McNally's Dog Center - Great Freebies

I have always tried to be an educator and have tried to surround myself with other animal lovers in order to further educate myself. I believe in being proactive so please take your time and read this information and if you have any questions, concerns or opinions feel free to contact me to discuss. In my private training practice (not at the daycare center)over the last 2 years, an increasing number of dogs who parents are coming to me for help are typically social dogs who are beginning to exhibit aggressive prey behavior. After researching client’s history I believe one constant factor stands, these dogs spend a great amount of time outside in the yard, unmonitored, chained, and/or confined in that space by invisible underground fencing or chain link. The underground fencing recommends clients use only in a supervised setting and not as a “babysitter”. McNally’s Dog Center offers a daycare setting as one of our services. This is not my first daycare facility but the issues we are currently facing are defiantly a first for me being to many dogs are being allowed to roam outside unmonitored and the parents do not see this as a issue. I must increase our evaluation protocol and i must ask parents detailed environmental settings so to properly asses whether their dog should attend a day care or a dog park. The owners must understand the home set up can cause their dogs to have a over stimulated redirected aggression even with what is the sweetest dog. At all kennels i have worked with and dog parks,where dogs can interact with one another the chances of a dog encountering a dog nip, scratches or puncture wound from dog to dog, during play is possible, dogs use their mouths to play and sometimes to hard but very different then a dog who is aggressive biting.We are a constant participant in our daily daycare setting so dogs are not left unmonitored, but when dogs play ruff whether at a dog park, daycare, or their home environment, you cannot completely control every situation. I was a head trainer and a behavioralist at a dog center in Los Angoles, California where I evaluated and rehabilitated dogs that had aggression and other behavioral issues. I worked side by side along with other trainers, to help families set up the proper structured environment and to change the human’s responses so to help create success for the dog and its family with an 80% success rate. Within the past six years since I’ve lived in Newark, Ohio I have successfully owned McNally’s Dog Center and have began a 501-non profit rescue operation called New Bark on Life. I admit that owning a doggie day care in a rural area has produced some challenges that I did not encounter in a larger state such as California. In this area In a rural setting i have evaluated a higher percentage of dogs with aggression issues and anti-social skills . In larger cities there are an ever increasing and successful amount of places for dog owners to take their dogs such as doggie daycares and dog parks. Owners choose these places because of the success they seen in helping dogs and parents decrease unwanted behaviors. Along with the positives, I am not in denial of the reality of problems that can arise when you put dogs together and along with other owners I do not do it carelessly without taking the necessary precautions and all parents must be just as proactive.I do however believe in the importance of educating parents of any possible problems that could arise as well as hoping to hold them to their obligation as parents and owners to be very honest with the dog’s history and current daily life. It is vital for all the pets’ safety to prevent future problems in facilities such as ours and in their own homes which will allow the laws to have more pet friendly places. I feel the more education we provide on dog socialization and training starting at any age is crucial for and owner.

Our country already has a staggering numbers of dogs that are euthanized yearly for poor behavior issues. As a trainer it is something I strongly believe can easily be avoided. I also realize that even with training and socializing there is never a 100% guarantee that the dog will not encounter or display a behavior such as biting another dog or person. Dogs by nature are pack animals and naturally play, eat and hangout daily with their own kind while still having doggie spats and the capability to hurt one another. But a dog being aggressive dog-to-dog or dog- or to a human is a symptom of a bigger problem, not a normal behavior, and the less they get to interact with other dogs, adults and kids the more likely they are to produce unwanted aggression behaviors from not being properly socialized. Allowing dogs to play with one another I have contemplated personally as whether the positives out way the negatives and whether or not to offer a service such as daycare but, after talking to our clients and hearing first hand how much they appreciate what we offer and evaluating the statistics of success through out the country I am reassured that it far outweighs the alternative. But what is important is the parents responsibility as well whether you use a day care or go to a dog park certain behaviors must be watched for and interrupted from a parent as well as what your dog does in his/her own environment.

Also understand two or more dogs that stay in a yard unmonitored for any amount of time can begin to team up like a normal dog pack would. This is important if your neighbors dog stepped in to your yard one day they could attack especially if the dogs are aloud to run a fence line every time they are left outside. In private training sessions I have seen this building aggression all breeds to include golden retrievers, labs, & terrier mixes. Parents do not realize that it can take as little as two months or a full year before their dog may exhibit any of these behaviors. I have spent much time evaluating many dogs and their families to determine my facts and opinions and in the past year have dealt with an increasing number of families through private training sessions experiencing their previously social dog becoming aggressive. They came to me in hopes of resolving a new and surprising issue with the hopes that I could figure out what was causing these sudden signs of aggression. After careful consideration the only common denominator amongst all of these dogs is they were unattended in their yard with underground electric fencing and allowed to run the fence lines barking at neighbors dogs, kids or people walking by 3-5 times out of a week for 10 minutes or longer. This is not something that turns the dog into an aggressor 24/7 but can definitely cause behavioral issues outside the home pet or when visiting a new dog with the owners having no idea what type of environment hey are creating for their dog. Some of these dogs were also aloud to kill rodents on the property, which builds up the prey drive behavior with a reward. Prey aggression is already wired in all dogs DNA (prey drive) for hunting and survival. Not all dogs have the drive as strong as others so it depends on each dog. When working with K-9’s, police officers and assistants simulate this same prey drive technique to create behaviors required for dogs used for protection. When there is more than one dog together in a yard running the fence line it can and does give me greater concern for what I am seeing is these dogs. Usually they can team up and provide each other with the additional confidence needed like they would do on a hunt. As a behaviorist I know for a fact this causes dogs agitation while at the same time providing the dogs with a large consistent amount of time with nothing to interrupt this behavior. During this agitation if they receive a shock from their own collars when they get to close to the fence it can create “displaced” aggression and can cause a dog once given the chance to bite or kill during this type of state. Eventually this can and will turn into scary situation and it can also build up the hunt to kill instinct. I have warned many parents not to leave their dog alone in the yard and not to use the fence as a baby sitter, and have discovered the company includes this information in their pamphlets as well.

I am asking you to educate yourself and other friends etc.about leaving any dogs outside unmonitored as a warning to what could happen with even the most social dogs. I hope that as animal lovers in this field together we can work to make sure our four legged friends get the best care and life we can provide them. Please help me in my efforts and please contact me with any questions or important information pertaining to these subjects. Thank you for sharing in our passion. Sincerely, Julia Rees 740-403-9994