Ithaca Dog Training Club

09/15/2026

When a dog is constantly scratching, licking, and battling red, irritated skin, we naturally look to the skin for answers. But researchers are discovering that part of the story may begin somewhere unexpected: the gut.

The community of bacteria living in a dog’s digestive tract plays an important role in the immune system. Researchers wanted to know whether restoring a healthier balance of gut bacteria could help reduce the inflammation behind allergic skin disease.

In a randomized clinical trial of dogs with allergic, itchy skin, some received beneficial gut bacteria from carefully screened, healthy donor dogs through a f***l microbiota transplant (FMT), while others received a placebo for comparison.

What researchers found points to an intriguing connection between gut health and skin health. Dogs that received the healthy gut bacteria developed less severe skin disease and needed less medication to manage their allergy symptoms.

Read more here:

When dogs have allergies, the problem may not start with the skin. A growing body of research suggests that the community of bacteria living in the digestive tract, known as the gut microbiome, plays an important role in the immune system. When that community becomes unbalanced, it may contribute to...

09/07/2026

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Today my dog went in for what was supposed to be a completely routine surgery: a spay.

We wanted to get the spay out of the way because there’s potentially something else underlying that we need to investigate, and removing hormones and future heat cycles from the equation is one step in figuring out what’s going on.

And because I am me, we did everything “right.”

Pre-op bloodwork? ✅
Vaccines? ✅
Preventatives? ✅
Microchipped? ✅
All the responsible-dog-owner boxes checked? Absolutely.

I dropped her off this morning expecting to pick up a slightly drugged, freshly spayed Belgian Malinois.

Instead, when I picked her up, the vet sat me down and told me there had been an accident during surgery.

They accidentally nicked her spleen.

I’m not going to pretend I immediately responded with some calm, rational, emotionally regulated response. 😂 I had been awake since 3:30 AM, driven an hour and a half for this appointment, and suddenly I was hearing “spleen” and “bleeding” when I thought I was picking up my dog from a routine spay.

So yes, I panicked a little and immediately called my sister, who works in veterinary medicine, and basically said, “Please explain this to me like I am five.”

After talking it through, asking questions, and actually having time to process everything, though, I realized something:

I’m actually really glad I chose the vet I did.

Does it stink that this happened? Absolutely.

Are the next several days going to make me nervous because now I’m monitoring a Belgian Malinois recovering from a spay AND making sure her spleen continues healing properly? Also absolutely.

Because telling a Malinois to remain calm is basically asking a tornado to politely sit still. 😂

But accidents happen.

And I think sometimes we forget that when people work with living, breathing animals, there is no such thing as eliminating risk 100%.

You can perform thousands of surgeries successfully and still eventually have a complication.

You can have every safety protocol imaginable and still have a dog fight.

You can build a 12-foot velociraptor fence and somehow a dog will still look at it and say, “Challenge accepted.”

You can do the bloodwork, vaccines, monitoring, preventative care, staffing, training, management—all of it—and something can STILL go wrong.

What matters tremendously to me is what you do when it does.

This vet could have repaired what happened and never said a word to me.

How would I have known?

Instead, they told me.

They explained what happened. They took accountability. They performed additional testing and provided the additional medication and care she needed without adding those costs to my bill. They gave me instructions about what to monitor and told me that if complications related to the spleen injury occur, to bring her back and they will take care of what needs to be done.

No hiding it.
No making excuses.
No hoping I never found out.

Just:

This happened. We addressed it. Here’s what we did. Here’s what you need to watch for. And if there is a problem, we are going to make it right.

THAT matters to me.

I’ve had people tell me, “I would never use that vet again.”

And after having time to process everything, I actually feel the opposite.

I would much rather work with someone who can look me in the face and tell me something went wrong than someone who wants me to believe they’ve somehow worked with animals their entire career without ever having an accident or complication.

Because I work with animals too.

I know what it feels like to have protocols that have worked successfully for YEARS and then one day something completely unexpected happens.

And that’s really why I wanted to share this on my business page.

Whether you’re a veterinarian, groomer, trainer, boarding facility, daycare, rescue, breeder, pet sitter, or anyone else trusted with someone’s animal, perfection isn’t what builds trust.

Transparency does. Accountability does. Communication does.

Mistakes and accidents can damage a business, but dishonesty can destroy trust even faster.

Outside of this complication, my experience with this facility was genuinely great. It was clean. The staff were incredibly kind. Nobody made me feel rushed. Every person who walked through the door seemed to get their full attention.

