By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Life saving pet first aid course

What do you do if your dog or cat is choking or not breathing?  Or if your pet needs first-aid immediately but you are no where near a veterinarians office?  Often times as pet owners we don’t even consider these things in our daily lives, but injuries and emergency situations can and do happen to our pets.  It’s better to be prepared and know what to do for your pet’s sake.  Luckily for pet owners here on Long Island and in Queens and Brooklyn we have a certified Pet CPR and First Aid instructor that proactively offers classes teaching life saving techniques and first aid for pets.  Robyn Elman, who is also the President of In Home Pet Services, Inc., (http://www.inhomepetservices.com/), is the only certified ‘Pet Tech’ Instructor in the Tri-state area is offering these classes to pet owners, pet professionals, and anyone that wants to learn these very important pet life saving procedures. 

Robyn said, “It is so important for not only pet industry professionals to learn Pet first Aid & CPR, but also first responders like police officers and firemen and women.  Often times a pet may not survive an emergency situation because the people initially tending to them may not know what to do.  According to the American Animal Hospital Association, 1 out of 4 pets would survive if just one pet first aid technique was applied prior to getting the pet to emergency veterinary hospital.” Robyn is certified by Pet Tech National Training Center based in Carlsbad, CA and works with different pet organizations and businesses throughout Queens, Long Island, NYC and other boroughs.  Robyn has been teaching these classes for over 3-years. 

Using a life sized stuffed animal dog, this class will teach participants how to: restrain an injured or ill pet; CPR and rescue breathing; bleeding injuries; heat and cold element injuries; bandaging; insect bites and much more.   As a way to give back, Robyn offers a portion of the proceeds from the class to non-for-profit animal organizations that want to be involved.  Pet owners in the area are in luck because the next class will be offered this Saturday, October 2nd from 9:30 am – 1:30 pm at Best In Show Pet Resort in Mineola, (244 Herricks Road Mineola, NY 11501).  Robyn is thrilled to once again be working with Pet Safe Coalition (www.petsafecoalition.org) for this class and a portion of the proceeds of the class will go to this very important Long Island pet organization.  A recent class participant said this, “The instructor was great, and the material really covered a lot of subjects. We even practiced CPR on the stuffed animals. I would reccomend it to any pet owner,” stated Alice Laby.

To register for this class, individuals can call (718) 347-7387 or send a check or money order for $85.00 payable to In Home Pet Services, Inc. and mail to: 88-25 247^th Street, Bellerose, NY 11426 – or pay cash at the door – but registration is necessary.  Each participant will receive a take-home reference manual and a certificate that they completed the course valid for 2-years. For more information about this course or about In Home Pet Services, go to: www.inhomepetservices.com.

By Pamela Fitzpatrick, of YourDogWalkers, shihtzu58@optonline.net

It’s official, summer is almost over and the kids are back in school, (if only for two days this week!), maybe its time for your dog to take some classes too?  Dog training can involve so much more than just the basic commands, (sit, down, stay), that we all think of, and it’s a great way to bond with your dog and strengthen your relationship, while having fun.  In addition to helping your dog to be a polite, agreeable companion, being able to control your dog can save their life – think run-away dog on a busy street.

Everything my dog needed to know, he learned in Kindergarten

You can begin training a new dog as soon as you bring it home- housebreaking should start as early as 8 weeks of age.  There are various ways to get obedience training for your dog- you can learn in a group or work one on one with a professional trainer.  Please note that what should actually be happening is you are being trained- you learn how to teach your dog while reinforcing techniques you’ve both learned during the training session.  Training will be most effective if all family members take part in the training, (or at least reinforce it at home), to ensure consistency.  Group classes will also help socialize a dog and get them used to being around other people and dogs.

A puppy should not be brought to a group setting until it has completed all required vaccinations (around 4 months of age).  “ Puppy Kindergarten” is a popular way to train young dogs. (Speak to the trainers & your vet about this, opinions vary on this topic).

A puppy, just like a child, requires discipline, consistency, and patience. Owners need to take the time to train their puppy as well as take steps to make their home safe. The puppy training phase is an important part of raising a healthy and happy dog in a safe home environment.

Basic or beginner’s obedience is typically a short course ranging from 6-10 weeks where owners learn how to communicate with and train their dog in a few simple commands. Walking properly on a leash, (heeling) is often the first training required prior to learning other commands. Obedience training is often a prerequisite for more advanced training- you must be able to control your dog and they should be able comply immediately with every command given.

