June 1, 2018 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com • 5A
How to train your dog for a day at the beach
A
t last, it’s safe to sport your
favorite pair of shorts! Your
dog’s excited too, and sans
his winter onesie, he’s bounded
from the car wearing nothing but his
walking harness. He’s ankle deep in
sand when you note his eyes locked
on to the ocean, and for a moment
you panic. It’s not the water you
fear, it’s the whir of rubber and
its metal tonnage. As you grab
the leash, a car horn sounds in the
distance, and a woman’s voice,
screaming her dog’s name.
Those who live in Clatsop
County and wish to enjoy beach
fun with their dogs have choices,
but also challenges. Gearhart and
Warrenton residents must share their
entire beach strand, 24/7/365, with
automobiles. Luckily, modern dog
training offers survival skills to help
protect your dog.
“Touch” and “loose leash” behav-
iors can be trained quickly and built
on over time. To prepare for training,
cut one cup of unseasoned, unheated
turkey hot dogs and hard cheese into
pea-sized cubes and place in a non-
breakable bowl. Find a private, quiet
room in your home, with no other
animals in or near the space.
CANINE CORNER
RAIN JORDAN
& DAHLIA
Sit on the floor, in a chair, or on
a bed. Place the bowl of food near
your hand but out of your dog’s
reach and view. Have the scent of
food on the palm of the hand with
which you will be training — that is
helpful for the first several touch-
es. Here are the steps for teaching
touch:
1. Gently place and hold your
open palm in front of dog’s nose,
about one inch away.
2. Wait until dog touches palm
with nose, then immediately say
yes! and retract your hand.
3. Immediately after saying yes,
take one tiny piece of food from
bowl and deliver to dog’s mouth
from your hand, then retract hand.
Once dog has eaten it, repeat the
first three steps three times. Repeat
three more times, but now placing
your palm 3 inches farther from
dog’s nose.
4. Once your dog is comfortably
RAIN JORDAN
Rain Jordan of Elevate demonstrates the “Touch” method with a for-
merly feral dog.
executing the touch behavior, add
the word “touch” as you present
your palm. As your dog gains
confidence with touch, continue
increasing the distance of your palm
several inches at a time, always
adding the word “touch” as well.
Eventually, this Touch palm cue
will become a short-distance recall
behavior.
The steps for teaching “loose
leash” are as follows:
1. Dog is on walking harness and
leash; your leash end is against your
stomach with one hand; food is in or
accessible by your other hand.
2. Walking a slow or normal
pace, for every one to two steps
your dog does not pull on the leash,
say Yes!, then deliver one tiny piece
of food as you walk. Repeat as
many times as needed depending
on your dog. (If the dog begins
checking in with you — looking
back at you —while walking, that’s
a plus! Reinforce that with a yes!
and delivery of food.)
3. Increase goal to three or four
steps with leash slack, then five or
six, etc. Your dream goal: An entire
walk with the leash remaining slack.
Rule: No punishments or “correc-
tions” as these can negate learning,
trust, and confidence.
How do these skills help your
car-beach challenge? Touch-recall
increases off and on-lead, visual,
and voice guidance while Loose
Leash training creates a habit and
mindset that reduces the risk of your
dog yanking the leash away and
ending up in front of a car. Teach-
ing, combining, and positively re-
inforcing these good behaviors will
keep your dog safer and provide you
with greater peace of mind.
Rain Jordan of Elevate Dog
Training & Behavior is a certified
professional dog trainer and behav-
ior specialist in Gearhart.
Plastic pollution, a world problem
Hope and
change for our
environment
By Katherine Lacaze
For Seaside Signal
It’s not new information
all the world’s continents are
connected by water; as a re-
sult, however, all civilizations
across the globe also share
responsibility in curbing the
“mammoth problem” of plas-
tic pollution threatening the
environment.
“This issue is way bigger
than us in the United States,”
Charlie Plybon, Oregon poli-
cy manager with the Surfrid-
er Foundation, said during a
Listening to the Land lecture
at Seaside Public Library on
May 16.
