Spring Has Sprung!

Now that we are all looking forward to the weather getting nicer, we are drawn to be outside more.  So are our pets!  Here are a few things to remember before things get too crazy!

1) Treat your yard for fleas!  Do it now, before they get out of hand.  First, make sure you mow (and rake up) your grass -- this will help to limit any hiding places.  Get some Diatomaceous Earth (food grade -- NOT the stuff made for swimming pools!) and cover your lawn with the floury white stuff.  Done.

2) Make sure you are watching what you plant!  Some plants that are toxic to dogs, cats and rabbits include (but are not limited to)

• Azalea
• Bittersweet
• Caladium
• Clematis
• Crocus
• Day Lily
• Death Camus
• Easter Lily
• Ferns
• Foxglove
• Hyacinth
• Iris
• Lily of the Valley
• Morning Glory
• Oleander
• Rhododendron
• Tiger Lily
• Tulip

Remember, fertilizers and weed killers are poisonous too! Keep an eye on your pets when outside.

3)Does pollen make your eyes water?  It may do the same for your furry friend!  That's right, dogs and cats can suffer the same allergies as humans -- be it food, dust, pollen or plants.  Symptoms may be as docile as sniffling/sneezing, life-threateningly serious anaphylactic shock!  If you suspect your pet is suffering from allergies, please visit your vet asap!

4)Those birdbaths look cute, and I'm sure the birdies love them, but then again, so do the mosquitoes! Standing water is where these bitey bugs lay their eggs, and this includes flower pots, trashcan lids, gutters, ditches, and ponds.  "So my dog will be itchy for a few days, no biggie, right?" Wrong! Mosquitoes carry HEARTWORM!! (Dun dun dun!!)  So, other than ditching the stagnant H2O, what can you do?

• Place plants around your yard to deter the mosquitoes from entering:
  Marigolds, catnip, Rosemary, Citronella grass and Mosquito Plants (kind of a duh, hmm?) all have mozzy repellant properties, and they look nice to boot!

• K9 Advantix II (not safe for cats - suggested to not allow contact between treated dogs and cats for 24 hours after use)
• Keep them indoors during mozzy's most active times - Early morning and Dusk
• Spray a DEET free mozzy repellant on a bandana and tie it around your pup's neck for while it's outside.  Make sure your dog is use to wearing a bandana first, so it is not biting at it and risking ingestion of the toxic chemicals.  DO NOT SPRAY PESTICIDES DIRECTLY ON YOUR DOG.

Get outside and enjoy your dog!  And don't forget the sunscreen!

PS - Happy first birthday Stella!

Keeping Your Dog Entertained

Let's face it, sometimes we get bored.  Well, sometimes our dogs get bored too!  How do you know when your dog is bored?  Well, generally they sleep when they're bored (Did you know that dogs can sleep 18 hours a day?! Whoa!).  But some dogs (especially puppies) tend to act out when they are bored.  This is where counter-surfing, cupboard raiding, tearing up your important papers and digging up your yard come into play. 

So, how do you stop this atrocious behavior?  You give the pup something to do!  The best option is working on training or going for a nice long walk, but if you are working or otherwise  busy when your dog needs something to occupy his mind, there are lots of things out there to help you out!

A favorite in our house and the one I generally fall back on, is the Kong toy, which can be found in most pet stores.  I fill them up with their food (make sure you measure so you can subtract it from their daily serving.  All calories count!)  and then seal it in with some natural peanut butter.  Pop it in the freezer for a bit so the PB hardens and... TADA! Instant free time -- uh, I mean playtime.  Yeah.  Also, these bounce really funny and go all over the place, so they make "ball" more interesting, fyi.

There are also many interactive dog toys popping up on the market recently, such as:

• Nina Ottosson
• DogIt Mind Games

I have not tried the 2 above, yet.  But I will review them as soon as I do.

What are your favorite Interactive Dog toys?

But I have a yard!

I hear it over and over:  "I don't need a dog walker, I have a yard my dog can run in."  It seems logical.  Heck, even my partner had this ideology when we first got together.  If you have a good sized yard (comparable to the size of your dog) then the dog should be able to get all the exercise (s)he needs, right?

The truth is, no matter how much acreage you have, most dogs won't take the opportunity to exercise on their own until they have so much energy pent up that they are doing zoomies in the yard.  Or they expel that energy by digging or hunting anything and everything that steps foot into "their territory."  Max use to be this way.  He had 2 acres to roam, mostly wooded.  He spent all of his time (okay, when he wasn't sunning himself in the driveway) patrolling the line looking for groundhogs.  We had a fresh carcass in the yard several times a week, at least.  Fun. 
Maggie, though she had the same 2 acres to roam, would lay on the back porch until someone came out to play ball with her. 
Stella will run circles like a crazy if she doesn't get her daily walk - which is cute, because she's little, but I know that it is a sign that she has way more energy than she can handle, and we didn't walk long enough today. 

Then there are those dogs who only get let out in the yard, and so they bark at everything.  Constant yapping and snapping, because it is their only outlet.  Then they get yelled at and ill spoken of from the neighbors, when it is not their fault!  They are just trying to release the built up energy any way they can!

Try it!  Take your dog for a nice long walk.  If they are coming home and running circles you did not walk far enough.  See the difference in their behavior and willingness to listen.  It is mind blowing!

A walk isn't just about exercising the body, you are allowing your dog to experience new things, and actually learn.  By walking your dog (properly) you are actually making him/her smarter!  New experiences cause new brain wrinkles, which allows more neurons to fire and brings the whole body to a new level of existence! 

It is truly amazing what an hour a day will do!

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The Flexi-fail

Today I passed a woman out with a beautiful Springer Spaniel.  The dog was weaving around her, stopping to sniff where he chose, and then running to catch up -- to a full 6 feet in front of her.  He bounded about as he please and overall looked to be having a smashing time.  When he noticed us he rushed forward, nearly taking the woman's arm off along the way.  When he reached the end of the small retractable cord attached to his collar, not only was the woman nearly jerked off her feet, but the dog was obviously choked as well.  This was their fun walk...

I will never suggest a flexi-leash (or retractable leash) to anyone under any circumstance.  It gives a false sense of control.  I have many times been told "but I want my dog to feel free and enjoy her walk."  Let me tell you, your dog will find no joy in their walk when they have been hit by a car because they "felt free" enough to rush off the sidewalk and get hit because the locking mechanism gave out.  Gruesome, I know, but it happens more often than you want to admit.

Then of course, your dog gets to "feel free" enough to run circles around you, and then dart after a squirrel, leaving you with something like this:

And that's mild.  I've heard of lost fingers -- and worse, lost dogs.  Though we don't want to believe it, not all dogs are dog friendly!  Your dog rushing up to them mouth agape and eyes wide with excitement is actually really bad manners in the dog world.  And, while you are shouting "don't worry, he's friendly!" you are probably not hearing the owner of the other dog yelling "She isn't!" And while it is easy to say "well why are you out with an unfriendly dog!?" think about how you why that dog deserves to not get the needed exercise, due to other dogs not being properly trained or controlled.

So unless your dog is ALREADY trained on a proper BOMBPROOF recall, heel, and is respectful of the space of others, leave the flexi in the store.

Amazing!

The video above shows 2 "high drive" or over excitable dogs who have been trained using ONLY positive reinforcement techniques.  Impulse control is No.1 important (I admit, I am still working on this with my dogs... we're getting there)!  It's so cool to see how well trained dogs can behave!