Helping Your Dog Recover Using the Treat & Train (AKA Manners Minder)

My little dog Ollie had a small bump on his leg. The vet I asked to look at it said, "don't worry about it". But after it had been there for over six months, the next vet who saw it thought we should biopsy it.

It turned out to be a mast cell tumor. We tried medications to reduce it since it is on his leg and there is not a lot of skin to work with. The meds didn't help so I brought Ollie in for surgery four days ago. The vet told me he would probably need a cone to prevent him from chewing it so I went and purchased about 3 different types of restraint to make sure he was as comfy as possible. It turned out however that he didn't need any restraint and is doing just fabulously.

Since his activity is restricted to potty walks he seemed a bit bored. I decided to use the Treat & Train to help keep him occupied yet not moving much. I simply added Ollie's food, set the Manners Minder to 3 Min varied intervals and hit the "down stay" button so that food would come out about every three minutes or so.

It worked great and I thought I would share this additional use for one of my favorite dog training tools. I think using the Treat & Train this way would work for just about any dog that is recuperating from an injury or surgery and needs to be kept still but is allowed to eat a normal diet and is willing to eat. Of course, there are other great things to do to keep your dog busy like having him chew on Antlers, Bully Sticks or Himalayan Chews. Or maybe teach tricks that require little movements such as teaching them to shake there head "yes" and "no". It is also important for your recuperating dog to keep stress to a minimum, so don't overdo the entertainment and make sure he or she gets plenty of rest as well.

And the best news of all, Ollie's biopsy came back yesterday as a grade 1 tumor (the best kind) and completely removed!

I wish the best of luck to you and your pets in all of your adventures!

Jess Rollins, Owner
Pet Expertise.com