Treadmills are used as a weight bearing exercise for conditioning or rehabilitation.

The pace of the animals movement is controlled, the footing is secure, and we can increase or decrease the challenge by changing the speed or incline/decline.  Specific muscle groups can be targeted by incline/decline, adding leg weights or backpacks.

Treadmills provide passive extension of the dogs joints and can also be used for dogs to "relearn" to place their limbs following surgery or injury.

Conditioning and weight loss can be achieved on the treadmill regardless of the weather, so it is very beneficial for dogs who do not get as much exercise due to our desert temperatures.

Your dog will receive a personalized program designed to address his specific issues. All treatments will be carried out by a licensed veterinary technician, specializing in rehab and sports medicine.

Modalities used include manual therapy, treadmill, massage, exercise balls, low level laser therapy, heat and cold therapy and land based activities. Laser therapy will require a veterinarian referral.

Heat and Cold therapies are used to aid in relieving pain and inflammation in many injuries. Increased blood flow and increased healing can also be benefits of properly applied Heat and Cold modalities.

Cavalettis, rope on the floor, incline planks, tables, wobble boards are some of the items used to help your canine in either a rehab program or a conditioning program.

Body awareness skills, stretching, coordination, balance, proprioception are some of the areas we focus on with your dog.

Each dog will have a presonalized program designed to work on the body areas he most needs help with.

Clients are sent home with homework skills to keep up with our program.

Laser therapy acts on the cellular level and the light energy is converted to biochemical energy.  This results in a change in cellular functions, mainly stimulation of tissue repair mechanisms.  Laser therapy can also decrease pain and inflammation. 

Conditions that can be treated by Laser Therapy include:wounds and ulcers, acute injuries/trauma of tendons, ligaments, muscles.  Musculoskeletal injuries, arthritis, bone spurs, also benefit from Laser Therapy.

Massage therapy benefits the canine patient by increasing circulation, removing waste from the body's metabolic system, and increasing nutrient delivery to tissues to speed healing.  Massage can also relieve pain by reducing muscle spasms, and tissue adhesions.  Massage also aids in improving the dog;s joint range of motion and boosting the immune system.

A joint should move through a variety of angles and motions. Joints affected by chronic conditions,(such as arthritis), or joints after surgery may lose their full range of motion,  develop scar tissue, and become painful or inflammed.

Manual Therapy includes joint movements to decrease pain and increase joint mobility.

ROM-Range of Motion exercises combined with stretching maximize joint flexibility and mobility.

Benefits of manual therapy include reduced pain, greater mobility, and improved rate of recovery following surgical procedures.

Your dog will receive a personalized program designed to address his specific issues. All treatments will be carried out by a licensed veterinary technician, specializing in rehab and sports medicine.

Modalities used include manual therapy, treadmill, massage, exercise balls, low level laser therapy, heat and cold therapy and land based activities. Laser therapy will require a veterinarian referral.

Therapeutic exercise balls of different shapes and sizes are valuable modalities for canine conditioning and rehab therapy.

A therapist assists the dog on the exercise ball through a series of exercises meant to

assist the dog with stance, weight bearing, weight shifting and proprioception of the limbs.  Dogs will be asked to "load" or "unload" the weight of different limbs, while also working on balance and core exercises.

Come join us with your 10 week to 6 month old puppy for a meet 'n greet with other puppies and owners.  See the Class Schedule for the next event.

Please make sure that your puppy is current on their vaccinations as appropriate for their age.

This is an open play social session. The class fee is $10 per puppy.

A training instructor will be your host to help monitor and educate. 

*** Special Offer ***

Sign-up for a KinderPuppy, Basic Obedience or Starting Off Right class during the social hour and your $10 can be used towards the full class.

As stated before, the workshop is 3 weeks. We will meet three times for 1-2 hours each time. Workbook and lesson guides are provided. Each session consists of discussions  and hands-on exercises that will teach you how to manage, alter, understand, work with and gain control of your's dog's reactivity issues.

Week One Outline

Discussions:

• How to move and use your body as a powerful communication tool.
• Learn how to channel your own inner calm through your dog.
• Learn how to use your voice and touch to influence your dog’s energy level.
• Reading your dog’s body language to get an insight into their emotional state of mind.
• Predicting dog’s behavior by watching subtle body clues.

Exercises:

• “Follow the Leader” to build you role as leader.
• “Temptation” to teach impulse control. 

Week Two Outline

Discussions:

• Understanding how our behavior influences our dogs at critical times.
• Why you must create a ‘Calm Zone”.
• Difference between “what you expect” and “what they can give”.
• How to clearly define  your expectations of your dog’s behavior.

Exercises:

• “Home Base”, a quick way to “shut-off” a dog by creating a “calm zone” during play.
• “Toy Block & Play” highly effective and non-confrontational way to: teach “pushy dogs” boundaries and to correct toy/food possessive and guarding tendencies.

Week Three Outline

Discussions:

• Understanding tolerance levels, gaining behavioral plateaus and knowing when to stop an activity or remove a dog from a situation.
• Incorporating calm into the dog’s daily life.
• Dealing with “problem situations” such as attending dog events, going out in public or dog parks.

Exercises:

• “Set Them Up” is a fast paced game played as a group that incorporates lessons from entire workshop.

Mary Kay's philosophy regarding Behavior modification focuses on positive reinforcement. All behavior modification programs at SmartyPaws include the use of treats, toys and even clickers to motivate each dog to perform a desired behavior. Shock collars are never used at SmartyPaws. Appropriate training tools are used for each case -- from housetraining to fear aggression to chewing, etc.

Because of Mary Kay's Veterinary Technician education with a focus in Behavior, she is able to work with your veterinarian in the instance that your dog's behavior problem is caused by an underlying medical problem. Her pursuit of required continuing education in this field keeps her current with the latest modification techniques as well as pharmacological advances currently used in the clinical veterinary behavior setting. She works closely with several local veterinarians, in a team effort, to develop protocols for those dogs that may benefit from medications along with their behavior modification.

Each Behavior Modification program is based on the particular needs of the family and their dog. Written instructions are provided, to compliment what is taught in each session. Some tests by your veterinarian may be needed before beginning a program. Nutritional counseling is also provided, as diet is becoming more of an issue in some behavior problems. All information regarding a family's behavior modification is confidential and only to include the family Veterinarian as needed.

At Smarty Paws Canine Coaching we are committed to helping you teach your dog what you would like them to know, while making training fun and enjoyable for both of you. We understand that the major reason pets are given up to animal shelters is because of behavior problems. Our training and behavior services help you address the concerns you have about your pet’s behavior so that you never make that trip to an animal shelter.

It’s much more effective and easier for you to prevent behavior problems than it is to correct them. That’s why our puppy classes and basic training classes are so important. In addition to what you learn from us, feel confident in knowing that we trust the behavior information you’ll find at HelpingFido.com and HelpingKitty.com and we encourage you to follow through and purchase the behavior education products we recommend. We would like your dog - and your cat too - to be behaviorally healthy!

As dog trainers, even though we don’t work with cat behavior, we know that many dog owners share their lives with cats as well. Behavior resources for cats are more difficult to come by, and we are thrilled to have found a source for effective, sensible and scientifically based information about cat behavior and problems at HelpingKitty.com. From litterbox problems to destructive behavior helping cats get along with each other and with family members, you’ll find the information you need.

We welcome your feedback on these products and resources. Feel free to contact us and give us a report after you’ve viewed, listened to or read them.