Hands On Paws

Thumper: Dog Training

pcgs51 — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 17:57:22 +0000

My husband and I are very fortunate people. Because we found Esther Horn! We affectionately call her, “The Puppy Whisperer” behind her back but the fact of the matter is that it is really not far from the truth.

We adopted an adorable, spunky little puppy named Thumper and really had no idea what to do once the ink was dry on the check. We contacted Esther at Hands On Paws. She came to our house, sat with us at the kitchen table and presented us with a checklist. She patiently explained and reviewed each item with us. Puppy proofing, nutrition, exercise, vaccinations and so much more. All this before the training even started! Esther provided us with so many tips on how to make life with a new puppy so much easier. And they all made perfect sense.

If we have a question about anything we usually call Esther first. Even before the veterinarian. That is how comfortable we are with her. She is calm, patient, supportive, intelligent and always put us at ease.

We no longer consider her just Thumper’s trainer. She is also a friend of our family.

Thank you, Esther. A round of paws for you!

Kamal and Mary Arafeh
Aliso Viejo

Chloe and Lily: Pet Sitting

pcgs51 — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 07:36:44 +0000

Esther-

Thanks a million for watching my girls. It is such a joy to be able to have them cared for by someone who will give them the love and attention that we give! We had an amazing vacation. Hope they all got along!~ Lily LOOOOVES to bust Tessa’s chops by following her around and trying to be ALPHA FEMALE!! hahaha

The girls are happy and look great! Chloe’s skin improved so much!

Thanks also for the cute letter! You are awesome!

xoxoxo Lori DeAngelo (and Chloe and Lily!!!)

Hank’s Happy Ending

pcgs51 — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:33:36 +0000

We wanted you to know how much we enjoy Hank (formerly known as Dirk). He’s been a wonderful addition to our household and, even after two short months, we can’t imagine our home without him.

Hank is playful, obedient and gentle. You would never guess from his behavior in our home that he lived in the shelter for over a year. He’s never chewed anything he shouldn’t, jumped on furniture, and he was housebroken from day one.

On our third day with Hank we were hiking on a trail when we were approached by three riders on horseback. We put Hank in a sit/stay and he merely watched as the horses walked by. That’s thanks to the many hours that volunteers Esther, Tracy and Terry spent working with Hank almost daily for over a year.

It’s a privilege for us to provide Hank his forever home. Thank you for stepping in and enabling his adoption to happen.

With gratitude,
Jim, Grace…and the Hankster

Raja: Board and Train

pcgs51 — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 07:32:49 +0000

Esther has been amazing! We knew Raja was a good dog, but we were having trouble controlling him, he is big, strong and excitable. He had separation anxiety and he was developing barrier aggression against other dogs in certain situations. He was great at a dog park, loved playing with other dogs, but if he met them while he was on a leash or on the other side of a fence he got very aggressive. With Esther’s knowledge, help and patience, she is teaching Raja and showing us how to work with Raja to overcome these issues. We’ve found that he is very smart and a quick learner. He can now walk on a loose leash, knows his commands: sit, down, stay, leave it and come. He is polite and waits to receive treats and to eat his meals. We are currently working on walking in public places around other dogs and we are also working on his separation anxiety. He is showing quick improvements! I don’t think we could have managed this so well on our own. She has shown us simple, yet very effective and gentle ways to achieve the desired behaviors we want in Raja to make him the best dog possible.

Scarlett: Pet Sitting

pcgs51 — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 07:30:17 +0000

Thank you for taking care of our little Scarlett on such short notice. She came home very happy and relaxed, and we are grateful for your knowledge and experience. We loved that she had the opportunity to socialize with other dogs and that her potty training remained on schedule. Scarlett is out of her crate and using the doggie door now for pottie. She is making great progress, but she still loves to ruff and tumble with the big boys!

Thank you again for your expert care,
Richard and Karen Motske
The Druggist Pharmacy
24022 Aliso Creek Road
Laguna Niguel, CA

Pet First Aid Saves Lives

pcgs51 — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:28:22 +0000

As Esther’s long time friend and webmaster I have attended a number of her Pet First Aid Workshops. But a recent incident brought home the true importance of such an education. She not only teaches what to do in the event of an emergency, Esther taught me what I could do to prevent harm from coming to my pets.

As my husband, Bruce, and I were recently traveling home from a camping trip—towing an 18 foot trailer, our vehicle jack knifed. Not only did our van and trailer over turn on Interstate 5 on a Saturday afternoon (both totalled) our two dogs, Molly and Dottie, and our desert tortoise, Michelle, were traveling with us at the time. Fortunately, none of us were seriously hurt. Our pets completely escaped injury—thanks to Esther’s instruction. Each pet was traveling in their own crate at the time. This is so important! On that day, many good Samaritans came to our assistance. Our car was catching fire. Because my dogs were in crates—our heroes knew that they could open the back of our van quickly with confidence knowing that:

The animals in the car were probably alive and uninjured because they were protected by these hard shell crates—worthy of taking the next step in the rescue process.
They would not risk being biten by our frightened dogs.
Although frightened, these dogs would not be able run into the highway risking injury to themselves or creating a new accident for others.
These dogs could be quickly wisked away from the vehicle without concern for how to control them.
Crates could easily slide along the roadside and pavement with minimal effort even with 50lb. dogs inside.
Michelle, our desert tortoise, did not become a flying object because she too was in a hard shell pet crate (for reptiles) too!