Advanced Obedience Training and more

Once you’ve mastered the basic commands, maybe you and your dog are ready to take it to the next level. The American and United Kennel Clubs (AKC and UKC) offer titles in Competition Obedience. Agility is also a great sport to try with your dog.

So come on, get out there and start training, helping your dog to be a well mannered canine citizen is guaranteed to be time well spent!

Editor’s note: If you are looking for a dog trainer on Long Island click here  http://www.longislandpetprofessionals.com/member-directory/ and you will be sure to find one close to your home.  Interview the dog trainer first, as different trainers have different methods.  Find the trainer that best suits your dog, you and your family. 

By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Back to School & your pet

So it’s that time of year again, for some parents the most wonderful time of year when kids head back to school.  But maybe this summer you got a new puppy, kitten or “Hammy” the Hampster, which will no longer get full time love and attention from your children.  Pets can feel depressed and sad when a routine they have become accustomed to suddenly changes.  Parents also want to make sure with schedule changes and extra curricular activities, that your children who begged you for a pet don’t forget their responsibilities.

A few tips to help keep the household running smoothly, pets happy, kids on their busy schedules are:

• Have a child care chart posted for each pet, and each child so they know what day they have responsibility for what pet.
• Hire a pet sitter or dog walker, but don’t tell your child! You don’t want them to slack off knowing the dog may have already been walked that day or hamster or bird cage might have been cleaned earlier.
• Set aside play time each day for your pet.  In other words, make sure your children know at this particular time of the day the pet gets training time, play time, or walked with your kids.  Otherwise neglected pets, especially dogs that were doing great with training i.e. not chewing, or no longer having accidents in the house, may revert to doing so due to lack of attention, not spite.
• Have a family meeting so everyone is on the same page as to what their pet care responsibilities are.
• Set a schedule.  Try to keep the pets schedule as much as possible the same as it was over the summer, feeding, walking, etc.  Making some adjustments, earlier wake up time, feeding time, etc. and the pet will quickly grow accustomed to the new schedule if it is done on a consistent basis by all family members.
• Meet with a dog trainer if your dog starts acting out once their is less attention on them.

A responsible, caring and dedicated owner is not that hard to be today.  We are lucky in this day and age there are so many professional pet sitters and pet experts available, pet knowledge at our fingertips, free courses and more, for families to learn about responsibilities of being a pet parent.  Being a pet parent, whether the pet is a family pet or an individual child’s responsibility should be taken seriously and not frivolously. Most children find the experience very rewarding, loving and caring for another living being.  Make the back to school transition easy for all family members, two-legged and four-legged ones easy – have a family meeting tonight!

By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

National Pet Health Insurance Month

Did you know that September is National Pet Health Insurance Month?
It seems we have a month, day or week for nearly everything these days, but pet health insurance is more important now than ever. Founded in 2007, the North American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA) was formed and works collaboratively with its members to establish and maintain universal and professional standards for terminology, best practices, quality, and ethics in the pet health industry.

One company, Trupanion who is a member of NAPHIA recently announced a “No Dollar Limit” provision for their policy, which is really breaking the mold when it comes to pet health insurance companies.  Trupanion announced that they will no longer have a dollar limit on policies, per year incidents, year or lifetime.  Thomas Russo, Territory Partner of Long Island and Queens said, “This is an industry first.  I am thrilled to be part of a company that focuses more on the actual pet’s health care, than restrictions and stringent polices.”  This change will make other pet insurance companies wake up and take notice.

Limits are one way that pet insurance companies protect themselves from large benefit payouts and the potential of an expanding cost of claims. Many times, caps in benefit payments are not thoroughly understood and can place a company in an adversarial position with the policyholder. By removing the cap, Trupanion streamlines their policy and can focus more on resources on service.

Trupanion is also an industry leader in more ways than their no limit policy, they also cover 90% of claims, and pet owners can select any deductible from 0 to 1,000 dollars and find the premium that best suits them.  The company also offers a 30-day free trial certificate for new pet owners of pets under a year old.  So if you are looking for a company for your new pet, or old pet’s health insurance, do your research and check out Trupanion (www.trupanion.com).

Contact Thomas Russo: thomas.russo@trupanion.com
NAPHIA: www.naphia.org