In This IssueCLUB OFFICERS

President Christie Blackchristieleeblack1@gmail.comVice President Donna McGrathdlynnmcgrath@hotmail.comSecretary Heidi MillerHeidihome1@aim.comTreasurer Sandy Rothfanfaredogs@gmail.com

BOARD MEMBERSJanet Lewismacleod05bcs@gmail.comLeigh-Anne Congdonlcongdon243@comcast.netCynthia Rabbersc_rabbers@yahoo.comSue Williamsswilliams310@atlanticbb.net

Send Us Your News!Do you have news for the Mt. Nittany Dog Tales newsletter? Send it to news@mndtc.org.The newsletter is publishedevery other month, before the general meeting.

Newsletter Staff:Christie BlackHeidi MillerBrenda PalmgrenCynthia Rabbers

From the President

General Membership Meeting Tuesday, Date, at 7 p.m.

St. Paul Lutheran Church, Pine Grove Mills

From the President………1

What are you doing with your dog during the Pandemic?……………...1-2 Earn a Trick Dog Title

Virtually…………………2Extra Training Lessons……………...3-4Web Links: Things to Try………………………4Bake: Dog Cookie Recipes………………5-6

New Member Spotlight…..7

May 2020

Ninja (pictured) and Zena are learning to play a cup version of three-card Monte. I hide a treat un-der one of the cups, shuffle the cups into a differ-ent order, and then say “get it.” They are very good at finding the treat. The biggest challenge was having them figure out how to knock over a cup to get the treat.

Let’s find creative ways to occupy our pups while we are social distancing. Tracey Dooms found a game to keep her dogs occupied. See explanation below.

We hope you are all staying well and finding new and challenging ways to improve your team skillset during this time of social distancing. In this edition of MNDTC Dog Tales, we pulled together some training ideas, games, recipes and ways to continue earning AKC titles, virtually.

Penn State announced on Monday, April 20 that COVID-19 restrictions will continue, and all nonessential events will be canceled, rescheduled or moved to virtual delivery through at least June 19. This includes the closure of the buildings and grounds at the Penn State Ag Progress Days site in Pennsylvania Furnace.

Thank you for your cooperation during this time of social distancing.

I wish you all the best of health.

Christie Black

Mt. Nittany Dog Tales - May 2020 2

What are you doing with your dog during the Pandemic?

Cynthia Rabbers writes what she has been doing with her puppy Tamia for Canine Conditioning and shares some videos.

In addition to foundations, Tamia has been working on her canine conditioning at home during social distancing. It's super easy to do at home even if you don't have a lot of (or any) fancy equipment. I have built a lot of our conditioning equipment myself with simple materials purchased at Lowe's as well as spare pieces from other projects. You can even find directions for some of it online.

As a youngster we have to chose our exercises carefully but there is so much that even a young dog can do. Much of our focus right now is hind end awareness. We've been working on this since she was a young puppy using a contact trainer first as something easy to utilize in the initial learning stage of backing up onto something. If you haven't started anything like this you can also use a folded up towel or anything else that would have a distinct texture difference from the flooring you are working on. You don't want anything with a slippery surface but otherwise there are a lot of options. Once she was really getting the hang of backing up to a target we changed our target to something

she would have to step up onto, a short platform is great for this. To make it even more difficult we are backing up onto the platform and then onto a fitbone. You could also build up to stepping up onto the fitbone but that is a little high for us right now.

For a visual, feel free to check out these videos of us at different learning stages. Here is about two months ago when we were still only working with the contact trainer (https://youtu.be/2mmxk1R-ww8).

And here is now with the platform to fitbone (https://youtu.be/dvf_EWsiK-E). There are a couple of dumbbells behind the fitbone so the whole thing doesn't slide backwards.

AKC Trick Dog Title Earned VirtuallyThe AKC is allowing handlers to earn trick dog titles via video. As a CGC evaluator, Helen Smith is approved to judge trick dog entries. Helen is setting up a process to evaluate trick dog videos.

