mental enrichment – Green Acres Kennel Shop Blog

Podcast – Holistic and Complementary Wellness for Pets – Our Personal Journey

This is the first in a series of shows on Holistic and Complementary Wellness for Pets. Kate and Don start by defining the term “holistic” and then discussing how it applies to dog training and simply living with a dog. They then discuss how and why they started to take a holistic approach to pet care, beginning with experiences with their pets and nutrition. The importance of exercise and mental enrichment are also addressed. Then they discuss their experiences with the following forms of complementary medicine; homeopathy, Bach flower remedies, acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and chiropractic. Lastly they mention the Holistic Wellness Day for Pets which will take place at The Green Gem Healing Oasis on Saturday, October 29th. This event will involve ten different seminars and several vendors of holistic products and services for pets. For more information go to the Green Acres Kennel Shop website at www.greenacreskennel.com/event

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Recommended Resources

Articles on Don’s Blog (http://www.words-woofs-meows.com)

Tikken – Vaccines, Aggression & Homeopathy – http://blog.greenacreskennel.com/2014/10/06/complementary-medicine-tikken-vaccines-aggression-homeopathy/

Bach Flower Remedies – An Overview of the Bach Flower Remedies – http://blog.greenacreskennel.com/2015/06/22/bach-flower-remedies-an-overview-of-the-bach-flower-remedies/

Dogs-Dog Training: A Holistic Approach to Dog Training (Parts 1 & 2) – http://blog.greenacreskennel.com/2015/02/01/dogs-dog-training-a-holistic-approach-to-dog-training-parts-1-2/

Podcasts from The Woof Meow Show (http://www.woofmeowshow.com)

PODCAST – Pet Health and Wellness – Don and Kate’s Journey with Complementary Medicine – http://blog.greenacreskennel.com/2015/08/29/podcast-pet-health-and-wellness-don-and-kates-journey-with-complementary-medicine/

PODCAST – Bach Flower Remedies for Pets with Don Hanson, BFRAP – part 1 – http://traffic.libsyn.com/woofmeowshow/WoofMeowShow-2011-02-26-Bach_Flower_Remedies_for_Pets_part1.mp3

PODCAST – Bach Flower Remedies for Pets with Don Hanson, BFRAP – part 2 – http://traffic.libsyn.com/woofmeowshow/WoofMeowShow-2011-03-05-Bach_Flower_Remedies_for_Pets_part2.mp3

Shared Blog Post – Do Dogs Need to Be Tired to Be Well-Behaved?

Do Dogs Need to Be Tired to Be Well-Behaved? – An excellent article from Risë VanFleet where she emphasizes the need for moderation in our dog’s physical and mental exercise. Exhausting your dog often does not lead to desirable behavior and wellness – https://www.facebook.com/notes/ris%C3%AB-vanfleet/do-dogs-need-to-be-tired-to-be-well-behaved/10154512455548480

PODCAST – Dog Training Questions for Don and Kate with special guest host Dr. Mark Hanks – part 1

Dr. Mark Hanks from Kindred Spirits Veterinary Clinic has been a frequent guest on The Woof Meow Show, giving Kate and I several opportunities to “pick his brain” about a wide variety of topics. For quite some time he’s been asking to “host” the show and to turn the tables so to speak; interviewing Kate and I and asking us questions about animal behavior and training.

In the second of four shows in this series, Dr. Hanks interviews Don and Kate about their experiences as professional dog trainers. He asks Kate and Don about: how training has changed in the past 26 years since Mark began his practice, why training a dog is important, the importance of training for mental enrichment, how breed effects training and compatibility with a family, how human intervention has adversely effected health and behavior, researching dogs before one decides what dog and breed to get, making temperament a key decision when picking a dog, what we typically teach a client and their dog, Green Acres holistic approach to training (husbandry, nutrition, body language, ethology, and training), inadvertent reinforcement of undesirable behaviors, the continuing necessity to refute antiquated and inaccurate myths about canine behavior, the optimal age for starting training, the structure of Green Acres training classes, Green Acres program to help parents find the best pet for them, how family lifestyles have changed and how that affects time for a dog, knowing when to wait before starting a group training class, and how they deal with special needs rescue dogs.

You can listen to this episode of The Woof Meow Show at: http://traffic.libsyn.com/woofmeowshow/WoofMeowShow-2015-07-11-Dog_Training_Questions_for_Don_and_Kate_w_guest_host_Dr_Mark_Hankspart-1.mp3

You can download this episode of The Woof Meow Show at the Apple iTunes store, or you can download it at: http://woofmeowshow.libsyn.com/webpage

You can listen others episodes in this series at the links below.

Pet Behavior Counseling and Don and Kate – 10JAN15 – http://blog.greenacreskennel.com/2015/01/10/podcast-pet-behavior-counseling-and-don-and-kate-with-special-guest-host-dr-mark-hanks/

Dog Training Questions for Don and Kate, part 2– 19JUL15 – http://blog.greenacreskennel.com/2015/07/19/podcast-dog-training-questions-for-don-and-kate-with-special-guest-host-dr-mark-hanks-part-2/

Dog Training Questions for Don and Kate, part 3– 26JUL15 – http://blog.greenacreskennel.com/2015/07/27/blog-post-27jul15-podcast-dog-training-questions-for-don-and-kate-with-special-guest-host-dr-mark-hanks-part-3/

For more information on the Woof Meow Show go to: www.woofmeowshow.com