Upcoming Events

September

October

Purina One or Purina Pro

Plan Puppy Food

Pedigree or Purina One

Adult Dog Food

DRY FOOD & CANNED FOOD

Accepted

Dawn Liquid Dish Detergent

Bleach

Begging for More

9 General Membership Meeting

Trinity Episcopal Church, 2nd

Floor

13 Pet Smart Adoption Event

(Youree Drive-Shreveport)

27 NSU/NHFP 5K & Dog Mile Walk/

Run

8 Pet Smart Adoption Event

(Youree Drive-Shreveport)

11 General Membership Meeting

Trinity Episcopal Church, 2nd

Floor

September 2012

Dogs: Positive Reinforcement Training Just say yes to training your dog with treats and praise

Remember how happy you were if your parents gave you a dollar for every A on your report card? They made you want to do it again, right? That's positive reinforcement.

Dogs don't care about money. They care about praise … and food. Positive reinforcement training uses praise and/or treats to reward your dog for doing something you want him to do. Because the reward makes him more likely to repeat the behavior, positive reinforcement is one of your most pow-erful tools for shaping or changing your dog's behavior.

Rewarding your dog for good behavior sounds pretty simple,

and it is! But to practice the technique effectively, you need to

follow some basic guidelines. continued on page 2

Chili’s Give Back Night a Success!

A special thank you to the community of Natchitoches for

giving back to Natchitoches Hope for Paws on Thursday,

August 16. Patrons could present a flyer or the picture on

their smart phone, and Chili’s donated 10% of their total tab to NHFP. This

was the most successful Give Back Night that Chili’s has seen in over a

year….not to mention that Milly may have potentially found her forever

home. Also, thanks to our Fundraiser Chairman, Haley Blount and

Volunteer Coordinator, Danielle Antoon, for coordinating such a great

event!

Superhero’s 5K Dog Walk Sponsors

Thanks to Dr. David James, DVM for his bronze level sponsorship for our upcoming fundraiser “Superheros” 5K Dog Walk! Pictured is Haley Blount (right) accepting a silver sponsorship check from the Bank of Montgom-ery's Marketing Director Carrie Hough (center) and Asst. Vice President Brandy Tilley (left). Thanks again for your contribution!

If a dog jumps up on you, push him off and say “off,” not “down.” “Down” means lie down.

HOWL about this?

Positive Reinforcement Training continued

Timing is everything Correct timing is essential when using positive reinforcement. The reward must occur immediately—within seconds—or your pet may not associate it with the proper action. For example, if you have your dog sit but reward him after he's stood back up, he'll think he's being rewarded for standing up. Us-ing a clicker to mark the correct behavior can improve your timing and also help your dog understand the connection between the correct behavior and the treat.

Keep it short Dogs don't understand sentences. "Daisy, I want you to be a good girl and sit for me now" will likely earn you a blank stare.

Keep commands short and uncomplicated. The most commonly used dog commands are: watch me, sit, stay, down (which means "lie down"), off (which means "get off of me" or "get off the furniture"), stand, come, heel (which means "walk close to my side") leave it.

Consistency is key Everyone in the family should use the same commands; otherwise, your dog may be confused. It might help to post a list of commands where everyone can become familiar with them. Consistency also means always rewarding the desired behavior and never rewarding undesired behavior.

When to use positive reinforcement The good: Positive reinforcement is great for teaching your dog commands, and it's also a good way of reinforcing good behav-ior. You may have your dog sit

before letting him out the door (which helps prevent door-darting)

before petting him (which helps prevent jumping on people)

before feeding him (which helps teach him good meal-time manners). Give him a pat or a "Good dog" for lying quietly by your feet, or slip a treat into a Kong®-type toy when he's chewing it instead of your shoe. The bad: Be careful that you don't inadvertently use positive reinforcement to reward unwanted behaviors. For example, if you let your dog outside every time he barks at a noise in the neighborhood, you're giving him a reward (access to the yard) for behavior you want to discourage.

When to give treats When your pet is learning a new behavior, reward him every time he does the behavior. This is called continuous reinforcement.

Once your pet has reliably learned the behavior, you want to switch to intermittent reinforcement, in which you continue with praise, but gradually reduce the number of times he receives a treat for doing the desired behavior.

At first, reward him with the treat four out of every five times he does the behavior. Over time, reward him three out of five times, then two out of five times, and so on, until you're only rewarding him occasionally.

Continue to praise him every time—although once your dog has learned the behavior, your praise can be less effusive, such as a quiet but positive, "Good dog."

Use a variable schedule of reinforcement so that he doesn't catch on that he only has to respond every other time. Your pet will soon learn that if he keeps responding, eventually he'll get what he wants—your praise and an occasional treat.