Plybon’s
presentation,
“Plastic Pollution: Acting lo-
cally to curb a new world or-
der in ocean pollution,” was
the final lecture of the 2018
Listening to the Land series,
presented by the Necanicum
Watershed Council in partner-
ship with the library.
While the current trends
related to plastic pollution
are worrisome, Plybon’s lec-
ture was not about doom and
gloom, but rather “a hope-
and-change kind of presen-
tation,” said Chrissy Smith,
coordinator of the Friends of
Cape Falcon Marine Reserve,
a north coast-based volunteer
organization.
The scope of
the problem
Plybon, who has a degree
in marine biology and is a
member of the Oregon Ocean
Policy Advisory Council,
shared important statistics,
giving listeners a glimpse of
the magnitude of the plastic
pollution problem.
According to a 2016 re-
port called “The New Plas-
tics Economy,” by the Ellen
MacArthur Foundation and
the World Economic Forum,
if plastic pollution continues
being generated and entering
the environment at its current
rate, it may outweigh the to-
tal mass of fish in the world’s
ocean by 2050. Such a pres-
ence of plastic has the power
to change entire ecosystems
and species, Plybon said.
Additionally,
multiple
studies suggest there are more
than 2.25 trillion particles
SURFRIDER FOUNDATION
Plastic pollution was the topic of the Necanicum Watershed
Council’s May Listening to the Land lecture.
of plastic currently floating
in the ocean, and fish off the
west coast ingest more than
12,000 tons of plastic per
year. Humans also ingest plas-
tic microfibers, which were
found in 83 percent of tap
water samples collected from
at least a dozen countries on
five continents, according to
a study commissioned by data
journalism outlet Orb. For the
United States, 94 percent of
water samples were contami-
nated by plastic.
A brief history
How did this happen?
Plybon shared insight into a
cultural shift that transpired
around the mid-21st century.
In 1955, Life Magazine ran
an article called “Throwaway
Living” that celebrated the
convenience of single-use
products and disposable items.
The consumerism mindset that
began proliferating at the time
can be summed up in a quote
attributed to Victor Lebow, an
economist and retail analyst:
“Our enormously productive
economy demands that we
make consumption our way
of life, that we convert the
buying and use of goods into
rituals, that we seek our spir-
itual satisfaction and our ego
satisfaction in consumption.”
“We need things con-
sumed, burned up, worn out,
replaced and discarded at an
ever-increasing rate,” Lebow
wrote.
Such a system is not sus-
tainable, however. Humans
cannot exist on a finite plant
with linear system, Plybon
said.
“Everything goes one way
and into the trash,” he said.
“That’s just not the way we
can live. Eventually we will
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Solutions such as recy-
cling, incinerating, or convert-
ing microfibers into synthetic
fleece are not sufficient, or
even effective, in keeping
plastic out of the environ-
ment. Also, China, the world’s
largest importer and recycler
of plastic, has implemented
increasing restrictions on for-
eign waste in the past couple
years; most plastic items —
save thin-necked plastic soda
and water bottlers — are no
longer recyclable in the cur-
rent system.
“Your ‘recycling’ isn’t be-
ing recycled,” Plybon said.
Solutions in the system
Most importantly, people
need to consider the entire life
cycle of the items they con-
sume, and ask themselves.
“Be aware of what you’re
buying, and be aware of where
it’s going to go,” Plybon said.
“If it’s single-use and it’s plas-
tic, it doesn’t make sense for
it be around forever after you
used it once.”
In addition to consuming
less in general, individuals
can switch to alternatives and
embrace a Bring Your Own
culture, using reusable mugs,
water bottles, to-go contain-
ers, straws, zip lock bags, jars,
and more. Buying in bulk is
not only affordable but also
allows people to avoid the
wasteful packaging that of-
ten accompanies single-serve
food products.
