Deerfly Diaries

New Class Teaches Dog Clicker Training Basics

Beginning this Saturday at 10:00 am at High Tails Dog & Cat Outfitters in West Glenwood Springs, I will offer a new Level I Dog Obedience class. I will cover basic cues and behavior issues. All ages of friendly, vaccinated dogs are welcome. Students will be provided a free clicker learn how to use it to communicate with their dog and teach it new behaviors. For $110 students can purchase a 6-session punch pass to complete my six week curriculum. Learn more about the class.

How Does Clicker Training Work?

Clicker training simply uses a clicker to mark good behaviors in your dog. It is very similar to when you tell your dog, “Good dog,” when it sits, then you give your dog a treat. Instead of verbally praising the dog we use a clicker to mark the exact instance that your dog performs the good behavior (i.e. click when your dog’s bottom hits the ground). Then we always follow the click with a small, soft food treat. 

The clicker is very effective because it is a unique noise that is new to your dog. The sound of the clicker quickly begins to mean something to your dog. Before long your dog will start thinking, “What did I do to get my owner to click.” The dog will soon learn to repeat the behaviors that earned it a click. 

A Clicker Helps Your Dog to Understand What You Want

Clicker training can be a very fast and effective means of communicating with your dog because it relies on positive reinforcement rather than punishment or coercion. It creates a thinking dog that is eager to work for rewards. Clicker training works well with almost all dogs of all ages. It can also be a very effective means of working with shy, fearful or easily distracted dogs. 

 

Volunteering at CARE Rescue for my ABC Externship

To complete my ABC Certified Dog Trainer program I am required to volunteer at least ten hours of training time to a local shelter. The goals is to help the dogs become more adoptable and at the same time, improve my dog training skills.

Volunteering at an Animal Shelter Helps Place Rescue Dogs in Homes

I actually have been volunteering once or twice a week at C.A.R.E. since I started the ABC program back in May. I find it to be a very rewarding experience. Many of these dogs come into the shelter very wired and excited. They are confused and not sure what is happening to them next. The shelter provides a safe place for them until they find a home, but it is still filled with unfamiliar sights, sounds and smells that can be very intimidating to a homeless dog in transition. Just walking the dogs allows them to get outside of the shelter, relax and unwind. A little training goes a long way to help the dogs focus, which in turn also helps them to relax.

Finding the Potential in a Shelter Dog

One of the dogs I have worked with recently is Hayduke. A sweet pitbull mix that seems to love everyone, but when I first met Hayduke I wasn't sure if he would ever calm down enough to be walked by the average person. He jumped, fought the leash, was short on attention and was SUPER strong. After a little time outside of the shelter, Hayduke calmed down enough to put a Gentle Leader on him. This really helped calm him and allowed him to be more easily handled on a leash. Now that he is used to the Gentle Leader he is calm and better focused– a joy to walk.

Hayduke is not yet adoptable because he is still in line to be neutered. The exciting thing, however, is seeing this dog's actual potential. He is really a beautiful dog that just needs a little training. With a little effort, I hope we can find him a great forever home sometime soon. 

C.A.R.E. Rescue opened its doors in 2000. Since opening, C.A.R.E. has taken in and placed over 6,300 dogs, cats and exotics. The 501 c 3 is primarily funded through private donations, funding from Garfield County, Colorado, fundraisers. They are always in need of donations of money, supplies and volunteers.

Sue is a dog trainer in Carbondale, Colorado. She offers affordable private dog training sessions and group classes, upon request, to residents in the Roaring Fork Valley.

Friday is National Take Your Dog to Work Day

Friday June 25th is National Take Your Dog to Works Day. It's a great way to get the boss to say you can bring Fido to work. Besides the fact it's fun way to spend the day with your dog, the purpose of Take Your Dog to Work Day is to celebrate the great companions dogs make and to encourage their adoption from animal shelters, humane societies and breed rescue clubs.

So don't leave Fido at home- take him to work!

Columbia Sportswear SeaGrass Grow Event in Islamorada, Florida Keys

Some weeks I am slim on content for my blog, but this isn't one of those weeks. In the last five days I attended a seagrass restoration media event in the Florida Keys, caught an 80 pound tarpon, snorkeled a coral reef, toured a Classic American Car show and shot a 3D archery course. What's next?

