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Saturday

• SPCA of the Triad: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at PetSmart, 2641 Lawndale Drive in Greensboro.
• Guilford County Animal Shelter: Noon-3 p.m. Saturday at PetSmart, 1206 Bridford Parkway in Greensboro.
• Guilford County Animal Shelter: 12:30-4 p.m. Saturday at PetSmart, 2641 Lawndale Drive in Greensboro. Special cat adoption fair. Cats are $20.
• North Carolina Pet Adoption League: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at PetSmart, 2641 Lawndale Drive in Greensboro.
• Cats Cradle Adoption Program (FCAP): Noon-4 p.m. Saturday, PetSmart, 1206 Bridford Parkway in Greensboro.
• Animal Rescue and Foster Program: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday at Next Step Adoption Center, 705 Milner Drive in Greensboro.
• Carolina Veterinary Assistance and Adoption Group: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at PetSmart, 1206 Bridford Parkway in Greensboro and Petco at 4217 W. Wendover Ave. in Greensboro; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at PetSmart, 1459 University Ave. in Burlington and PetSmart, 135 Collins Drive in Danville, Va.
• Animal Adoption and Rescue Foundation: Noon-4 p.m. Saturday at 311 Harvey St. in Winston-Salem. They are showcasing older cats.
• N.C. Cat Adoption Team: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at PetSmart, 2641 Lawndale Drive in Greensboro.
• Finding Great Homes for Jack Russell Terriers: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday at 1701 Pleasant Ridge Road in Greensboro.
• The Animal Awareness Society: Noon-4 p.m. Saturday at 311 Harvey St. in Winston-Salem. Dogs and cats.
• Humane Society of Alamance County: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday at PetSmart, 1459 University Drive in Burlington.

Sunday

• SPCA of the Triad: 12:30-3:30 p.m. Sunday at Petco, 4217 W. Wendover Ave. in Greensboro.
• Guilford County Animal Shelter: 1-4 p.m. Sunday at PetSmart, 2641 Lawndale Avenue in Greensboro.
• Animal Rescue and Foster Program: 1-4 p.m. Sunday at Next Step Adoption Center, 705 Milner Drive in Greensboro.
• Carolina Veterinary Assistance and Adoption Group: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday at PetSmart, 1459 University Ave. in Burlington and PetSmart, 135 Collins Drive in Danville, Va.
• Finding Great Homes for Jack Russell Terriers: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday at 1701 Pleasant Ridge Road in Greensboro.
   

Alternatives to bathing dogs in cold weather

Q. I have two dogs and they stink. It's too cold to give them a bath outside. Is there anything I can spray on them until the weather gets warmer? -- Alexander Fabris

A. There are waterless baths made for dogs that you can get at the pet store or at your vet. There are also doggie wet wipes that you can wipe them down with. Either of these would help to freshen your dog until his next bath. You might also consider taking them to a groomer and having them bathed. Your groomer should have adequate drying equipment to get your dogd dry before you pick them up.

-- Dawn Gardner is a behavioral consultant and trainer and member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. She owns Happy Hound Pet Services in Rockingham County. Gardner works with dogs with anxiety and aggression issues in addition to offering basic obedience training for family dogs. Contact her at 432-8715 or dawn@hhpsnc.com.

Dog charges TV when animals appear

Q. I have a Boston Terrier, Rudy, who will be 2 years old in May. He is a great little boy and a wonderful companion, but he has some aggression issues. He charges the TV whenever there is an animal on. Help! We desperately want to stop the TV-charging behavior. We stand in front of the TV so he can't see the animal, we put him in time out, hold on to him, anything. But nothing stops the behavior. –- Laurie Parks

A. Our first step is to find out where Rudy is able to hear or see his trigger without getting over-excited. For dogs that are reacting to the sound, this may involve turning the TV down to a low volume at first. For visually triggered dogs, often moving them away from the TV on leash before an animal appears can be helpful.

Once you find the magic spot where Rudy is interested but not out of control, the real training begins. At this safe volume and/or distance, feed Rudy a special, very tasty, treat every time an animal appears. Continue feeding him until the animal is out of sight/hearing, then stop. Repeat with the next animal. Keep these sessions short and stop before Rudy appears bored or tired.

In between training sessions, put Rudy in another room where he can relax if you’ll be watching TV – any practice he gets at barking at the television will work against you.
When Rudy starts showing signs of happy interest, like a loosely wagging tail or softer eye contact, you may move closer (or turn the volume up if sounds also trigger him). Repeat the same pattern as before until you see relaxed, happy body language, before increasing the difficulty again.