The next step is finding
community solutions, such
as setting zero-plastic waste
goals at schools or workplac-
es; conducting educational
events to raise awareness;
holding outdoor cleanups;
implementing local plastic-re-
duction policies; creating
bans on plastic bags or poly-
styrene; or putting together
a municipal plastics solution
committee. Advocates can en-
gage large-scale suppliers to
ensure nonplastic alternatives
are accessible and affordable
for restaurants and other busi-
nesses.
The Surfrider Foundation
recently launched its Ocean
Friendly Restaurants certi-
fication program in Oregon,
giving restaurants a way to
demonstrate their commit-
ment to sustainability. To
participate in the program,
restaurants must follow four
criteria: No using expanded
polystyrene (also known as
Styrofoam); following prop-
er recycling practices; using
reusable tableware for onsite
dining and only providing dis-
posable utensils for takeout
food upon request; and no of-
fering plastic bags for takeout
orders. Additionally, restau-
rants must choose a minimum
of three other criteria from a
set of six.
Finally, individuals need
to take their concerns about
plastic pollution directly to
the companies producing the
items – the first point of the
linear system. The world’s
largest corporations make
more money than most coun-
tries, and that depends on
consumerism and constant
buying. Engaging irrespon-
sible companies through let-
ter-writing campaigns, phone
calls, or strikes, and support-
ing companies with responsi-
ble practices can lead to tangi-
ble results, Plybon said.
“We are the ones that can
be empowered,” he added. “If
we want to change the system
we’re in now, we have to be
advocating at a higher level.”
The Listening to the Land
speaker series offered January
through May, with presenta-
tions held the third Wednes-
day of every month at the li-
brary. The program, which is
free and open to the public, is
finished for 2018 and will re-
sume in January 2019.
SUE CODY
Jeanne Nasby, Marion Blake and Jack Bland play bridge
at the Astoria Senior Center.
Socializing through
games and movement
improves health
By Susan Cody
For EO Media Group
Did you know that so-
cializing and playing games
can keep you healthier lon-
ger?
In the comfortable lobby
of the Astoria Senior Center
a few people are relaxing
and talking. About 20 bridge
players are in another room
gearing up for an afternoon
of cards. In the cafeteria,
another 18 people gather to
play pinochle.
Similar to the Bob
Chisholm Center in Sea-
side, activities abound for
residents to get out and do
something. Whether it is
line dancing, music, yoga,
exercise classes, free mov-
ies, cards, board games,
education or a musical jam
session, there are ways to
engage and meet like-mind-
ed people.
The Astoria Senior Cen-
ter is a great place to social-
ize, says Larry Miller, the
center’s director. The new
space is designed for many
activities that don’t inter-
fere with each other, such as
playing pool, using comput-
ers or eating lunch.
“Everybody enjoys it,”
Miller says. “It is welcom-
ing and friendly, and you can
get lots of snacks and coffee.
The coffee’s always on.”
The benefits of playing
games
“Researchers have dis-
covered that mentally chal-
lenging games such as
bridge are well suited for
older people because the
games offer intellectual and
social stimulation on a rou-
tine basis,” AARP reports.
“A study in 2000 at the Uni-
versity of California, Berke-
ley, found strong evidence
that an area in the brain used
in playing bridge stimulates
the immune system.”
Paul Buckman of Astoria,
says he was mourning after
his wife died. He tried group
counseling, then took some
bridge lessons. He found
bridge was much more help-
ful than counseling.
“You sit down at the
bridge table and every-
thing else just melts away,”
says Sue Kroning a Seaside
bridge instructor.
Buckman says, “It’s a
fascinating game. It keeps
me away from TV and nap-
ping on the couch.”
LEWIS & CLARK
TIMBERLANDS
Recreational Access
Permit Public Notice
All recreational
activities on Lewis
& Clark Timberlands
Oregon will require
a no fee recreational
permit effective
June 1, 2018
To acquire a permit (available 5/21/18): Go
online to greenwoodresources.com and click
on Recreation Access, or Scan the QR code
using your smartphone at one of our access
gate signs. Call 503.755.6655 for recorded
information.
Our goal is to provide a quality recreational
experience while improving communications
with our timberland visitors.