I am so grateful to Esther for her expertise and excellent workshop. She taught me how to prevent a tragedy before it could happen. I could have taken shortcuts with tragic results if it weren’t for your course. Thank you my dear friend!

Priscilla Christian, Dana Point, CA
PS: To anyone who reads this testimonial: I recommend YOU take this course at least once.

Pet First Aid in Action

pcgs51 — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 12:21:13 +0000

A little over 2 weeks ago I took Esther Horn’s First Aid & CPR class for dogs and cats. I took this course so I would feel in control if something happened to my dog, a 1 year old Goldendoodle. Little did I know that less than a month after taking this class, I would be tested—just by someone else’s dog. Just after I arrived home from work last week a neighbor’s dog was hit by a car. She had squeezed out the front door a little girl had opened and darted straight into the path of an oncoming car. The driver and passenger stopped, but they didn’t know what to do. Neither did the other half a dozen people who stopped wanting to help. The owner wasn’t home; no one knew who her vet was or who to call. Should they move her? Give her water? As frightening as the situation was, I took control:

Did the dog have a heartbeat? Check.
Was the dog breathing? Check.
Was the dog in distress and in need of medical attention? Check!

First Aid was needed here. There was no external bleeding, but she obviously had internal injuries and was in shock struggling with each breathe. We slid a blanket under her to keep her from burning on the hot pavement and tilted her head to the side to make sure her tongue wasn’t blocking her airway. She needed to be moved, but not until we knew where we were moving her to. Someone went off in search of a piece of ply board to slide her on to prevent from exasperating her injuries when we moved her.

Among the documents you receive taking the First Aid & CPR pet course is a list of emergency numbers—one that includes Urgent Care which was closed when I called. I called my vet, a full service animal hospital 10 minutes down the road, and fully equipped to treat her. They said to bring her in; a lesson for all that you can take an animal to any vet to be treated in an emergency situation—just try and call first!. The owner came home from work at that point and we slid her onto the ply board and off we went. Unfortunately, she ended up going into cardiac arrest when we reached the vet, at which point the technicians were able to start CPR and inject something in her heart. She was not revivable and it was a very sad situation. The vet said her internal injuries were so bad she had no chance of survival. However, the family was extremely grateful that I was there and knew what to do. She didn’t die on the pavement in front of the little girl who loved her and we were able to make her as comfortable as possible without causing her further pain or injury.

I STRONGLY recommend this course for anyone who owns, cares, and works with animals. You WILL leave feeling in control and armed with knowledge. Materials are sent home with you to practice what you’ve learned and a list of items to build your pet first aid kit. With summer and hot weather now here, pets are at further risk of snake bites, bee stings, dehydration, etc.

If you saw a dog or cat in need that wasn’t your own, would you try to help? Of course you would! Would you know what to do? You will if you take the class. As I learned, it’s truly an invaluable experience.

Aliza Bornstein

Pet First Aid for Professional Caregivers

pcgs51 — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 05:23:07 +0000

I am Dig Tittle owner of Dig N’ Dogs Pet Services Company. I recently attended a Pet First Aid Class taught by Esther Horn of Hands on Paws. The class was incredibly informative, filled with copious amounts of information which I can use to save dogs lives. I now can perform CPR on a dog that is not breathing and or has no heart beat or apply first aid so they can be transported safely to a Veterinarian.

Learning to prevent dangerous and harmful situations has made me a better Dog Care Professional and I will pass along much of this information to my clients. I think Esther is a fantastic teacher. She makes the information easy to understand and digest. The practical CPR instruction was great because it included a lot of practice which gave me confidence that I could perform CPR in a life or death situation with out hesitation or panic which is key to saving a life.

Esther was extremely knowledgeable about all aspect of dog care. She encouraged questions and discussion which was refreshing because I learned by listening to other peoples stories which made a lasting impression on me. Esther shared her vast knowledge in a way which seemed like a friend giving very helpful advise.

Do take this class, even if you are just a pet owner this can save your loved ones life. And if you are a professional this information is a must and Esther’s class is the one I would recommend.

Thank you Dig Tittle

Chelsea: Dog Training

pcgs51 — Thu, 07 May 2009 07:18:02 +0000

Esther Horn is a professional and thoroughly capable dog trainer. She has given me the basic understanding of how to work with my dog in order to have a content, well-behaved companion. My dog, Chelsea, an American Eskimo-Corgi mix, enjoyed our training sessions, and Chelsea has learned to follow basic commands. Following through with reinforcing training has been pleasurable for both me and my dog. We have met at my home, at the harbor, and at a dog park in order to have a variety of situations for our training sessions. Esther was also able to help me with dietary concerns and with choosing needed accessories for my dog. She is loving and positive in her approach.

Dixie Sundberg

Holistic Hounds in Dana Point

pcgs51 — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 07:14:55 +0000

I highly recommend Esther and the team at Hands on Paws! With her help my ‘Oso’ is a happy, healthier dog—and that makes me very happy!

Joe Moreno, Dana Point, CA