"Water Proofing" Dog Beds

When searching for a new dog bed for your k9 kids, try to find something that has a zipper cover that can be removed.

After you get your dog bed picked out, pick up some garbage bags that are the same size or bigger than your bed. We use 55 gallon drum liners that fit perfect for our large size beds.
You can also use smaller ones for each side of the bed. 

By placing a garbage bag over the entire cushion it will prevent spills or messes from leaking through. Not to mention it is way easier to clean just the cover and not the entire bed. 

Small beds are doable, but med to large, is just a pain in the butt.

Using a simple garbage bag will also cut down the cost on "water proof" dog beds, which can be expensive due to the size of bed you may need for your pup.

This idea is great if you have a new puppy, a messy dog, dogs that lick their paws, dogs that drool  or for senior dogs. It is also great for people that like to wash their dog beds once a week... 

like us haha.  

Modified k9's: k9 Rad Readers

These past few months Modified k9 has been working on a few new programs, shifting things around, smoothing things out and changing things up, all for the better of our community and our fellow canine companions.

We are excited to fill you in on one of our newest programs, the k9 Rad Readers. 

Our Mission for k9 Rad Readers:

Is to help improve the literacy of children through the assistance of our mentor dogs and to touch on the child's creative side with our art and illustration outreach. 

About The k9 Rad Reader Dogs:

All of the dogs aiding us in this program are registered Canine Good Citizen's and some are even part of our registered Mk9 Therapy Dog Team. Our K9 Rad Reader dogs also accompany us in our K9 Kid 101 & Rise Above programs. These dogs that are joined by their owners all meet strict guidelines relating to health and temperament. Our dogs are friendly with people of all ages and tolerate the presence of other dogs. 

If you think your dog has what it takes to join our program and is CGC certified , a registered Therapy dog or if you have other questions please email Michelle.

If you are interested in exploring this field with your dog and need to pass the requirements, please see our training page and contact Beth with any questions regarding classes.

About The Art/Illustration Aspect of This Program:

Derek Zielinski of Modified k9 leads this section of our program. With over 15 years experience in the art and outreach industry he offers multiple outlets for creativity. Getting the children involved with deferent mediums and showing them how to expand their imagination through their own art creations. 

After the children read their stories, the art section of this program helps them comprehend what they have read and communicate it visually. In addition giving them a keep sake to take home to share with their family. 

Derek at Kidz Jam - Performance Painting

In Addition:

The kids are allowed hands on experience with the dogs, learning about dog body language, dog etiquette and are even shown a few progressive training techniques. 

Clara & Brad Pit

mk9 Linda and her team member Lilly, showing the kids "Leave It"

Research Shows:

Reading to dogs can boost reading skills in children as well as help with emotional and social skills.

University of California - Davis Study

In 2010, the University of California - Davis Veterinary Medicine Extension conducted a study to find out if reading to dogs could really improve reading skills in children.  They had noticed that there was not a lot of research that had been done on the topic, other than testimonials from children, parents, librarians, and teachers.  They worked with Tony LaRussa's Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) to test and evaluate ARF's All Ears Reading Program.

Studies were conducted with a group of third grade students at an elementary school and also a group of home-schooled children.  The program lasted for ten weeks and the children read to the dogs once a week for approximately fifteen minutes, after having a few minutes to sit with the dog.  Two UC-Davis undergraduates who were trained to work with animals supervised the sessions.

In order to evaluate the readers, the Oral Text Reading for Comprehension Test was administered before and after the ten week session to evaluate reading fluency.  In the school setting, the readers improved their fluency by 12%, while the control students did not increase their fluency at all over the same time period.  Overall, the home-schooled readers increased their fluency by 30%.  

Qualitatively, the participants in the program believed it was a huge success.  Before the program started, many of the young readers didn't feel good about reading aloud.  Afterwards, they felt more confident in their reading skills and also felt safe when reading to a dog.  Their opinions of reading changed from feeling uncomfortable and self-conscience before the program to proclaiming that reading was much more enjoyable for them now.

View Video HERE:

Want Us to Visit Your Class?

Contact us, to see if we will be in your area. At this time we are visiting classes in parts of:

-Pennsylvania

-New Jersey

-New York

**all must be within a 2.5 hour drive of Wilkes/Barre - Scranton Pennsylvania.**

We look forward to hearing from you!

SPONSORS FOR MATERIALS(books, art supplies & educational hand outs)

If you would like to become a sponsor for our k9 Rad Readers program please email Michelle for more details. Being a non profit we rely on the generosity of our followers to help us continue the work we do. Thank you all for taking a look at our new ventures.

Much love!

 

Looking Past the Headline

Several months ago, an employee of Plains Animal Hospital, in Plains Pennsylvania, contacted Modified k9 a to see if there was anything they could do to help assist in an "Aggressive" Pit Bull Dog case. At that time, a very upset owner was bringing in his pet pit bull dog to be euthanized. The dog was given the title of "Aggressive Dog," after being part of " Two Dogs at Large" incident.

