Warning please do not kiss or let your dog kiss this toad!  He will not turn into Prince Charming and there may not be a happily ever after. Tonight when letting my personal dogs out this giant toad jumped into my Lanai. Thank goodness my dogs did not go after him or I would have been at the vet right now instead of writing this.

This is a Bufo or Cane frog.  It secretes a poison from it's skin that can be deadly to dogs.  As a matter of fact if not treated it is almost 100% fatal.  If your dog comes into contact with a Bufo frog and licks or mouths it, they will most likely start foaming at the mouth.  If this happens rinse out your dog's mouth for about 15 minutes and head straight to the veterinarian.  Do not head to the vet without rinsing your dog's mouth because the poison is fast acting.

I used a plastic bag to remove this handsome guy from my lanai and put him near the lake.  I'm not afraid to touch a frog. I actually find them kind of cute like my Pug, but they can cause skin irritation if touched.  If Mr. Toad decides to pay us another visit I may have to drive him to a lake far far away.

Many new clients have come to me with the goal of being able to bring their dog to the dog park.  The thought of seeing Max, Bella or Buddy playing happily with other dogs while getting to socialize with other dog lovers, does have the makings of a great time.  I totally get it.  And while I'm not a huge fan of dog parks, in certain circumstances it can be a great way to get your dog or puppy to socialize, get used to other dogs and have fun.

Here are a few tips from my experience that can help you get the most out of your time at the dog park:

1.  Know your dog.  Does your dog like to be with other dogs?  Some dogs, like people, prefer spending time alone or in a small group.   Is your dog aggressive?  A resource guarder?  More dominant than Vin Diesel and Tony Soprano combined? There's no rule that says your dog has to play with other dogs.   If you really want to bring your dog to run around the dog park for exercise consider going early in the morning or another time of day when the park is empty.

2.  Does your dog come when you call him or her?  It's important that your dog has a good recall and responds when you tell him to come.  If you see the dogs starting to play to rough for example you need to be able to call your dog to you to get them out of the situation before it escalates into a fight. 

3.  Make sure your dog is spayed or neutered, healthy and vaccinated before bringing your dog to the park.  This is not only for the safety of the other dogs there but also your dog.

4.  Become familiar with dogs' body language.  It's helpful to be able to read your dogs and other dogs' body language.  This way you can tell when your dog wants to play, is tense, is tired, etc.  It also helps you to see how the other dogs in the park are feeling and if maybe it's time to leave.

5.  Do not enter the park until your dog is calm.  An overly excited dog may approach the other dogs to excitedly, may not use good manners or judgement, probably will not hear or pay attention to you when you call them and may trigger a dog fight.

6.  Know when it's time to leave.  If your dog is getting hot, tired or cranky it's time to go.  As a matter of fact it's best to go before your dog reaches this point.  If there is a dog acting aggressively or play becomes to rough don't take a chance with your best friend.  Leave and go back tomorrow.

7.  Watch your dog.  The dog park is not a place to talk or text on your cell phone for extended periods of time, socialize and work on your computer without watching your dog.  If you are able to do this please let me know what your superpower is and how I can develop it.   I have been trying for years not only with my dogs but with my kids!

And finally, make sure you are confident, calm and in a good state of mind when entering the dog park.  Your dog needs you to be pack leader and a good model and who knows it may rub off on the other dogs and their mom and dads too!

Inspired K9 is located in Naples, Florida.   For more information on our training and rehabilitation services please call 239-260-4629  or visit our website at http://www.inspiredk9.com.  You can also connect with us on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.
 

I received this information from Collier County DAS and thought it was important to pass on.

Be careful when walking your dogs in South Florida. Don’t let them stray into the bushes or nose around without supervision. Especially at night! They may find a toxic Cane Toad.

This toad defends itself using chemical warfare. When disturbed, it releases (sometimes squirts) milky toxins that will burn the eyes, inflame the skin, and are rapidly absorbed across the mucus membranes of the victim into the circulatory system. If your pet bites or swallows a Cane Toad, it will become sick and may die in as little as 15 minutes unless you take immediate action.

SYMPTOMS
The first indication of a problem is pawing at the mouth and frantic, disoriented behavior. The mucus membranes turn a brick red (instead of pink) and the animal will foam profusely at the mouth. Other symptoms include vomiting, head-shaking, crying, loss of coordination and sometimes convulsions.

INITIAL TREATMENT
Flush the toxins away from its mouth (not into its stomach). Use a hose and squirt so the water drains out of the mouth. Take a wash cloth and try to clean the gums and mouth as you rinse the poison away.  Do this for 15-20 minutes then get to the veterinarian.

Do not confuse these toads with our native Southern Toad, Anaxyrus terrestris. The Southern Toad stays under 4 inches in length. It also has smaller oval parotid glands and two short, parallel ridges or CRESTS that start as knobs between the eyes and extend down the back.

