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K9 College Cruise March 30 – April 7, 2008

 

 

 

Overview

The K9 College Cruise started four years ago and is still one of the best kept secrets around. Most dog people learn about this cruise by word of mouth. To be honest my initial reaction was I cannot afford to go on a cruise! Then another dog person pointed out how quickly going to a few seminars can add up to more than the cost of the cruise. In addition, some of these seminars are now only offered on the K9 cruise. The speakers were available and agreeable to answering questions throughout the cruise instead of rushing off to catch a flight after their seminar. This was definitely a very nice added bonus!

Too often when we attend seminars there are the distractions of phones, work, etc. Most people's cell phones did not work while out to sea. In other words, the only way to reach them was by ship to shore phone for a mere $8 a minute ensuring most people would only receive emergency calls if any at all. So very few distractions.

Cost Comparisons

I attended nine seminars on the cruise but missed most of the port events due to my trusty cell phone not working. Hence I was unable to use it for alarms to remind me of events. Using a conservative $100 per seminar it would cost a minimum of $900 to attend these seminars. One speaker lives in Thailand so his seminars probably cost a lot more if they are even available in our area. If you add in travel, hotel and eating costs you can easily go way over the cost of the cruise. My average hotel cost lately has been $75 (if I am lucky) which would come out to an additional $675. Using a very conservative number of $50 a day for food would add $400. Easily going to nine seminars could cost you at least $1975 excluding gas/air fare. Cabins start at $949 excluding gas/air fare. However, I highly recommend upgrading to a balcony kennel.

How It Works

Each attendee signs up for the seminars they are interested in with their order of interest. The seminars are then scheduled on the cruise so the most popular ones are not in conflict. Each day we were out to sea there were at least two seminars we could attend. (You could attend another seminar you were not signed up for if room was available.) Some of the speakers have been on the cruise for multiple years but usually continue from where they left off. There were also some educational/dog related events after we left each port as I have noted below. One of those was a K9 Fashion show which was rather interesting and included some fashions for Cypress, the service dog who assisted his owner throughout the cruise. (I am surprised poor Cypress did not end up bald from all the doggie withdrawal attendees petting him!)

Speakers

This year's speakers in alphabetical order were:

    • Dr. Roger Abrantes (rare seminar as speaker live in Thailand)
      1. o Brave New World of Dog Training
      2. o Understanding K9 Language
    • Kay Ames
      1. o Bach Flower Essences
      2. o Maximize Your Puppy's Potential (offered multiple days)
    • Dr. Carmen Battaglia
      1. o Breeders Symposium (after left port)
      2. o Breeding Better Dogs
      3. o Judge/Exhibitor Workshop (after left port)
      4. o Puppies and Development (offered multiple days)
    • Pat Hastings
      1. o Judge/Exhibitor Workshop (after left port)
      2. o Puppy Puzzle
      3. o Tricks of the Trade (retired and only available on K9 cruise)
    • Dr. Robert Hutchinson
      1. o K9 Reproduction
      2. o K9 Pediatrics
    • Myra Savant-Harris
      Whelping and Neonatal Intensive Care (offered multiple days)
    • Dr. Gerald Post
      o Combating K9 Cancer
    • Michelle Savigny
      o K9 First Aid (offered multiple days and times)
    • Corky Vroom
      o Beating the Pros!

Some Seminars Highlights

I must say that Dr. Robert Hutchinson, Pat Hastings and Myra Savant-Harris were the main reasons I decided to go. There were other speakers I was aware of that I signed up for. There were also some pleasant surprises for speakers I had not heard of.

The most dynamic speakers of the seminars I attended were Dr. Hutchinson and Pat Hastings. There were also other nice surprises and learning experiences along the way.

Combating K9 Cancer – Dr. Gerald Post

Sadly cancer in canines is on the rise. The good news is there are new protocols that are getting good results.

One of the interesting as well as surprising things I learned is that there is a strong correlation between canine cancer and juvenile cancer. So much so that there is a five part study starting up where the canine research community has committed to the first part and the juvenile research community has committed to the second part.

Early detection is as important in canines as it is in humans. Dogs respond well and have less side affects (if any) than humans.

Unfortunately my notes are incomplete as I did not have a place to plug in my computer. So my battery ran down part way through the seminar.

K9 Reproduction – Dr. Robert Van Hutchinson

Dr. Hutchinson has so much knowledge to share and continues his seminar where it left off the previous year. The seminar also goes in whatever direction the attendees want it to.

This was one of the most informational and I must say shocking seminars. There was pretty much a collective gasp in the room when it was revealed how often Pyometria is misdiagnosed. More than a few long time breeders had spayed their bitch when all they actually had was a case of vaginitis (vaginal discharge). The majority of Pyometria cases are treatable and in the most of the cases do not require spaying. Often if the bitch is put on Mibolerone (was Cheque Drops) she can later successfully whelp a litter.

The only way to definitively diagnose Pyometria is with an ultrasound. A bitch that has never been in heat cannot have Pyometria contrary to what your vet says. Also a pregnant bitch cannot have Pyometria.