The employee of the vet hospital reported this dog was extremely friendly with the entire staff that had seen him, and his temperament was very friendly and accepting upon arrival of their clinic. The owner came to the decision to euthanize his pet because of the weight that comes with the "Aggressive Dog" title. Also, the title does not allow the owner to have his dog off property at any time throughout the dogs life aside from, relieving itself, or when going to the vet, and was required to have a muzzle on at all times when outdoors. The dog was not allowed to be re-homed or adopted out, and the owner was required to pay heavy monthly/yearly insurance fees on the title. The fees unfortunately became un-affordable, and the owner felt he had no other choice.

After receiving the call and hearing the story, Modified k9 contacted the owner of the dog to go over the situation at hand. He explained everything that went on, and that he understood the responsibility was on him that his two dogs were outside in a pen and had gotten lose. While they were lose and "at large" the two dogs had come across some pedestrians, one dog had nipped at the pant leg while the other dog (kaos) kept his distance. When the police officer arrived, the instigator dog had nipped at the officers pant leg while the other dog (kaos) kept his distance again. In defense, the officer shot the first dog at point blank range, immediately killing the dog. The second dog (kaos) was shot from a distance, resulting in injuries to its jaw, and front paw, (Per Owner Testimony, and Court Account.) The owner then provided us with a link to the television news report.

After hearing the case from the owner, a spectator, and seeing the court report and the media coverage, members of Modified k9 made several appointments with the owner, his family and the surviving dog. During these visits the dog was evaluated on response/interaction to strangers, and acceptance of new people upon approach. Now given the extreme news report and having this be a dog we never met before, members approached with caution to take a safe approach. Once our members arrived, we were greeted by the owner at the door, and no barking from the dog. When welcomed into the house, the dog greeted our Modified k9 members with friendly low tail wags and relaxed gestures. He sat at our members feet with his back turned, welcoming their petting, and showed zero signs of any human directed aggression. The owner introduced his family and his children who all played and interacted with the dog while in the presents of our members. On a few visits, our members noticed there were also cats living with the family that interacted well with this dog.

After the several successful visits with this family and their dog, a Lawyer was found. Modified k9 members approached the lawyer with the case at hand and what we would like to do to help this family, educate this family and secure the property for this dog. The lawyer agreed to take on the case. He filed an appeal to extend the trial so they could present a plea to remove the "Aggressive Dog" title. During this extension, the owner had the dog neutered, micro chipped and updated on all the vaccinations. A fence company was also contacted for an estimate on cost to secure the property with proper fencing (see estimate below). When the court case arrived, the owner willingly pleaded guilty to charges for lack of rabies vaccine and dogs running at large. The lawyer then requested the "Aggressive Dog" title and restrictions be dropped as the owner and family receives help and takes measure to secure their property.

Through the cooperation of the law enforcement officials, the Court and everyone else involved, the parties reached an agreement that could save this dog. It is required that Modified k9 assist the family with training for their dog, which we have undoubtedly agreed to provide. However, part of the agreement requires the installation of a fence at the owner's residence.

If the fencing can be put up in a few months time, the court is willing to drop the aggressive dog title and this dog can live his life muzzle free, return to attending hikes, camping trips and outings with his people as a loved family companion.

_______________________________________________

On a side note:
There are several lessons learned through this case.

One being the up most importance of responsible dog ownership.

Your job as a dog owner goes beyond walking them securely on a leash. It is the law to have your dogs under control at all times. This includes when you place them in a outside run, on a theater on your property and in a fenced area. You should know where your dog is and what your dog is up to.

It is the law to have your dogs properly updated on the Rabies vaccine. (no if, ands or buts).

As a responsible dog owner this day in age, having your dogs spayed or neutered is another great way to do your part not only for your dogs but for the community. Spaying and neutering your dogs decreases their will to roam, it decreases some dominance behaviors and can aid in the health of your pets, not to mention population control.  We at Modified k9 HIGHLY recommended spaying and neutering your dogs. If you visit our site you will find links to local low cost spay/neuter/vaccine clinics, please take advantage of them.

Last, but definitely not least. Please, do not allow media coverage to affect your outlook on specific breed of dog or in this case specific families at hand. What took us back were the comments we read under the media coverage article, people not knowing the family or the dogs and automatically accusing them of abuse, health neglect and harboring "aggressive" dogs. When Modified k9 met this family and the surviving dog from this case we found none of this to be true. This family adores their dogs and is heartbroken over the entire situation, not only for their dogs, but everyone involved. They never expected to be in this position (and this could of happened to any one of us). Which they now know could of been avoided from day one. This family is taking steps to learn and make better decisions for all, including their dog and their community. 

We all make mistakes. Now, what you do and how you learn from your mistakes will determine weather you will have a future with positive or negative life changes.

Lets learn from them, not allow them to happen again and move on.
Thank you all for taking the time to read this and also staying opened minded about the case at hand.

ALL dogs are results of human responsibility or human negligence.
ALL dogs are individuals and SHOULD be treated as such.

