COUNCILS AND ACTIVITIES

GENERAL 4-H NEWS

GOATS

GENERAL PROJECTS

Happy New Year Everyone. Hope you had a nice break. As the sun returns and the days get longer it's a great time of year to focus on self-improvement and goals for yourself. In our house, it's a renewed commitment to dog training, exercising, and eating more veggies (after a few too many treats at Christmas!).

Did you know that vegetables provide your body with most of its requirements for fiber, vitamins and minerals? They are the true super foods! For optimal health you want to consume 5-10 servings a day where a serving is the size of your closed fist. Make it easy by putting them into everything. Veggie omelets for breakfast, veggie rich soups or meals for lunch, veggies for snacks (if you need it), and a few more at dinner.

-Erin Williams

Foods and Nutrition Superintendent

Creative Cooks Workshop - Come Play with Us!

Join us on Saturday, January 21, 2023, from 9am to noon in the Parks Meeting Room in Riverdale Regional Park in Adams County (9755 Henderson Road, Brighton) to learn more about the Creative Cooks Contest. The contest will be open to all 4-H members regardless of their enrollment in a Foods and Nutrition Project. The Creative Cooks contest allows members to plan a menu, set a place setting, cook a dish, and participate in an interview with a judge. Judging is based on creativity, taste, and visual appeal, among other factors. It's super creative and fun!

During this hands-on workshop, you will have the opportunity to make garnishes, learn more about nutrition, learn napkin folding and ideas for themes - all pieces that are part of the contest. Please sign up for the workshop no later than Tuesday, January 17, 2023, at https://forms.gle/foZxfQhTt71seZST6.

Hope you have a great year and contact me if you have questions about Foods and Nutrition Projects or the Creative Cooks Contest.

-Erin Williams

Foods and Nutrition Superintendent

DOG

4x4 4-H Dog Club – Club News

In December, the 4x4 Dog Club held its 10^th annual Holi-Dog Party in Barn A. It was a ton of fun! Members competed to see who could draw the best picture of a tree …. on a paper plate … on their head … without looking! Surprisingly, we had some really good artists!! We played a few more games, sang songs and completed a service project for the Longmont Humane Society. Members collected dog food and treats, and also made “tug toys” out of fleece for all the shelter dogs. We also made holiday cards with photos of our pups for the senior citizens at the Alta Vita Assisted & Independent Living communities. At the end of the night, we participated in a gift exchange. Members sat in a circle and passed their gift to the left or right following directions in a holiday story read by Denise Young. It was challenging to keep up with all the left-right switches as the story went on, but it was SUPER fun! Everyone had a great time.

First Year 4-H Dog Project Members -- Orientation for all first year 4-H Dog Project members will be held on Wednesday February 22, 2023 from 6:30 - 8 pm in Barn A (revised time). Leave your pups at home, but do bring your questions, pen & paper for taking notes and a chair to sit in. We will introduce trainers, discuss classes and training philosophy, and explain equipment. We are looking forward to another fun 4-H Dog year!

2023 4-H Dog Training Schedule -- 4-H Dog training classes will begin on Wednesday March 1^st in Barn A. Classes for first and second year beginners will be held primarily on Wednesday evenings, and off-leash obedience training will be on Thursdays. Please see the full class schedule. It can also be found on the Boulder County 4-H Dog Project web page for details.

New Dog Training Classes – The State 4-H Dog Committee has revised the Beginner Novice Obedience training levels this year to more closely match the AKC levels. In 2023, all first year project members will enter the new Pre- Beginner Novice A class which is entirely on-leash. Second year Dog Project members will be in the Beginner Novice A class again this year but will begin learning some off-leash skills (recall and sit-stay). Project members who are starting a new dog will enter a B level class, and can decide whether to start on- or off-leash. The Beginner Novice C level classes have been discontinued. More information about class placement will be shared in February. Also beginning in 2023, Boulder County 4-H will be offering a Jumpers Agility class (jumps and tunnels only) for project members in their second or higher year of off-leash dog training. Classes will be offered on Thursdays at Barn A, and a Jumpers Agility Contest has been added to County Fair! Stay tuned for more information about this fun new Agility class and dog/handler eligibility!

Please contact Anne Janicki, 4-H Dog Superintendent, Janicki.anne@gmail.com, if you have any questions about the schedule or the dog project.

Snack Time with your Dog

By: Alessia Daelli, 4x4 Dog Club Reporter

If you are snacking on some macadamia nuts and your dog is looking at you like they are hungry, think twice before you share a couple of macadamia nuts. Dogs can’t have many “human foods” even if you want to share all your favorite foods with your pup. Macadamia nuts are very fatty so dogs can get very sick from them. They may get symptoms such as vomiting, ataxia (can’t coordinate movements), weakness, hyperthermia or even depression. Macadamia nuts are one of the top “human foods” NOT to give to your dog. If your dog eats a macadamia nut you should call your vet just to be safe. Instead of giving macadamia nuts to your dog you could give them some apple slices.

When you're having a backyard barbecue, while you are buttering the corn on the cob and want to share some because your dog has been so good, conscientiously think, corn on the cob is not safe for dogs to eat. Corn on the cob is a huge choking hazard and if it is ingested it could cause blockage. Even if the cob makes it all of the way through the digestive system there is a high chance of your dog getting constipated. Since your dog would be in so much discomfort from eating corn on the cob you could give them some cut up cucumbers instead to reward them for being so good.

It’s finally time for dessert! You're having some delicious chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven. You know dogs can’t have chocolate so you don’t give them any of the cookies but you think you should give them a little bowl with some milk. Be wary because dogs are actually lactose intolerant, which is a shock to most people. Dogs have no trouble, when little, having their mom’s milk but they CANNOT have cow's milk. Cow's milk can cause diarrhea, barfing, loss of appetite, and even bloating. So just to keep your best friend safe you should just give them water to drink and could give them some banana for a dessert.

SHOOTING SPORTS

HORSE

BOULDER COUNTY 4-H

01/07 -Officer Training

01/13 -4-H Day Rodeo (National Western Stock Show)

01/14 -Poultry Project Open House

01/21 -Creative Cooks Workshop

01/25 -Family Forum

01/25 -4-H Horse Judging Workshop and Info. Night

01/26 -Re-enrolling members need to enroll and pay fees prior to this date

01/28-01/30 -Leadership Development Conference

MEET OUR TEAM

Boulder County Extensions Office

9595 Nelson Rd, Box B

Longmont, Colorado 80501

(303) 678-6238

4hinfo@bouldercounty.org