Caution! Don't decrease the rewards too quickly. You don't want your dog to become frustrated.

By understanding positive reinforcement, you'll see that you're not forever bound to carry a pocketful of goodies. Your dog will soon be working for your verbal praise, because he wants to please you and knows that, occasionally, he'll get a treat, too.

adapted from http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/dog_training_positive_reinforcement.html

WAIT! Don’t throw it out! NHFP is

collecting items for our rum-

mage sale! As you clean out

items and get ready for

back to school activities, donate your items

to NHFP. Give us a call and we’ll help

you haul!

4th Annual Homecoming 5K & 1 Mile Dog Walk and Run & Costume Contest

Saturday, October 27, 2012 at 8:00 a.m.

Register online at www.northwesternstatealumni.com

NHFP is seeking a photographer.

If you are interested and can vol-

unteer some time taking pictures

contact Jenn at 318-228-7914 or

email us at natchitocheshopeforpaws@yahoo.com

Registration is now open for the NSU/NHFP 5K and 1 Mile Dog Walk and Run. Registration is $20.00 for all

pre-registered participants, and $25 for race day registration. We accept cash, check, or credit cards payable

to NSU Alumni Association. Register online or visit the NSU Alumni Center, 535 University Parkway. 50% of

all proceeds will be donated to NHFP. PRIZES will be awarded to the overall and runner-up male and fe-

male winners in the 5K and the overall and runner-up boy and girl in the 1 mile fun run. All participants will

receive an event t-shirt. With Halloween just around the corner, NHFP will vote and award the top 3

dog’s costumes, as well top 3 runner’s costumes! Sponsorships are available and all sponsors will receive

a small gift and up to 4 free entries into the NSU Homecoming Tailgate Party at the Collins Pavilion, courtesy of

NSU Alumni Association. Sponsorships are $100 (Bronze); $250 (Silver); and $500 (Gold). You can also

contact Haley Blount at 318-357-4415 or 318-332-7770.

Featured Dog of the Month: STAR!

Two months ago, Star was rescued from a cornfield near Starlight

Plantation. She was flea bitten and full of mange. Today, after

special care and medication, Star is ready for her forever home.

She is approximately 8 months old, spayed and housebroken. Star

is a boxer/terrier mix, non-aggressive with other dogs, very calm

and rides great in the car. Give us a call if you would like to give

Star her forever home!

BEFORE AFTER

PO Box 2552 Natchitoches, LA 71457 (318) 332-2969 www.natchitocheshopeforpaws.org

Natchitoches Hope for Paws Membership Drive & Memorials

Happy “Tail” Ending for Rupert

If you adopted your furry friend from Hope for Paws and would like to share your happy

“tail” with others, we would love to hear from you. You and your pet might end up as a Hap-

py “Tail” in our newsletter. You can email us at natchitocheshopeforpaws@yahoo.com

(please note that only jpeg photos will be accepted). If you prefer to mail us your story and

photograph, please send it to NHFP, PO BOX 2552, Natchitoches, LA 71457. Please include

a stamped, self-addressed envelope if you would like your photo returned. And don’t forget

to include a brief happy “tail” about your dog!

2,934 fans and counting!

Gold Paw $500-$999

Mark & Debbie Waskom

Silver Paw $250-$499

Dr. Paul & Joyce Baird

Bronze Paw $100-$249

Edward & Kay Kaufman

HAVE YOU JOINED?

Begin Natchitoches Hope for Paws Membership today, and enjoy

the special rewards of helping our furry four legged friends as

well as showing your support for our organization. Through your

donation, Natchitoches Hope for Paws will truly “make a

difference, one paw print at a time.” As a no-kill facility our

primary mission is to rescue, rehabilitate, foster and adopt. Your

investment today helps support our spay and neuter program,

shelter at a no-kill facility, medical care and evaluation, food and

education materials. These types of programs, as you know, are

important in enhancing and maintaining a quality animal rescue

organization. Membership levels begin at $10 for youth and $30

for adults. We receive no federal, state, or local

funding for our life saving medical and rehabilitative

programs. Please consider donating today!

Many thanks to our recent donors!

I got Rupert January 1,

2011. He is very happy,

friendly, and playful. He

loves playing with his toys,

and going for walks. He

and Shady playfully

"fight" and chase each

other every evening. I am

so thankful that Rupert is

a part of my home. John

Cooper Paw $50-$99

Laura & Eric Mayeaux

Ronald & Leta Brown

NPHF Friend $30

Julia Doll

General Donations $100 +

Sarah Prudhomme

In Memory Of

Karen Lewis