Sincerely,
The Modified k9 Family
www.modifiedk9.org 

________________________________________________

Please meet the dog and family you are about to help move forward towards a better life.

This is Kaos or K Bear ( as we call him ;) 
and the Rimmer family.

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Thank you to Rutkoski Fencing Inc of Swoyersvile, Pa

for taking time to give an estimate and the offer of installment if the funds are raised in time. 

Fencing estimate from Rutkoski Fencing Inc.

 

Here is the fencing project, the hard working volunteers, the family & the happy pup all together. 

click here:

Teaching "Down"

As you know, when training a dog, there are several different methods to teaching a behavior or a command. When it comes to our dogs first learning a specific gesture we prefer to use positive reinforcement. Which includes a clicker, small soft treats (or their meal time food) and a happy ready to work pup. There is a communication barrier between us and our k9 kids. They do not understand what you are asking of them UNLESS you show them. Dogs in general are not naturally defiant so if you have to keep repeating a command to your dog over and over and over, that means your dog does not fully understand what you are asking of them. To learn more about clicker training please take time to visit one of our favorite sites Karen Pryor Clicker Training. 

Today we are working with rescue dog Uma. She is learning the basic concept of the "down". We start off by getting her attention and luring her into the position we want, which is - down. At this time you will not be saying the word "down". You want your dog to get the gesture/motion of "down" first. When you give the hand single and your dog downs a few times, then you will be adding the word. Now, some dogs take a while to understand what it is you are trying to get them to do, so have patience and allow the dog some time to think.  You may have to click and reward for the dog just looking at the floor. Eventually, that will bring the dog closer and closer to a "down". It's like a puzzle, you have to figure out all the piece to make it come together. You have to figure out how to HELP your dog understand this new command. It takes time and lots of patience.

Once your dog is getting the hang of the "down" motion, you will then add the vocal command "down" with the hand gesture. Click and treat for them going into position. Keep training sessions short. If you notice your pup getting bored get their attention, lure them into a down and end on a good note. Try again later on :)

Over time your dog will get better and better at understanding what you want of them. You will be able to replace the clicker with the vocal "marker word" - YES and their treat will be a pat on the head or back from you.

Quick break down:
1) Have on hand clicker, treats (or meal feeding) and a ready to work pup.
2) Get your dogs attention
3) Lure your dog towards the ground. When they go into a down (or even look at the ground) CLICK & TREAT.
4) Lure your dog to the ground a few times with OUT saying a word.
5) When they start to grasp the "down" motion THEN add the word "DOWN".
6) Keep sessions short & end on a good note
7) Have patience
8) Have FUN!
9) Do this often

Here is a video of Uma learning the basics of DOWN

**FUN TIP FOR BLIND OR DEAF DOGS:

If you have a deaf dog, use a small flash light in place of your marker/clicker. Flash the light towards their eyes and then treat. Deaf dogs also pick up on face expression so be happy when your dog is learning and gets what you ask of them. Some times we use a "thumbs up" for the dogs we are working with as a marker.

If you have a blind dog, hold the treats to your dogs nose and slowly bring your hand with the treat to the ground. Let your dog try to get it out of your hand, you will see their body get lower and lower to the floor. When they "down" click and open your hand so they can have their reward. 

Tie Downs

Brad Pit & Johnny Royal: "Ha Ha, Uma's on a tie down."

Tie down is another "structure" method we use for the new dogs that enter our program. A tie down, helps the dogs adjust to in door living. It comes in very handy to us since we can not have the dog on leash with us at all times. (Not when chasing a 3 year old and a few other dogs around). 

The tie down's allow us to be hands free, but it also allows the new dog to be involved in all that is going on in our home. Our mentor dogs can walk freely around the new dog with out getting pounced on for play ever 5 seconds, our kiddo can walk passed without having his snack taken off of him or be smothered in kisses every 2 seconds.

Tie downs are a useful tool to help manage dogs that may jump on people, that need house breaking , play a bit too rough with us or our dogs and for dogs that like to jumping on furniture as they please. Tie downs limit your dog's "rude or inappropriate behaviors" and get them adjusted to every day in door living with the rest of the family. Another plus is that, they can be used for is meeting the resident dogs and even the cat.

To make a tie down get a 4-5 foot piece of cable wrapped in plastic with clips at both ends. Attach one end to an eye-bolt and screw it into the baseboard of your wall. Attach the other end to your dog's flat buckle collar or martingale. With Uma we used an extra leash we had and wrapped it around a very heavy piece of furniture. (She doesn't chew the leash other wise we would use the cable like we had to for Johnny when he first came into our program.)

If you use "Uma's way" MAKE SURE that your dog can not pull the furniture around the house or chew on it. Tie downs should only be used when you are home as well, this way you can keep an eye on your pup and make sure they are not getting themselves into any trouble.

In the dogs tie down space, put their bed and some chew toys to keep them buys. Frozen Stuffed Kongs work well as they are learning to adjust.

Let us know how this works for you and if you have any other tips regarding tie downs :)