Clean Run Magazine - January 2007 - 43

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pup will be ours? known as “Bio Sensor,” but you may have heard it
referred to as the “Super Dog” program. It uses daily stimulation
exercises to improve the puppies’ neurological system. We followed the
program as suggested from day 3 to day 16 after whelping by using five
simple exercises, which include holding the puppy in a variety of
positions, stimulating them with slight temperature changes, and even
tickling their feet for just a few seconds. The exercises are simple and
take less than a minute a day for each pup. This handling does not seem to
be overly stressful to the pups and is designed to stimulate the dog to
have more tolerance to stress later in life, as well as purported disease
resistance and other physiological benefits. This theory is new for us.
While we’re slightly skeptical of the benefits, there seems to be no
risk at all to the puppy, and the possible good side effects from these
stimulation drills are certainly desirable. You can read about these early
neurological stimulation tests at the following website:
www.breedingbetterdogs.com/achiever. html or use Google or another search
engine with the phrase “bio-sensor stimulation for canines.” We have
also begun exposing our puppies to a variety of sounds and different kinds
of footing in their whelping box where they still spend 80% of their day.
We have placed a large piece of ceramic floor tile on the whelping box
floor. We covered an area with newspaper where we hope they eliminate and
we also created an area of warm, cozy blankets. They can move from the
comfortable bedding to the colder tile or to the newspaper area at will.
The rough wool blankets we originally used as bedding had good traction so
that they would not slip as they used their rear ends to push into their
mother to nurse. These blankets also encourage mobility as their bodies
strengthened and they learned to waddle and eventually walk around the
box. They spend a few hours each day outdoors in a grass pen as our
weather is still warm and comfortable in California. We handle every puppy
individually each day and have already started to cut their tiny sharp toe
nails with a small battery-operated Dremel tool. In the coming weeks
they’ll move to a larger puppy pen during the day where they can run and
play and see more of the outside world. They will not be introduced to any
real or even miniature agility equipment, but they will be presented with
wood, cement, and linoleum as surfaces to walk and play on, as well as
materials to crawl over, under, and through. We will provide them with
extremely low balance toys starting around four to five weeks of age in
their outdoor pen. Since I started working on this article 24 hours ago,
these handsome boy puppies have had their very first meal in a bowl
instead of from a teat. Within a few days Jim and I will start loading up
a clicker since they now will be able to chew a piece of food we offer as
way to link the sounds of the clicker with the taste of their favorite
foods. Today they chomped on toys and plastic water bottles, and one of
them fell asleep with a ball seemingly attached to his mouth. They met all
the students from our Tuesday night agility class, and I expect it won’t
be that many days before our puppies will be visiting the class, rather
than being doted upon from the side of a whelping box. We have a lot of
work to do this month to prepare for our stewardship of Jim’s new dog as
well as the other four pups which will all go to local agility homes. There
will be car rides, eye tests, and wormings. Those projects will transition
to socializing, collar and leash training, and lots of fun-filled play
sessions. My focus in this project will be helping Jim plan his training
and play sessions and set monthly goals so that I can record much of it
for you, and share our experiences in raising this now 25-day-old puppy
until he is ready for his first agility ring experiences. I plan on
sharing all my ideas on play, obedience, groundwork, contact training, and
eventually handling and jump drills. The equipment work will not begin for
many months, but our initial steps to develop a responsive dog that likes
to learn and play have already begun. I hope you will be able to use the
ideas to help train your own young Agility Dog, and follow our progress as
Jim trains this new puppy that we hope will follow successfully in the
footsteps of all the wonderful dogs we have had the privilege of
partnering since 1991 when we both first got involved with agility—dogs
like Scud, Mick, Riot, Swift, Wicked, and Spy, as well as our youngest
family dogs, Mace and Jack. D Nancy Gyes and her husband Jim Basic run
Power Paws Agility in San Jose, California. She is the AKC World Team
Coach for 2006 and has been on the AKC World Team seven times, four years
with Scud and three with Riot. Nancy and Riot finished 1st in 2002 and 2nd
in 2001 in Individual Agility classes at Worlds. Nancy also won the USDAA
Nationals four years in a row, 1998 to 2001, with three different dogs,
Scud, Riot, and Wicked. In 2001 and 2002, Nancy and Riot were the 24 jump
height AKC National Champions. Scud retired in 2001 after winning the
USDAA Veterans Championship. Contact Nancy at www.powerpawsagility.com,
where you can also view other articles and videos. January 07 | Clean Run
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http://www.breedingbetterdogs.com/achiever.html http://www.breedingbetterdogs.com/achiever.html http://www.powerpawsagility.com
Clean Run Magazine - January 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - January 2007