The invasive Cane Toad has no knobs or ridges between the eyes. There are 2 larger triangular parotid glands located just below the shoulders. Many grow to the size of a salad plate and become up to four pounds in weight.

Check Your Yard
If you have pets it is a good idea to catch and identify ANY toad you see in your yard to be sure that they aren't dangerous. With very few exceptions, any toad in Florida that is larger than 4 inches is NOT native and is almost certainly an invasive Cane Toad.

Wear gloves to protect yourself and catch them in a net. Humanely euthanize any Cane Toad by spraying 20% benzocaine sunburn spray on the toad's lower belly. In a few minutes, it will become unconscious. Place it in a sealed baggy and freeze for about a week. Discard in the trash the day it will be picked up.

Inspired K9 is located in Naples, Florida.   For more information on our training and rehabilitation services please call 239-260-4629  or visit our website at http://www.inspiredk9.com.  You can also connect with us on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.

When I was 10 years old I got my first dog.  She was a cute furry little mutt named Pepper, that my family adopted from North Shore Animal League in New York.  Although that was so long ago I still remember the joy of picking out this cute, roly-poly fluff ball, that I immediately fell in love with.  I knew soon after I wanted to work with animals and decided I wanted to become a Veterinarian.  Unfortunately, I soon realized that I wasn't very good at science and to become a vet, I would have to take a lot of science classes.  So, I decided to become the next logical thing...a rock star!  Well, that didn't work out either so I became an accountant.  That lasted about 6 months.

I went back to school and became a teacher.  I enjoyed teaching and taught for a while but still didn't feel it was my true calling.  Then life happened.  I won't go into great detail, but there were a lot of ups and downs and I began to realize that life is short and I needed to make some changes for myself and my family.  If I wasn't happy and taking care of myself how could I possibly expect to take care of anyone else.

I opened a pet sitting and dog walking business.  Finally, I was working with dogs.  At that point, I had my own dog, a black lab mix named Molly, that I had adopted from North Shore Animal League when she was 7 months old.  I gave her lots of love and affection, but not much leadership and it showed.  She ate my house...literally.  She pulled off some of the siding trying to capture a runaway chipmunk.  She ate the couch, coffee table, shoes...nothing was safe.  I decided she must be bored and needed a friend, so I adopted a 2 year old miniature poodle, who had anxiety and fear issues and marked all over the house.  He was my velcro dog, and would actually follow me into the shower.  I lavished both my dogs with lots of attention, didn't walk them much, because I had a yard and thought that was enough.  I basically did everything wrong and created two very imbalanced, neurotic dogs.  Baxter became very protective of me and nipped people when they came in the house.  Molly loved people but became reactive to other dogs and continued to be destructive.

I was at a clients house one day and saw the book "Cesar's Way" by Cesar Millan.  Now this client had a very well behaved pit bull, so I figured he must be doing something right, so I went out and bought the book.  It was eye opening and the beginning of my journey into the world of dog psychology and training.  I started watching his shows and doing research.  I started reading many books by other authors on dog behavior and training.  I started taking what I was learning and applying it with my own dogs and clients' dogs.  Through trial and error I began to see what worked and what didn't. 

At this point, I felt I should go for formal training, so I took an intensive course at K9-1 with Mike D'abruzzo, where I learned a lot about behavior modification and was introduced to prong and e-collar training.  I had never considered using these tools and it opened my eyes.  The dogs responded so well to this type of training and became reliably trained on and off leash.  The dogs became more confident, happy and balanced because they knew what was being asked of them and had boundaries.  They were also able to go more places with their families, because they were well trained.  They could take trips, go to the park, an outdoor cafe and really become full members of the family.  What more could a dog want!

I then got the opportunity of a lifetime to train with Cesar Millan, Heather Beck and Colleen Steckloff at the Dog Psychology Center in Santa Clarita, California.  This was a life changing course and made me want to deepen my knowledge of dog psychology and training.

Since then, I have trained with Internationally known trainers, Cheri Lucas and Brian Agnew where I did a lot of hands on work with one of my own dogs and others.  Recently, I attended a 5 day intensive T3 - Train the Trainers workshop with Sean O'Shea and Jeff Gellman at Solid K9 in Rhode Island.  It was there I was "inspired" to take my dog training and rehabilitation to the next level.  Hence, the new name "Inspired K9" was born.

I relocated this past October from New York to Naples, Florida and am now offering dog training and rehabilitation exclusively.  I still have Molly and Baxter as well as two new additions...Teddie and Ralphy.  Although Molly and Baxter got off to a shaky start, I guess I didn't damage them too badly because they are now happy, balanced, well behaved dogs which goes to show you that it's never too late to start over and raise your dogs with rules, boundaries, limitations and love!

Inspired K9 is located in Naples, Florida.   For more information on our training and rehabilitation services please call 239-260-4629  or visit our website at http://www.inspiredk9.com.  You can also connect with us on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.