Handlers need to video their dogs performing 10 tricks and send the video to Helen. She can send the approval back via email. Handlers will then need to send the forms to the AKC with payment to receive the title.

Please email Helen at hfs309@gmail.com for more information.

Mt. Nittany Dog Tales - May 2020 3

Extra training lessonsHere is an article written by Janet Lewis reprinted from January 2014 Dog Tales

Smart Dog Training: Winter Time Training

So, now the holidays are over and it’s time to return to the pre-Thanksgiving routine. Your best pal is clamoring for a bit of attention, for some quality time with his human companions. But it’s too cold/wet/icy for a nice long exhausting walk…and besides, you’re still recovering from all those relatives and heavy food.

Not to worry…here are a couple of ideas that will exercise your dog and you too. First, the dog. Remember, mental exercise can be just as stimulating and use just as much energy as physical. Here’s a fun game for your dog that will get his juices flowing and will not necessitate coat, gloves or a leash. It’s called “Find It.” Take a tasty treat or a wonderful toy (my dogs prefer tennis balls to just about anything) and let him watch you “hide it.” Make it easy…put it under a pillow or on a chair seat while he watches. Then release him and tell him to “find it.” Make a big fuss when he does; if it’s a toy, play with it with him. Reward him with one of those biscuits you’ve made from the recipes in this newsletter! You will do lots of “happy talk”…“Where is it??”, “Want to get it?”, “Are you ready, get set,, GO!!!”. Dogs are pretty much suckers for exciting talk.

Now increase the level of difficulty…hide it while he’s watching, but “pretend” to put it in several places before you actually hide it. Let him work it out; keep encouraging him as he looks, heaps of praise when he’s successful. Now’s the time to practice your stationary exercises…tell him to “stay” and hide the toy in another room…make it easy at first, just around the corner or down the hall. If he comes back to you with a frustrated expression,

“help” him but don’t do the finding yourself…walk in the direction of the item and look at it. You may have to point at the beginning, but as your dog gets more accomplished you won’t have to. I’ve hidden balls in the bathtub, waste baskets, under pillows and behind closet doors only open a bit. Once I sent the dogs and when they were out of the room, took the ball and put in on the chair behind me…they found it but had to look a long time.

This game not only exercises the dog but builds stamina and teaches the dog to work through frustration. And it’s always correction free, with a big reward at the end. Be sure to quit before your dog loses interest and never make it too hard for him.

After we played this game a couple of times I realized it had its flaws. First, I have six dogs…and although only three really wanted to play, with one ball only one dog could “win.” In addition, Hope, “Miss Bossy Dog,” would take the ball away from either of the others before they could bring it to me, thus depriving them of their deserved rewards. And Little Bit, the puppy, had never played before so she was, naturally, a bit behind the more experienced dogs…mom and big sister.

So, I reasoned, why hide only one ball? Why not hide a whole lot of balls? Some of them could be “easy,” and there would be more than enough so one dog couldn’t hog all the retrieves. Amazon had a bag of 18 tennis balls on sale for $10, so I ordered them. Last night we played the new game…“Treasure Hunt.” I told the “big” dogs to stay in the living room but let Little Bit follow me (she really doesn’t know how to stay anyway and had “forgotten” where I hid the balls by the time I was done and returned to the living room). I hid all 18 of the balls. Some were easy…on top of the bed, on

Mt. Nittany Dog Tales - May 2020 4

the floor beside the dresser. Others were hard…one was under the mat in a crate, three under pillows on different beds, one in a drawer partially opened.