On a side note, my kennel mate and I were lucky enough to dine with Dr. and Mrs. Hutchinson the first night of the cruise. We also had lunch one day and ended up on the same excursion. Dr. Hutchinson is very approachable and informative away from the seminars and I now see why so many Great Dane and dog people highly respect him.

Puppy Puzzle – Pat Hastings

Pat Hastings is a very dynamic speaker. We were lucky enough to have dessert with her one night and had a very lively, enlightening discussion.

This was an eye opening seminar even though we had viewed part of this seminar for the educational portion of a club meeting. So much so that if I were to breed a litter I would strongly encourage my puppy owners to either purchase the DVD (as I did) or attend the seminar.

Anything below the mediocre rating should not be bred as they have more structure issues. These puppies should never be used for performance as performance dogs need the best structure. Breeders need to place the higher quality puppies in performance homes especially if they are going to do agility.

Tricks of the Trade – Pat Hastings

I have to admit this seminar was not on my list. In some ways the title is misleading as I thought it was all about showing dogs. I was pleasantly surprised that it was actually about every day care of dogs. There were numerous DUH moments for many of us in the audience. This seminar is only offered on the cruise as it has been retired.

I would love to have this seminar on video to replay some of the pictures of growth issues in puppies. One of the biggest issues Great Dane people have (besides vaccine protocols) is vets convincing owners to feed puppy food. Once switched to the adult formula of the same food these major deformities were resolved.

One of the DUH moments was how to clean a fiberglass crate easily. Spray it with Scrubbing Bubbles then hose it out (never just wipe it out). There is a revised edition of her book, Tricks of the Trade which contains a lot of these "why didn't I think of it" items.

Understanding K9 Language – Dr. Roger Abrantes

Dr. Abrantes is a very personable and engaging speaker whether in a seminar or in conversation. Not only was the seminar informative but there was the added bonus of a photo show on Thailand. I visited Thailand in 1974 so the Thailand photos were very interesting to me.

To be honest I was so fascinated with the seminar and studies Dr. Abrantes has done that I did not take many notes. This is a seminar I would like to attend again given the opportunity. It makes me wish I had signed up for his other seminar.

Excursions

Ok, this really is not seminar related but I thought it might be of interest to anyone going to either of these ports. I went on two excursions when we were in port. I highly recommend both excursions.

Rain Forest Aerial Tram Adventure – St. Lucia, WI

St. Lucia was our first port of call on the cruise. The driver gave us a narration of the island's culture, fauna and flora on the way to the rain forest. This excursion is to a protected rain forest and there really is not much walking required. The aerial tram was very relaxing with the rain forest so lush and green.

This excursion was my first choice as I visited state parks (e.g., Grand Canyon and Petrified Forrest), caves, caverns, etc. while growing up. So I wanted to do something I did not have access to every day and I was not disappointed.

I took numerous photos of the rain forest many where I was trying to catch the very illusive black iridescent colored humming birds. I did get some humming bird photos but they are even harder to photograph than a black dog!

There were bromeliads all over the rain forest and a few bird of paradise flowers. About the only disappointment was that we did not get to see any parrots since it was their mating season. However, it was inspiring enough that we were all ready to do it over again if we could have. The gift shop had some of the nicest souvenirs also.

Butterfly Farm & Marigot – St. Maarten, NA

This has got to be the best bargain/bang for your buck tours offered! The driver was wonderful explaining the difference between the French and Dutch sides of the island. The narration and views both to and from the butterfly farm were phenomenal. I was able to get many nice shots through the bus window believe it or not. In our group I had the camera with the best zoom since we have had to hide from our dogs at shows! I was also glad my camera has a stabilizer which came in handy on the drives (and the swaying ship at times).

The chrysalis are collected and pinned onto shelves of the screened containers while they are transforming. Each day a container is opened and the butterflies that are ready to fly are set loose. Not only is the butterfly farm beautiful but it was an education experience as the guide explained the very short life and habits of butterflies.

There is one moth at the Butterfly Farm which I was fascinated with and took numerous pictures of. The Atlas moth is considered the largest moth in the world with a total wing surface area of 65 square inches.

Comments/Suggestions

A lot of people liked the larger kennels (err cabins) on the Miracle but complained that the food was not as good as it was in past years. I will admit I was somewhat disappointed in the chefs' abilities. However, I was not aboard for the food but the seminars. In most instances the buffet area seemed to have better food available. The seminars more than made up for the food.

It would have been nice though to have the group closer together instead of spread throughout the very large dining room. Most people I talked to would have preferred the early seating and many switched to the earlier seating.

Some of the rooms used for the seminars made it hard to see the projector screen due to décor blocking the view. The only other issue was the lack of electrical hookups. I'm sure this was not an issue for most people but I'm used to doing notes on my laptop since I so seldom write any more. Oh, technology has spoiled me!

2009 K9 College Cruise

Next year the cruise will again be on the Carnival Miracle – February 17-25, 2009. The three ports on the cruise are Panama, Costa Rica and Belize. Some speakers have already been scheduled with everything being finalized in the next couple of weeks.

For more information, you can visit their web site at http://www.k9collegecruise.com or call 800-979-8687. You can also contact Randy Markley (also a group coordinator for the cruise) at 717-361-9171.

Again I highly recommend attending the K9 College Cruise at least once.