The trip to the Keys was with Columbia Sportswear. We gathered approximately 15 local writers, editors and radio personalities together for a two day event that focused on seagrass restoration. Seagrass is the native grass that grows in shallow flats in the oceans all around the world. It is vital habitat to ocean life including fish, shellfish, eels and sea horses. Over 70% of marine life is dependent on seagrass beds at some point in its life stage. Seagrass is impacted, however, by human activities including propeller scarring and ill-placed development.

On day one we gathered the editors for a day of hands-on seagrass restoration work with the Ocean Foundation and Seagrass Recovery. There are specific restoration techniques including placing sediment tubes in the scars, placing out bird stakes and creating planting units to initiate stabilization and restoration of the seagrass. 

Columbia Sportswear, in cooperation with Bass Pro Shops, through the sale of a special collection of its Performance Fishing Gear (PFG). Direct financial support will go to the SeaGrass Grow campaign to support conservation of the ecosystem. 

After a day of seagrass restoration everyone hit the water for a day of fishing. We chartered nine boats including seven flats boats and two offshore boats. Columbia sponsored athlete Captain George Poveromo was one of the captains to take anglers fishing the deep seas off the coast of Islamorada. George and his first mate Carl Grassi were both a pleasure to hang out with and a wealth of knowedge.

 

I joined Miami Herald writer and outdoors woman extraordinaire Sue Cocking for a day of tarpon fishing with our guide Dick Hagood. Dick was an excellent guide, but it was a quiet slack tide so the tarpon were laid up and not eating a whole lot. By the afternoon there was a little action and Dick put the two Sues in a good spot to intercept the tarpon as they moved around a near by island.

 

As the day closed on us, my line went tight and a tarpon exploded in the air fifty feet away. After a thirty minute fight my guide had the leader in hand. Unfortunately the hook came free before we snapped any photos of the 80 pound fish, but that is probably better for the survival of the fish anyway.

 

On our last morning, despite wind and waves, Doug Berry, GM of the Bass Pro Shop, graciously treated us to a snorkeling trip a mile off shore from the docks of the Cheeca Lodge where we stayed. It was my first time snorkeling and it was awesome. Just like being in a tropical aquarium. I got a little sea sick from the high water, but it was worth it.

All in all an excellent trip. The best part was meeting the excellent people who attended the event. Everyone had a wealth of experience and ideas to contribute. Of course the oil spill was a main topic of conversation. We were at least 600 miles from the nearest reported oil, but it is clearly affecting everyone regardless. Public perception has already reduced bookings throughout the whole state even though the fishing and vacationing is still great at this time. Time will tell how the story will play out, but it is certain to be an ugly story from many perspectives for years to come. 

Thank you to everyone who helped make the event a success. 

For more information:

Press release: Download BassPro-CSCMR_FINAL_060110

View the Columbia Sportswear Seagrass Restoration video.

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Sue Melus contracts with Columbia Sportswear to help with the hunting and fishing public relations. She is the owner of Melus Outdoors, LLC Public Relations and Communications.

Study Looks Into the Health Benefits of Pets - NYTimes.com

via www.nytimes.com

Today's NY Times ran a great article on the therapeutic benefits of pets on human health.

5th Annual Pooch Parade in Memory of Beth Byerly

This coming Sunday, May 23rd from 1:00 to 4:00 pm, join us for the 5th Annual Pooch Parade in Memory of Beth Byerly at Two Rivers Park in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. All proceeds help pay the medical bills of Beth Byerly of High Tails Cat and Dog Outfitters, who recently passed away from Cancer.

I will be at the event demonstrating Pet First Aid, CPR and Wellness. Learn how to conduct the Snout to Tail Wellness Assessment on your dog or cat. Remember, early detection means early intervention. Stop by and say Hi to me at the Pet Tech booth.

One-Year Anniversary of Writing for Carbondale, CO's Newspaper, the Sopris Sun

The Sopris Sun celebrated its first year anniversary on Thursday when it published its 51st issue. The Sun replaced the defunct Valley Journal as the only local Carbondale Colorado newspaper. Trina Ortega was the editor who helped get the 501 c3 newspaper get off the ground. Terray Sylvester came on-board midway through the year as the new full-time editor. A big thanks goes out to Terray, Trina and everyone else who has helped make the Sopris Sun a success.

Local Outdoor Columnist for the Sopris Sun

This also marks the one year anniversary of my monthly outdoor column in the newspaper. The column is kind of a local extension of my online blog, Deerfly Diaries. I covered fly fishing, turkey hunting, upland hunting, backcountry safety, the disabled vets shooting skeet and trap, etc.