With practice, Rudy should learn that calm behavior results in good things for him, and his behavior should improve quickly. When he is comfortable at any distance or volume, start varying when he receives his special treat until he no longer needs one.

-- Erin James-Crook is a CPDT-KA-certified dog trainer and member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. She is owner and head instructor at Collegiate Canine in Winston-Salem. James-Crook specializes in fear-related behaviors and dog-dog aggression, but accepts clients for basic manners training and other behavioral needs as well. Contact her at 462-9738 or erin@collegiatecanine.com.
 

Got a question? Ask a dog trainer a question by emailing thepetshop@news-record.com.

I walked my dogs this morning, which is a huge accomplishment.

And though it may not seem like a big deal to some of you who have the time to walk your dogs every day, it's a huge deal for Greta, Cassie and me right now.

We haven't been sleeping much in the Martin house the past couple of months. My 10-month-old son, Noah, has decided that sleep is optional between 1 and 4 a.m. But last night, he slept. Which means my husband and I slept. And our morning started off on time and at a leisurely pace. So I had time to walk the dogs.

It's a rare occasion lately. But it's just how things are right now.

When I walked outside this morning with their leashes in hand, Greta and Cassie got so excited. Greta hopped on top of the crate, then down. Then back up onto the crate, then down. And Cassie started running laps around the backyard. It makes me feel so happy to see how excited they are.

They are the best dogs and are troopers for dealing with the constant changes of schedule in our house. I hope that spring brings more walking opportunities as a family in the evenings. And in the summer, Greta and Cassie will have a toddler to chase around the yard!

If you can’t add a new pet to your family through adoption at this time, consider sponsoring a pet that will be featured in the News & Record.

Individuals may sponsor a pet by buying ad space for $30.06. The picture and detailed description of a pet in need of a home will print in the ad space. Businesses may purchase a larger ad.

The deadline to sponsor a pet for the Feb. 12 News & Record is 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9.

Call 373-7355 or email classifiedads@news-record.com for more information.

The News & Record partners with the Guilford County Animal Shelter, the SPCA of the Triad and the Animal Rescue and Foster Program.

Now is the time to adopt a cat or kitten if you were ever considering before. A number of rescue groups are having adoption discounts during the month of February on our feline friends.

February is "Adopt A Sweetheart Month" at Forsyth Humane Society. All of their adult cats (1 year & older) are only $47.50. Visit their website to see the cats they have available.

The Animal Awareness Society has wavied their adoption fees on cats this month. Stop by their website to fill out an application on any of their cats.

The folks in Rockingham County are making things twice as nice. Now through Feb. 14, the Rockingham County Animal Shelter is adopting puppies for $80; kittens for $50.

All of these cats, kittens and puppies would make a great Valentine's Day gift. Just be sure your sweetheart is there to pick out her/his own new best friend.

Garfield is a 1-year-old Manx kitty. Garfield likes to “talk” and has no problem letting you know when it is time for a treat. He loves cuddling and playing with other kitties.
Contact the SPCA of the Triad at 375-3222, info@triadspca.org or visit www.triadspca.org.

For more pets looking for a new home, see the Local section each Sunday in the News & Record.

Abbey has always been a sniffer.

She still sniffs my hand before I'm allowed to pet her. I've caught her just sitting in the hallway, he nose in the hair, smelling something. I swear my house is clean.

So it wasn't a surprise when she inspected my new nightstands my husband and I put together this weekend. We got them in place in the bedroom, and just stepped back. Abbey slowly approached, and checked the whole thing out. One was good enough I guess. After sniffing the one, she didn't bother with the second one.

I wonder if she'll recognize the tables in a few weeks. We plan to paint them, since red doesn't really go with our bedroom set. Maybe she'll have to re-sniff them.

While Abbey was doing her thing, Apple didn't seem to mind all the excitement. She just relaxed and allowed Abbey to be the odd one for a change.

It's gorgeous out there today. Though there's a slight wintry nip in the air when the wind blows, you can almost smell spring. This afternoon I sat on my back porch eating my lunch in the sunshine -- Yoshi at my feet, as always. As I looked around my backyard, I noticed some of my spring bulbs were starting to bloom. The unusual warm weather has even confused nature. And then I noticed Yoshi, dipping his nose in the soil with enthusiam. When I yelled at him to stop, he lifted his head up to reveal a snout covered in dirt. Looks like someone has a little spring fever. 

