep Your Dog on Leash - Don't Be an Irresponsible Pet Parent!

6/16/2016

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OK, I really needed to write a blog post about this because it is one of my BIGGEST pet peeves.  EVER.  I know I am always running into people who allow their dogs to roam free, off-leash, whether if it is on a hiking trail or right in the center of town.  I also know that there are some countries where this is not a problem (see my recent post on the dogs of Costa Rica).  But here in America, there are way too many factors that can create problems by having your dog off-leash and I respect that leash laws are in place for a reason.  When I read stories like this one below, about a poor dog that was killed because another irresponsible and ignorant pet owner let their dog wander off-leash, it really makes my blood boil.
It doesn't matter whether your dog is a Labrador Retriever, a Pomeranian, or a Pit Bull (as in this case, which unnecessarily puts a mark in the "reasons why people have a problem with Pit Bulls" column) - ANY dog can bite or attack if the circumstances are right!  A dog can bite out of fear, an extremely high prey-chase drive - there are so many reasons.  And in this case, an owner's ignorant mistake was a fatal one.  It also doesn't matter how well-trained you think your dog is - dogs make mistakes just like people do and there could always be a circumstance where a dog doesn't make the right choice.  Do you want to be held responsible for a bad choice on your dog's part as a result of your laziness and carelessness?  In this case, the owner of the dog who attacked Wallace didn't even take responsibility and fled the scene - which means she's still out there to let the same thing happen to another unsuspecting victim.
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Does this look like a dog who's unhappy to be on a leash?
Having your dog on leash DOESN'T have to be restrictive to him or a pain for you.  It's all about learning to do it the right way, and I can help!  My dog, Scout, is ALWAYS on leash when we go out in public and even when we are hiking.  It's for his own safety and the safety of others.  Even though I know he's well-trained, I also know he's a dog and not a robot - so what's to say he wouldn't try wandering into a pond and comes face-to-face with a snapping turtle, or will want to run up to greet a dog that may not be well-socialized and may try to bite him?  Scout never has a problem with being on leash because we use the leash as just that - a safety tool rather than something to micro-manage him with, and he respects the leash and our relationship which means walking on leash with him is never a hassle.  If you need help understanding how to make walking on leash work for you, please read my article How to Walk on a Loose Leash With Your Dog or contact me for help.
PLEASE, PLEASE keep your dogs on leash in public, and share this post so others will understand how important it is too.  Together we can stop horrible instances like this from happening, but it's all about awareness and understanding what it means to be a responsible dog owner!

​Read Wallace's story HERE...
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Fun in the Sun - Protecting Your Dog from Heatstroke

6/15/2016

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The temperatures have started to rise and summer is upon us!  That means sunshine, blue skies, time out by the pool and all sorts of outdoors adventures.  But just like there are certain precautions you will take to protect yourself – such as sunscreen, hats and sunglasses, and air-conditioning or fans – there are certain things you will want to keep in mind to protect your dog from the sun’s rays and summer heat.  Not taking these precautions can have fatal and disastrous results for your dog – so if you love her, listen up!
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There are no formal statistics on how many dogs in the U.S. die of heatstroke each year, either due to being left in a hot car or other circumstances, but one thing is certain: these deaths can be avoided if we humans just take the right precautions to protect our four-legged friends.  While there are other heat-induced illnesses - such as clotting disorders as a result of heatstroke, like disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), and Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus (GDV), which is a bloating condition that is considered a surgical emergency, according to Dr. Alisha Selzner of Companion Pet Hospital in Fishkill – heatstroke and heat exhaustion are potential causes of these issues.

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The Free-Range Dogs of Costa Rica - Pura Vida!

6/7/2016

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My husband and I just returned from an amazing anniversary trip to Costa Rica.  This Central American country is known for its west coast beaches, laid-back lifestyle, many volcanoes and wildlife adventures – all which we took part in happily.  And in fashion to my true nature, we were in the country for less than 2 hours before I had my first interaction with dogs – Costa Rican style!
We no sooner arrived at our lovely little boutique resort, Villa Buena Onda, in the small town of Coco in the Guanacaste region, when I was pleasantly greeted by the manager Jennifer’s two dogs – a 2-year-old wheaten-colored Scottish Terrier named Coco and a 10-year-old Affenpinscher named Tica.  It was customary for them to come out to greet guests, but of course they had no idea how much that made our trip feel like a little taste of home to me!  The resort is small so these girls had free reign to go wherever they pleased – though when they weren’t greeting guests or seeing if there were any leftovers from dinner, they spent most of their time near the fan where it was cool.  Many establishments in Costa Rica are “open-air”, which means windows and doors are left open for a cross-breeze to relieve us of the 90-plus degree weather.  If I were the dogs, I would have been lounging by the two-tiered infinity pool, but I guess we have different agendas!
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Upon driving into the town of Coco, I was pleasantly surprised to see how the dogs of Costa Rica spend their days, as it’s very different than it is here in the U.S.  (Though I don’t really know why I was surprised – it’s this way in several of the other countries I have visited too).   There are no leash laws in Costa Rica, so most dogs have the ability to roam free as they please.  Many homes leave their doors open but have fenced yards with gates that close if they choose to keep their dogs inside their property line at night.  But during the day, most dogs can be seen happy-go-luckily wandering about town. 

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    Maria Huntoon, CBCC-KA
    ​Certified Canine Behavior Consultant
    ​Maria G. Huntoon Canine Consulting Services

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