Profiles of Locals in the Outdoors

My favorite columns to write, so far, are profiles of some of the amazing locals we have in Carbondale and the Roaring Fork Valley. This past week I was fortunate to get a few minutes of time with adventure photographer Tyler Stableford. Tyler found a new outlet for his work this past year that helped thousands in need in Ethiopia. You can read my story on Tyler Stableford on Suite 101.

Sue Melus has a PR and Communications business for the outdoor industry. She is currently handling the PR for Columbia Sportswear's hunting and fishing divisions.

Skijoring Clinic at Redstone, CO Winterfest 2010

This weekend was Winterfest in Redstone, Colorado. The quaint historic mining town of Redstone is about 15 miles from Carbondale on Highway 133 on the way to McClure Pass. Traditionally the town hosts sled dog races each winter, but this year they decided to mix it up a little bit and include ice climbing events, a snowshoe race, chili cook off and beer tasting.

The dog lovers in the crowd still got some great action with the addition of a skijoring clinic. Skijoring is a combination of nordic skiing and dog mushing, where the people and the dogs work as a team (you hope) to traverse the snow. The sport has tradition in Scandanavia where is has long been used as a means of winter transport.

Louisa Morrissey, owner of Skijor-n-More in Silverthorne, CO, helped organize the event. Participants brought their own skis and dogs,and Louisa provided the dog harnesses, bungee lines and tethers.

 

After the dogs were harnessed up, it was time to get on the track. There wasn't a lot of time for instruction; just keep your dog moving ahead, stay untangled and try to avoid other skiers and dogs.

I skied with both Elsie and Porter separately before I worked them together as a team. Elsie's drive to run and be in front helped her to pick up on it right away. She loved it! Porter was a little less enthused about the control aspect. As a team they did GREAT. It helped that they already know basic commands like whoa, high-on (to go), come around (to turn), etc. There is a whole set of commands for ski joring, but bird dog commands worked well too.

 

 
 
The day was a lot of fun and there were lots of participants and tail wagging dogs. As far as I know, no one got hurt. Below is Louisa skiing. She was on skate skis, which looked like it had an advantage over classic skis.

 

 
 Check out the rest of my images from the Redstone Winterfest to see some of the other fun activities.

SHOT Show 2010 in Las Vegas & Columbia Sportswear

SHOT Show 2010 was a Success

These last couple weeks were very busy ones for me and the rest of the outdoor industry. I attended the 2010 SHOT Show in Las Vegas from January 19-21st. SHOT stands for Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show and Conference.

The SHOT Show is owned and sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). According to the NSSF, overall attendance was 58,444, only several hundred shy of the show’s all-time record set at the 2008 Las Vegas Show and more than 11,000 above last year’s show in Orlando. The show attracted an all-time high of 31,280 buyers, and the 1,804 media professionals attending established a new record. Impressive for a country living in recession.

View photos of the SHOT Show here.

Melus Outdoors, LLC Working with Columbia Sportswear

I was stoked to ink a deal with Columbia Sportswear just prior to the show to help them with their hunting and fishing public relations efforts. I spent most of my time in the Columbia booth at SHOT Show in appointments with the hunting industry media. Always a good time to meet new people and catch up with my friends in the industry.

Columbia Sportswear Launched Omni-Heat Technology

Columbia launched it's new patent pending Omni-Heat Technology to the media at the show. The Omni-heat technology combines a new thermal reflective technology that is breathable and wicking, a new Omni-heat insulation that surpasses comparable insulation on the market and a super cool new Omni-heat electric technology that is available in boots. I am very excited to work with Columbia to bring this new technology to the hunting market July 1, 2010.

The SHOT Show was followed by the Safari Club International Annual Hunter's Conference in Reno, NV from January 20 - 23rd, 2010. The ski, snowboard and general outdoor recreation show, known as OR SHOW, was also held just after SHOT in Salt Lake City, UT.

Outdoor Writer Charlie Meyers Passes Away at Age 72

 I am sorry to learn that wordsmith Charlie Meyers passed away Tuesday evening after a battle with cancer. Charlie covered the outdoor beat for 40 years at the Denver Post, where he wrote about skiing, nature, fishing and hunting. He was very accomplished and well respected at what he did.

I had the opportunity to meet Charlie at the Fly Fishing Retailer Show in Denver in 2007 and work with him on and off while I did the PR for Simms Fishing Products.