Kildare Animal Foundation

Our pub quiz in McGrattans last Friday was a huge success as well as great craic!! On behalf of all here at the shelter, thank tou to all who attended, to Catherine and Fionnuala Woods, June and Richard Lattimore for organising it, to Dan Mcgrattan-our gracious host and of course to our Quiz master extradinaire Anne Doyle formerly of RTE who was on top form on the night. Much needed funds were generated for the shelter and again a heart felt thank you to all involved.

A massive Thank You to Joan and Vintage Ireland for inviting us to the Antiques Fair in Trim today. Was a very successful day.
We here at the shelter ask that you support those who support us so please check out Vintage Ireland on facebook for up coming vintage and antiques.
A very enjoyable way to spend an afternoon!!

A Pub quiz will take place this Friday April 27^th
in aid of the Kildare Animal Foundation. Anne Doyle will be the fantastic quiz
master on the night which promises to be a great night with lots of laughs.
Anne has a great sense of humour and always knows how to get the crowd going. The
quiz will take place in Mc Grattan’s pub (upstairs), 76 Fitzwilliam Lane Dublin
2. Doors open at 7pm with the quiz starting at 8.30pm. €40 per table of 4. We
will also be having a raffle on the night with lots of lovely prizes.

We really hope that you can make it and support the work we
do at the animal foundation.

For more information on this event please contact Catherine
Woods 086 273 0399.

Dogs love having and need daily walks but do you know that
you can tire them out just as quickly with just a just few minutes training everyday
! Mental stimulation is as important as daily exercise to keep you dog in in
top form and to help stop him becoming a house devil and street angel.

Here are a few ideas that you can try out at home with your
dog on those rainy afternoons.

1. The easiest way to keep your dog occupied is to
   give them something exciting to chew. One of our favourites is to drop down to
   your local friendly butcher and get a nice big beef marrow bone, your dog will
   love this BUT dont think that once he has gotten all the marrow from the bone
   that it now time to throw it away ! The cavity left in the one is ideal for
   stuffing with someting that your dogs loves. From their own dry food moisted
   with some water , to some peanut butter or some leftover meat and gravy from
   your dinner, your can freeze all of these ina plastic bag in your freezer so it
   will take your dog longer to release the treat.
2. Teach you dog to find his favourite toy – first
   make sure that you have some small treats ready to give in your pocket to
   reward your dog when they do well. Step 1 – Find your
   dog’s favorite toy, wave it around in front of him to get him excited.Next hide
   it in an easy spot, beside you  or behind
   you and tell him to find it. Praise him and you give him a treat when he finds
   his toy.  Step 2 – try hiding the toy in a more distant but semi-easy place
   leaving it showing slightly, again when your dog finds the toys praise and
   reward them highly . Step 3 – The next stage is to hide the toy in harder to
   find places throughout your house. Show him the toy first to get him excited
   and have someone hold him for you or close the door of he room he is in while
   you hide it. Step 4 – t take this game one step further give a name to the toy
   andthem you can begin to hide multiple items for each game.
3. Practise basic training commands- Anytime is a good time to run through training sessions,
   but if you are stuck indoors it’s the perfect opportunity to work on basic
   commands or even more advanced ones that don’t take up a lot of space. Even if
   your dog knows the commands backwards and forwards, a training session is still
   exciting and fun for your dog. You can also look up fun tricks to teach your
   dog, like balancing a treat on the nose
   or paw.
4. Doggie Bubbles – many dogs love chasing bubbles
   and it can be great fun for younger members of the family as well. Dog safe
   bubbles come in many flavour and rae available from most good pet shop.
5. Treat dispensing and interactive toys – Ther are
   many differerent makes and models of treat dispensing toys that are available
   from your local pet shop. Food-motivated dogs love
   treat dispensing toys such as toys from the every popular Kong range. . Instead
   of just giving your dog a treat, he has to work for it. Many of the toys have
   to be pushed to release the treats; others require chewing. These toys are
   adjustable so once your dog learns how to trigger the treat, you can make it
   more challenging for him to get the treats. Look for toys that are sturdy and
   can hold up to hard play. Puzzle toys or interactive toys such as those
   available from the Nina Otteson range
   are just as much fun and help dogs think creatively. These puzzles parts
   and pieces that dogs have to lift to release the treat. You can make a home
   made version of these  by using some
   plastic or paper cups and hiding treats beneath them and having your dog touch
   or move the right cup to get the treat or by filling a plastic bottle with some
   kibble and making some small holes in it and making your dog work for his
   supper.

Thanks once again to Liz & Suzi for suppling another great article.

For more info on the great services the Postive Dog Training provide please check out their website www.positivedogtrainingdublin.com
phone : 01 9013018

Please read the Spring Edition of Badger Watch Irelands Newsletter – An Broc