And when something DID go wrong with my dog, they didn’t hide from it.

Would I have preferred the boring version where I picked up my sleepy little Maligator, drove home, and spent the next two weeks convincing her that crate rest isn’t a personal attack?

Obviously. 😂

But my takeaway from today isn’t:

“Never make a mistake.”

It’s:

When something goes wrong, tell the truth. Take accountability. Communicate. Support the person affected. And do everything in your power to make it right.

Sometimes the way a business handles the moment when things DON’T go perfectly tells you more about them than everything going perfectly ever could.

Now we begin Operation: Keep a Belgian Malinois Calm While Her Abdomen AND Spleen Heal.

Wish us luck. I have a feeling that may be the biggest challenge of this entire experience. 😂

08/25/2026

Free webinar from Cornell:
The Growing Tick Threat
Protecting Pets and Families From Tick-Borne Disease
Tuesday, September 01, 2026, 1pm EDT
Registration required
(Yes, please share this with your friends & neighbors!)

Tick-borne diseases are an increasing concern for pets, families, and communities. As ticks spread and new disease threats emerge, understanding how to identify, prevent, and manage these illnesses is more important than ever.Join the Baker Institute for Animal Health and the College of Veterinary M...

08/10/2026

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08/03/2026

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🐾 Choosing the Right Breeder – Part 1 🐾

The Puppy Starts With the Breeder

Choosing the right breeder is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make as a dog owner.

You’re not just buying a puppy…

You’re choosing the person who shaped the first eight weeks of that puppy’s life.

A responsible breeder doesn’t simply produce puppies, they’re working to improve the breed through:

✔️ Health
✔️ Temperament
✔️ Sound genetics
✔️ Welfare
✔️ Careful planning

Don’t fall in love with the puppy first…

Fall in love with the breeder.

A good breeder will happily answer your questions and they’ll ask plenty of their own to make sure their puppies are going to the right homes.

Remember, a polished website or thousands of social media followers don’t guarantee a well-bred dog.

Choose the breeder with the same care as you choose the breed.

🐶 A well-bred puppy is one of the best investments you’ll ever make.

➡️ Coming next in Part 2: The Questions Every Puppy Buyer Should Ask.

🌐 www.k9manhuntscotland.co.uk

“Never buy a puppy because you’ve fallen in love with the dog. Buy it because you’ve gained confidence in the person who bred it.” — Simon Chapman

07/22/2026

We all want our dogs to stay strong, active, and comfortable. AKC's CHF-funded research provides evidence and practical answers to take the guesswork out of keeping dogs moving at their best.

In their most recent article, they share a study led by Dr. Cynthia Otto at the Penn Vet Working Dog Center that examines how a 12-week structured exercise program affects the core muscles that stabilize a dog’s spine. Using performance assessments and CT scans, the team is evaluating how exercise changes muscle structure and function in healthy dogs.

For active dogs, strength starts deep. The muscles that support the spine play an important role in overall movement, stability, and performance. Dog owners, trainers, handlers, and veterinarians all want to help dogs stay fit and reduce the risk of injury. Canine sports medicine needs further inves...

07/21/2026

When next you get irritated or short tempered when your dog is reluctant to enter an area, please be patient with him or her.

What WE see is not what THEY see or experience.

Filming these changed my viewpoint -- dogs see so much more chaos and areas of shadow & light than we dok. It's given me even more appreciation for our teammates' amazing skills and efforts.

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

07/20/2026

Here's information about the next installment of the AKC 2026 Canine Health Discovery Webinar Series.
Advancing Pain Assessment in Dogs: Emotion & Cognitive Testing
Speaker: Dr. Maggie Creamer
Date/Time: Tuesday, August 4, 2026 at 7:00 pm ET
Chronic osteoarthritis pain is known to affect mobility and function, but its impact on emotion and cognition has not been evaluated. Dr. Creamer will discuss research focused on developing the Dog Pain-Related Emotion and Cognition Test Battery, a standardized tool designed to evaluate these effects and support future research on canine chronic pain. Learn how this work may advance our understanding of the canine pain experience and support future research on chronic pain.

Osteoarthritis is a common cause of chronic pain in dogs, leading to impaired mobility and decreased quality of life. In humans, in addition to physical limitations, persistent osteoarthritis pain is known to cause affective, or emotional, and cognitive deficits that worsen the pain experience. Desp...

07/13/2026

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07/12/2026