Then I told them to “find it,” and they all zoomed out of the living room and raced down the hall (Little Bit had NO idea what she was doing, but she followed the big dogs anyway). In no time, all three returned with tennis balls, and they all got a treat. So I sent them again, and all three were successful. As they found the more obvious ones, the search got harder, and by the end only Hope was actually searching (the others were all just kind of running up and down the hall). But by gum, she found every last one (she’s like the nerdy girl in the sixth grade who knows all the answers, regardless of the questions). It was great exercise…they worked for well over 30 minutes and all I had to do was to sit in my chair and keep sending them out to “look some more.” They had a great time and needed a nap. I, however, was totally well rested and ready to embark on part two of winter games: Mind stimulation.

“The best gift you can give your dog is to spend some time during the holidays and ask yourself, ‘How can I make life more clear and thus easier for my dogs?” That’s a direct quote from the blog of Patricia McConnell…a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and PhD professor who teaches courses on the animal/human relationships.

McConnell refers to herself as “stupid in love with dogs” and finds the human/canine bond endlessly and intellectually fascinating. Her life goal has become to “improve the relationships between people and animals. She’s written many books and articles, but the one I want to recommend here is The Other End of the Leash. I like it so much because it explores the world our dogs live in…what intellectual and emotional tools they bring to the way they understand us.

The book explores the mythology that dogs are just wolves in different coats; it looks at what differentiates dogs from not only wolves but from all other domesticated animals and offers theories about why we bond so well, and so uniquely, with dogs. But mostly McConnell tries to explain what it is we are really communicating to our dogs.

The book is very well written and combines information from animal research and from the author’s personal anecdotes, gleaned from her relationships with her own dogs and with those of her clients. McConnell writes with humor and with compassion and with an amazing amount of insight. I’ve been looking at and working with dogs for over 40 years and thought I was pretty well educated, but I learned so many new things…and a new way to get into the world from my dog’s point of view, from a person who has studied this for years. Do yourself (and your dog) a favor and give this book a try. I guarantee you will love it…and will learn from it, too.

We found some LINKS that you may want to check out…

NEW - Backyard Championships Virtual Agility Trial on Facebook. Free and open for anyone to join. Courses posted at different levels for different backyard sizes, down to micro level. You can post videos to be judged and earn virtual titles, or you can just look at the maps for training ideas: https://www.facebook.com/groups/backyardchampionships/?ref=share

AKC tips on training at home: https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/sports/akc-titles-programs-can-home/

AKC has answers to all your coronavirus concerns, plus at-home activity ideas, training tips, educational resources, and more:https://www.akc.org/dog-owners/coronavirus-covid19-outbreak-resources-dog-lovers/

Mt. Nittany Dog Tales - May 2020 5

Lets BakeCOOKIES, for dogs Here are some links to finding cookie recipes online. Share yours with us.https://www.puppyleaks.com/simple-dog-treat-recipes/

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/dog-biscuits/

This website talks about Best Dog Food Delivery Services available online:https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/pets/g32052015/best-dog-food-online-delivery-services/

Here are more recipes from a reprint of a prevous Dog Tales issue, “A day of agility fun and tasty treats”, plus an extra or two. Enjoy this reprise:

Tigger’s Treats(From Heel Billy Hound Treats K-9 Cookbook)

1-1/2 cups flour1 cup peanut butter1 cup oats1 tsp. baking powder1 cup broth¼ cup honey or molasses

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together. Roll out and cut into shapes. Bake about 20 minutes.

Horus T. Dog’s Slobber Chops Dog Gummies

2 eggs½ cup plain yogurt¼ cup oil¾ cup whole wheat flour

Methodology:1. Drink plenty of water in preparation for a

dramatic slobber fest.2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.3. Prepare a greased baking sheet or use

baking parchment4. Have your dog person slavishly mix the

ingredients.5. Find a spot where your person won’t slip,

and begin slobbering.6. Continue slobbering while your person

spoons the batter onto the prepared baking sheet. A clever person could squeeze the batter from a baggie with the corner cut to make gummy worms.