I don't care about the Super Bowl.

I don't care about the commercials, either.

But the Puppy Bowl? That's a different story altogether.

Who can resist all that cuteness?

You can catch "Puppy Bowl VIII" at 3 p.m. Sunday on Animal Planet.

Dog turns into Cujo at mealtime

Q. I have a 5-year old male poodle mix that is as sweet as can be, except when it comes to his food. He’s good with children, shares his toys with our other dog, but goes all “Cujo” on us when there’s food around. We’ve never deprived him of food or taken food away from him. So, why does he do this and what can we do to calm him? — Anonymous

A. Food is a dog’s most prized possession. Take into account that food is a basic, but highly necessary, staple of life (essentially the gold standard for dogs) and it becomes even more precious. It sounds to me like this dog has an incredibly high food drive and that is what we want to curb.

First, I am assuming there are no other dogs in the picture. If there are, the steps would be slightly different. But here are some things to try that may help.

• Feed the dog in a crate. Put the food dish in the crate after the dog is in there. Close the door, walk away and pay no attention to the dog. If you don’t have a crate, please get one, as it is a must for this fix. Not a wire crate, but an airline-type crate. This should be where the dog eats in general. This will help the dog to be able to eat in peace, without fear of something or someone coming to take it. Do this for three days. Do not leave food down over long periods of time.
• After three days, attach a leash to the dog and do some feeding exercises outside the crate. Holding the leash, sit down in a chair and invite the dog to you with a food dish on a neighboring table. Then, tell the dog to stay and enforce it with the leash. (You can tether the dog to something or have someone help you by holding tight to the leash). When the dog is calm, offer the food (a very small amount, maybe 1/8 of a cup) with you holding the dish. Make sure to have a strong grip on the leash, but not tense. Once he has eaten the food, then refill and repeat until the necessary portion has been fed. Do this for three days.
• Finally, start introducing food back into the crate, and make the dog stay and wait for the OK to eat. This will take persistence and practice, but he can get it.

Putting restrictions on the feeding time will help in controlling the dog’s food drive. Watch a video on our website (www.shilohk9.com) demonstrating how to do this.

— Adam Witherspoon is a member of the International Association of Canine Professionals and is an evaluator for the AKC Canine Good Citizen Program. He owns Shiloh K-9 Dog Training Services in Stoneville. Witherspoon works in obedience training and behavior problem solving, including aggression. Contact him at 949-3157 or info@shilohk9.com.

Dog frightened of visiting dogs

Q. We have a Westie. She is 8 years old. We had a friend come to visit and he brought his male Cocker Spaniel with him. The Westie started shaking when she first saw him. My husband held our Westie for a short while, then she jumped down from his lap. When she did this she started slinking to the ground and wandered off. She was gone for more than 30 minutes. She has never done this before. The following day our neighbor brought his female dog to visit. Our Westie had been around her before, but never seemed to notice her. This time though, she began to slink again, so my husband put her in the house. We also have a long-haired Chihuahua, 14, and a Scottie that is 5 years old. We are wondering if this is a trait of the Westie or if it has anything to do with her age. Also, we are going on vacation to the beach and there will be a lot of dogs there. We don’t want this problem to continue. — Julia Moore

A. I don’t think your Westie’s reaction to the other dogs has anything to do with her age, nor is it a trait of a Westie. It sounds like she may have been a little fearful of the other dogs that came to visit. I’m surmising that she hadn’t met the Cocker Spaniel before. Without knowing what the body language of the other dogs was, it’s difficult to know precisely why she might have been “uncomfortable” in their presence.

When dogs are uncomfortable with another dog, they will often lie down to make themselves appear small, which is a dog-to-dog signal that they mean no harm. Maybe your Westie decided that she’d rather not join this party and took herself off somewhere safe for a nap.

I would let her do this as that is where she’s more comfortable. Don’t ever “force” a puppy/dog into a situation where they’re not comfortable, and may become anxious or fearful.
With regard to your beach trip, if you must take her with you knowing that there are going to be lots of other dogs around, try to make sure she has somewhere, like her own crate (a safe haven) with which she’s familiar, to go in the event that she decides to sit this party out.

— Gill Bray is an ABC-certified dog trainer. She owns AlphaPet Academy in Greensboro. Gray uses positive reinforcement training methods and works mainly with basic obedience. Contact her at 202-9503 or gbray1@bellsouth.net.

Got a question? Ask a dog trainer a question by emailing thepetshop@news-record.com.