President:  

Julianne Flaherty 9650 CR 311 Silt, CO 81652

Vice President:

Pamela Levy PO Box JJ Aspen, CO 81612 (970) 923-4567

pamelalevy@aol.com

Treasurer:

Davy Lampman 0789 Cactus Flats Rd Carbondale, CO 81623  

(970) 963-1758

Secretary:

Laurie Raymond 50633 Hwy 6 & 24 Glenwood, CO 81601  

(970) 947-0014

Roaring Fork Kennel Club Directors

Terena Thomas 14503 Colorado River Rd. Gypsum, CO 81637  

(970) 524-8724

Britton Nieslanik 7199 Cnty Rd, 115 Glenwood, CO 81601  

(970) 928-0482

Erin Galbreath 115 Vista Drive Glenwood, CO 81601 (970) 379-3822  

By Lou Mudd of Elegant Images Photography for only $15

Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011 10am-2pm

at Chow Down Pet Supplies Grand Junction, CO

Please click on link above for more information 

CHAIRMAN'S REPORT 

Competitions "Just for Juniors" to Debut at 2011 AKC/Eukanuba National Championship -

New York, NY - This December, the AKC is offering two new competitions just for juniors at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship: the AKC Juniors Agility Competition and the AKC National Obedience Juniors Competition, which will join our long-standing Junior Showmanship competition. I'm pleased to announce that more than 100 junior handlers have entered these inaugural events.

We wish them all the best of luck and we encourage you to stop by the Agility and Obedience rings on the morning of Friday, December 16th (Agility) and Saturday, December 17th (Obedience) to cheer on the future of our Companion sports.

Juniors participating in the AKC Juniors Agility Competition will be running both Standard and Jumpers with Weaves courses in either the Junior Excellent or Superior Classes, depending on whether they've achieved an agility title. The junior obedience entrants will compete in three age divisions in Beginner Novice and/or Novice classes twice, based on their AKC obedience accomplishments.

Dog Safety Tips for the Holidays Hounds for the Holidays!

Holiday times can be joyful or a source of stress for all of us, and that goes for your dogs, too!

With some advanced planning and a little training, you can make things more festive and fun for Fido and less stressful for you!

Things to Keep in Mind Throughout the Holiday Seasons

Dogs can be very sensitive to changes in their environment and routines. When family members take time off from work and school, house guests come to stay, or other visitors roll through the home in droves, you need to try to preserve a few of your dog's routines, such as regular meal schedules and walks, exercise or play sessions.

If there's considerably more activity than usual, plan some quiet times for your dog as well.

The added stress and excitement of holiday festivities can increase your dog's thirst too, so make sure your dog has plenty of fresh water to drink.

If your dog is the excitable or anxious type, he might benefit from an over-the-counter remedy, such as Rescue Remedy, to help keep him calm down and relax. Ask your veterinarian about his or her recommendations as well as how much you should use and how often.

Comfort Zone DAP (Dog Appeasing Pheromone) can also help maintain your dog's calm demeanor. DAP mimics the effects of a pheromone emitted by nursing female dogs, thought to calm the puppies. It can be delivered through a wall diffuser (similar to an air-freshener plug-in), a special collar impregnated with the substance, or can be directly sprayed on bedding or a bandana worn by your dog.

Holiday Décor: Dog Safety Issues

Holiday trappings help to maintain the merry mood but can be fraught with dangers for your dog. Here are some things to watch out for:

Christmas Trees

Tinsel, popcorn strands, and other garland-like decorations can cause serious internal injuries if ingested, and these are just the kinds of things that curious dogs can't resist.

The ribbons, string, and other wrapping accessories found on gifts can be very problematic as well. These can lead to choking or strangulation for a curious pup.

Water at the base of natural trees can contain anti-freeze and other preservatives that are deadly to your dog.

All Christmas trees should be firmly anchored to the wall or ceiling to prevent it from being toppled by an inquisitive pooch.

If you can't avoid all these things, try encircling your Christmas tree and gift display with an exercise pen to keep your dog away but still allowing you to enjoy your holiday cheer.

Electrical Cords

Make sure these cords are well-secured, so your dog doesn't make a chew toy out of them. Consider using cord containers or running them through PVC to avoid having your dog chew on them when you cannot supervise it.

Snow Globes

While many are still made of glass, others can be found in chewable plastic with plastic bases. Chewed plastic shards from broken globes can be life-threatening. Many globes also add an anti-freeze-like substance to the water inside to slow the movement of the snow inside, so a double danger!

Scented candles

Candles can be attractive because of their smell, taste and texture. Make sure they are perched on high shelves out of Rover's reach! Never leave a lit candle unsupervised as they are easily knocked over and quickly become a fire hazard.

Who's at the Door?

No where does the average family dog get into so much trouble as at the front door! Inappropriate greeting behaviors, door-dashing, and just over-the-top excitement can make the front door a source of stress for everyone during the holidays. Here are some ideas for making the doorway a safer place:

Train polite greeting behaviors

Practice! Heavily reinforce 'sits' and ignore jumping up. Turning your back on a jumper can work very well too. For added control, tether your dog to a heavy stationary object to prevent him from following you or jumping on your back as you turn away. Practice with lots of different people and practice in your doorway area to make sure your dog knows it where he'll need it! You can also teach your dog to wait behind a boundary line away from the door entryway or teach him to go to a particular place, like a dog bed, while guests enter the home.

A safe place

         If you haven't had time to train for all the comings and goings at the door, it's always good practice to have your dog crated, securely fastened on a tether, or on a leash while guests are arriving or departing.

