7 Tips to for a Safe Fall for You and Your Dog

Some of my warmest childhood memories are of Thanksgiving weekend with my parents, my grandma and my cousins on Lake Mohawk.  I didn’t appreciate the beautiful fall colors back then as much as I do now.  Maybe spending 18 years in South Florida and then returning to the Garden State gave me a new appreciation. The yellows, reds, and oranges along with the brisk cool air make the perfect mornings for me to walk my dogs through bucolic and hilly Western Bergen County each day!

So many of our students at Haggerty Dog Training tell us how much friskier their dogs are now that the cool air is here!  Along with the added need for exercise there are a lot of things to consider to keep those brisk days with your dog safe and fun!

1. Lots of falling leaves can harvest areas of mold.  Don’t allow your dog to romp and play in the leaves. Inhaling the mold spores can cause coughing, sneezing and other allergic reactions.
2. Keep sticks on the ground. There are plenty and who doesn’t love throwing their dog a stick but be cautious that they don’t start chewing on it.  We know fiber is good for our dogs but dried sticks are not the source of fiber you want them to have. Chewing dried sticks can cause bloody stools, diarrhea, and other GI tract upsets.
3. When walking, take care to tread carefully on wet leaves.  Wet leaves can become very slippery and while walking your dog you want to use care so that you don’t slip and then possibly drop the leash of your dog who may become startled and then run off.
4.  Pumpkins can be problematic.  While pumpkin itself is very good for dogs, you don’t want them to decide to start chewing on your dying Jack-O-Lantern which can be starting to rot, nor do you want them swallowing the seeds.
5. I live in a very woodsy area and I have acorns EVERYWHERE!  Acorns can be very dangerous for several reasons: a. Your dog can choke on them if they become lodged in their throat  b. They can cause a blockage in your dog’s GI tract. The last thing you want to spend money on before the holidays is life saving surgery for your dog.  If your dog isn’t eating and/or has diarrhea for two days, I encourage you to bring him to the vet so that you can rule out that he hasn’t feasted on too many acorns causing a blockage.
6. It is also that time of year to watch out for upper respiratory infections which can be masked as allergies. You will find a lot of dogs are sneezing and coughing this time of year but if it continues for more than two days, bring your dog in to the vet to rule out any upper respiratory infections.
7. Holiday plants will start popping up everywhere very soon so be careful of holly, crysanthemums and especially with poinsettias which are not only poisonous to dogs but to cats as well.

As you get ready for the Day of Overeating, start training your dogs certain commands such as drop it, leave it, stay and have them getting use to being inside of the crate.  These commands are integral to any training program but are a hugely important component to making Thanksgiving Day a safe and enjoyable one for your dog.  In our next few blogs and in our upcoming videos we will be specifically teaching these commands.   You can be find them at YouTube or at our online training program  DogTricks.net and follow along. Until next time happy tails to you!

Yours for better dogs,

Babette Haggerty