Pooch Scoop - Winter

News, views and opinions in this newsletter are those of the correspondent’s and not necessarily those of the club, editor, committee and publicity office.

Springwood District Dog Training Club Inc. reserves the right of rejection of material.

COMMITTEE President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Chief Instructor Obedience Chief Instructor Agility Agility Trial Manager Newsletter/Website Table Manager Obedience Procurement Officer Sporting Representative General Committee

Lynn Olson Chris Lambert Leanne Brown Paul Kelly Ron Amann Nicola Read Trevor Mawer Lynn Olson Wally Campbell Maryjka Kelly David Brown Vicki Cooper, Cathy Moran

Remember you are always welcome to attend our Club’s General Meetings at the Red Cross Hall in Macquarie Road, Springwood on the 3 rd Tuesday of each month at 7.30 p.m.. (There is no meeting in December).

Life Members – Dot Luker, Ann Moy, Sue Fell, Ron Amann, Wally Campbell, Pam Waters, Lesley Piggott, Lynn Olson Annual General Meeting – will be held on the last Thursday in August, 2015 at Lomatia Park. (There will be no training on that night).

Web Site: Training Days: Obedience:

www.sddtc.org

Email:

info@sddtc.org

Agility Spring/Summer Monday evening 7.00 – 7.45 p.m.

Winter Friday morning 10.00 a.m.

Tuesday morning 10.00a.m. – Thursday evening 7.30 p.m.

Wet Weather: If it has been raining for a few days check the Blue Mountains Oval Closure Hotline. – 47805617 after 3.00 p.m. on Thursday afternoon. Also check our Facebook Page for training updates.

Membership Renewals – If your membership badge has an expiry date of 30th June, 2015 then you need to renew by 30th June, 2015.

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY M.Hulbert J. Watson R. Herbert D.Harris L. Jordan D.Curry R. Mills K. Chapman

Harlee Charlie Annabelle Hamish Whiskey Sunny Adelaide Tucker

1st June 6th June 7th June 7th June 8th June 12th June 19th June 29th June

CHEWING Puppies chew on whatever they can get their mouths on for a number of reasons: they’re bored, they have lots of energy, they’re teething, or they’re just learning. Dogs use their mouths as a tool to learn and feel things as they don’t have hands to feel like we do.

Most destructive chewing can be prevented or controlled. Here are some guidelines and suggestions.

Puppy proof the area – if possible remove all items that the puppy could chew on. Tape over electrical outlets and make sure cords are out of reach.

Confine the puppy – to either a crate or secure yard while you are away, don’t give your puppy run of the whole house while you are at work, that’s just asking for trouble.

Closely supervise the pup when you are there – this is similar to looking after a small child, you should always be aware of what your pup is doing.

Give your puppy chew toys – such as long lasting dental bones, rawhide products and a Kong. These products are designed to last a long time as chew toys. The Kong is very versatile because you can give it to the pup as is, or you can jam it full of treats to keep the puppy interested, and he’ll have fun trying to get the treats out.

Give your puppy plenty of exercise – a tired dog is less likely to need to find something to amuse it.

Correction – if you catch your puppy in the act of chewing on an inappropriate item, simply remove the item and immediately give the puppy an acceptable chew toy. If your pup chews the toy, praise him. It is possible to spray inappropriate items with a product designed to deter chewing, such as bitter apple, which give the puppy a bad taste, but that is really only teaching the puppy to move onto another item – which again, won’t necessarily be ideal. It’s best to teach him to use his own chew toys.

Teach the pup to ignore non-toy objects – place tempting objects on the floor alongside your pup’s chew toy and if the pup goes to pick up the incorrect article, cover the article with your hand or foot and direct him to his own toy. When he picks up his toy, praise him.

ANZAC DAY 2015

LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE Whoever said “Let Sleeping Dogs Lie” didn’t sleep with dogs.

RULE NUMBER ONE – the deeper the sleep, the heavier the dog.

The first thing you discover when you bring a dog onto your bed is the striking difference in weight between an alert, awake dog and a dog at rest.

RULE NUMBER TWO – Dogs possess superhuman strength while on a bed. Most people who sleep with dogs develop spinal deformities rather than rent the heavy eqipment necessary to move their snoring canines to a more appropriate part of the bed. Cunning canines steal precious space in tiny increments until they have achieved the centre position on the bed – with all covers carefully tucked under them for safekeeping. The stretch and roll method is very effective in gaining territory. Less subtle tactics are sometimes preferred. A jealous dog can worm his way between a sleeping couple and, with the proper spring action from all four legs, shove a sleeping human to the floor.

RULE NUMBER THREE – the deeper the sleep, the louder the dog.

As you cling to the edge of the bed, wishing you had covers, your sweet pup begins to snore at a volume you would not have thought possible.

Once that quiets down, the dog dreams begin. Yipping, growling, running, kicking. Your bed becomes a battlefield and playground of canine fantasy. It starts out with a bit of ‘sleep running’, lots of eye movement and then, suddenly, a shrieking howl blasted through the night like a banshee wail. The horror of this wake-up call haunts you for years. It’s particularly devastating when your pup insists on sleeping curled around your head like a demented Daniel Boone cap.

RULE NUMBER FOUR – when the dog wakes – you wake.

The night creeps on and you fall asleep in the 3 inches of bed not claimed by a dog. The dog dreams quiet slightly and the heap of dogflesh sleeps breathing heavily and passing wind. Then too soon, it’s dawn and the heap stirs. Each dog has a distinctive and unpleasant method of waking the pack. One may position itself centimetres from a face and stare until you wake. The clever dog obtains excellent results by simply sneezing on your face, or they could romp all over your sleeping bodies – or the everloving insertion of a tongue in an unsuspecting ear.

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Club Members Shop – For all your shop requirements, please see Maryjka Kelly at the Sign-on table

Halti’s all sizes Halti’s extensions Treat Bags (Large) Treat Bags (Small) Pigs Ears Bacon Treats Liver Treats One Meter Lead Small Water Bowls

$22.00 $8.00 $24.00 $12.00 $1.50 $ 2.50 $ 2.50 $14.00 $4.00

Club shirts, vests and jackets are available for purchase from the club.