Taming the Mob

Entertaining guests can make the holidays merry, but it's important to remember how visitors can be stressful for our dogs.

Avoid visiting pets

• Unless your dog is already great friends with your visitor's pets, it's a good idea to suggest your guests leave their pets at home. Having multiple animals in the home presents management challenges you may not be prepared to handle amidst all the other distractions you'll be facing.

Keep snacking to a minimum

• Make sure your guests know not to feed your dog from the table. Lots of fatty tidbits handed out by well-meaning visitors can also lead to a dangerous bout of pancreatitis or intestinal upset. If your friends can't help but offer your dog a treat (who can resist!), have a portioned supply of his special treats or even his kibble on hand that guests can use instead.

Clear the area!

• Keep a watchful eye for plates and cocktails left at dog level. Since good intentions are prone to fail with so much going on, consider confining your dog to his crate or another room while your guests are bustling about (make sure he has something wonderful to do while he's there) just to make sure he doesn't get into trouble.

Dogs and kids don't always mix!

• Holiday gatherings can be very over-stimulating for dogs and kids alike, so never leave the dog alone with any little people, even his own kids. Interactions between the dog and kids should be strictly supervised by an adult who's dog-savvy enough to know when your dog needs a break.

Finally, if your dog is prone to fearfulness, anxiety or over-excitement when company is around, his crate or private place is best to keep him calm and safe.

Train In Advance!

Great manners are always made, not born, and it can be fun to work with your dog on the life skills he'll need to be the life of the party. Here are a few things you'll want to incorporate into your training plan:

"Sit and wait" or "down and wait"

• Great skills for your dog to learn! Taught positively, these exercises help your dog relax and enjoy his calm and relaxed participation in a family gathering. They can also prevent unruly door greetings and eliminate door-dashing.

"Place" or "go to bed"

• This cue basically involves teaching the dog to proceed to a specified place and wait there for further instructions. Use this one to keep him away from the food table during meal times, which prevents begging and discourages guests from passing your pooch tidbits under the table.

"Leave it"

• An invaluable tool for any dog owner and can help head off a dog who's aiming for a gift basket, dropped food item, or just about anything else. Trained positively, your dog will gladly disengage from just about anything you've assigned a "leave it" to.

"Drop it"

• A suitable companion to "leave it," "drop it" can be used to ask your dog to relinquish an already acquired item. This can be trained through a series of fun trading games that will teach your dog to happily spit things out in anticipation of something better!

Counter-surfing counter-measures

Already confirmed counter-surfers should be confined away from the action, since the high temptation, high distraction environment of a holiday party will be more than they can bear! But if your dog still hasn't scored off the counter yet, using "leave it" training will go a long way to helping your dog understand that counter-surfing doesn't pay!

Did You Know? From the Nature's Logic Newsletter Oct/ 2011

MSG is a common hidden ingredient in pet foods, even in so-called "premium" and "natural foods." Monosodium glutamate is used to enhance the flavor of many processed foods, for both humans and pets. It has been determined to be safe by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), however, it is a form of salt and many pet-parents would like to avoid feeding it to their pets.

The FDA requires that products containing monosodium glutamate must include it on the product's label. Unfortunately, this regulation does not apply to the way MSG is added to most pet foods, in the form of "hydrolyzed protein." Hydrolyzed protein is protein that has been broken down into its amino acid components. It is typically added to pet foods to make them taste better.

According to the FDA, "hydrolyzed protein is used to enhance flavor. The chemical breakdown of proteins may result in the formation of free glutamate that joins with free sodium to form monosodium glutamate (MSG). When added this way, the labels are not required to list MSG as an ingredient."

To make things even more confusing is the fact that pet food manufacturers are not even required to list "hydrolyzed protein" when it is added as a natural flavoring. The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) allows pet food ingredient panels to say, "Natural Flavoring" or similar wording. Yet nearly all flavorings added to pet foods with labels stating "Natural Flavoring" or "Liver Digest" are created by protein hydrolysis, and MSG is thus present.

If you are concerned about whether MSG is present in a pet food you carry, ask the manufacturer to disclose the exact ingredients used in their "natural flavorings." They should be able to tell you if they hydrolyzed proteins that form MSG. Nature's Logic never uses hydrolyzed proteins. Instead we use naturally-dried chicken and beef liver to create truly natural foods pets love.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) was established in 1884 to promote the study, breeding, exhibiting, and advancement of purebred dogs. We now represent more than 5,100 dog clubs nationally, including 111 clubs in the state of Colorado.

The AKC sanctions thousands of dog events each year, which generate significant economic benefits to local communities in addition to the millions of dollars AKC dog owners in Colorado spend annually on their dogs.

Here are the statistics for the State of Colorado over the past three years:

2008: AKC licensed and sanctioned 360 events in the state of Colorado, in which more than 67,300 dogs participated.

2009: AKC licensed and sanctioned 396 events in the state of Colorado, in which more than 66,600 dogs participated.

2010: AKC licensed and sanctioned 432 events in the state of Colorado, in which more than 82,700 dogs participated.

The AKC conducts ongoing research regarding the economic impact of AKC events in localities throughout the state, as well as of AKC registered dogs in the state. Based on our findings, it is estimated that over $20.48 million is generated annually within the Colorado economy from spending on purebred dogs in the state. This includes spending on events, dog clubs, show exhibitors, breeding and basic dog care, just to name a few. As dog shows are a family sport, the large spectator gates generate additional revenues for cities and towns statewide.