7. Have your person put it in the oven with the light on so you can watch.

8. Slobber some more; this time you can slobber right on your person since they are not working in the kitchen. After about 10 minutes, bark, whine, and snuffle around the stove to alert your person that the gummies are ready.

9. Make your person give you some by slobbering and rolling your eyes around in a pathetic manner.

10. When you have had enough, ask politely that your person keep your gummies in a sealed container in the fridge so they stay fresh and chewy.

continued…

Mt. Nittany Dog Tales - May 2020 6

Cheese Pumpkin Treats4-5 cups whole wheat flour2 tsp. garlic powder1-1/2 cups shredded cheese1 cup pumpkin (canned)1/3 to ½ cup vegetable oil1 egg, beaten¾ to 1 cup milk

1. Combine flour, garlic powder, and cheese in a large bowl (start with 4 cups flour).

2. Mix oil, egg, milk, and pumpkin; add to the flour and mix well (dough will be sticky) Add more flour to stiffen dough.

3. Turn onto a floured board and knead 3 minutes; add more flour as necessary. Roll out to ½-inch thickness and cut with bone-shaped cutter, if available.

4. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake 25 minutes at 400 degrees.

5. Cool on a rack and store in a tin with a loose-fitting lid.

6. Refrigerate or freeze for longer storage.

Quick, Easy & Flexible Treats2-1/2 cups whole wheat flour½ cup milk (or skim milk for tubby pooches)1 tsp. garlic powder1 large egg, beaten

Add as much liquid flavoring (beef/chicken stock, tuna water, bacon drippings) as it takes to make the dough malleable.

Roll out dough and cut into bite-size pieces. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Peanut Butter Biscuits2 cups whole wheat flour1 tbsp. baking powder1 cup peanut butter1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375 and grease cookie sheet. Mix ingredients and stir until a dough forms. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead it, roll it out, and cut it into the size and shape you want. Bake for about 20 minutes (until golden brown).

Homemade Fishy Dog Treats - Salmon and TunaEasy 4 ingredient homemade dog treats - healthy and delicious for your treasured dog! Can be broken in half when rewarding or training.

Ingredients1 can salmon (14.75 oz)1 can tuna (7 oz)4 eggs, beaten2 cups whole wheat flour

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the salmon and tuna in a medium bowl. No need to drain. Add the beaten eggs followed by the flour. Stir well to thoroughly combine. Spread evenly in a lightly greased 12 x 16 baking pan. Bake for 40 minutes and cool briefly. Cut into 1/2 inch squares and divide into 5 storage bags.

Mt. Nittany Dog Tales - May 2020 7

We like to welcome new members to the club and feature them so you get to know who they are and their dogs. Here is one from a new member who was voted in at our March meeting.

I’m Joanne Fisher (pictured right) and so glad to be a part of the MNDTC!! I live on a farm near Stormstown with Cinder (10 yo Schipperke), Carly (6 yo Havapoo), and Holly (6 yo Mini Golden Doodle). Jake (12 yo cat) lives in the house and at the barn are 15 Hereford beef cows and currently 9 babies.

I trained Cinder and Carly at B & D Creekside in Latrobe. Both had obedience and were getting pretty good at agility when my friend had some medical issues and dog training got sidelined. I am currently doing Scentwork with all 3 at Westmoreland Dog Training Club.

New Member SpotlightI’m an RN who worked at Magee-Women’s Hospital in Pittsburgh in Labor and Delivery. In 2014 I retired and moved back to the farm where I grew up. Although I “live” on the farm, I still travel to Pittsburgh every week to keep tabs on my friend who is currently in a personal care home. In the summer I golf on a league and in the winter I bowl with friends I’ve known for 40+

years!!!

I’m hoping to get back into agility, continue with Scentwork and Fast CAT and perhaps more!!!

In my spare time I love photography and gardening. I’m looking forward to making new friendships here in State College. Anyone golf, fish, bowl or love tailgating??? Go PSU!!