Dogviews

Fat Cat

Fat Cat Inc. is one of my favorite dog toy manufacturers. Like the name suggests, they make cat toys, too.

About two years ago, I bought so many of their toys, I had to hide the box in the closet and give some of them away. My dogs don't like all of their toys, but they all make me laugh. Here are some of my "big dog" favorites:

Terrible Nasty Series - Big Mean Kitty, Dirty Rotten Kitty, Awful Mad Kitty

They flop around and the dogs love it when they are shaking them.

Crackler Bird

My dogs can't resist the crackling noise.

These toys aren't  for aggressive chewers, so choose accordingly. There are other toys in the line that would work better. Also, there are toys for small breeds.

Fat Cat Inc.

No Bugs Fiddelin' with the Vittle

OK, it's a stupid headline...

I'm an organization freak...except where the garage is concerned. Ask my husband. There are times he can hardly make it from his car to the door through the maze of stuff, most of it dog related.

It seems that  I've always got 2 or 3 different types of dry dog food in the garage. If it's in an opened bag, it's all over the place (thanks to Sayla the cat.) And an opened bag can mean problems with pests.

That's why I like Vittle Vaults. They are the nicest food containers on the market. They're made of hard, strong plastic, they stack on top of each other, but most importantly they are easy and quick to open. They have this giant spin top that can be opened or closed with just a quick flip of the wrist. They come in sizes for 4-6 pounds of food to 80 pound capacity. The stackable models have openings on the side so you don't have to move containers around. From the manufacturer's website:

"We have gone to lengths to ensure that the Vittles Vault is food safe. The Vittles Vault is manufactured from FDA approved high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which is used throughout the “human” food industry. The gaskets are made from FDA grade styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), and are lightly lubricated with an FDA grade silicone."

I like the 4-6 pound model for traveling. And it comes with its own measuring cup. This is a must for Vino the pudgy cocker.

Vittle Vault on Amazon

Teaching Your Dog WAIT

This is Vino waiting for his food. Can you believe the attitude?

WAIT is one of the most useful commands I've taught my dogs. It means, "Stop what you are doing immediately and look at me." I use it before going out doors, so they don't rush ahead of me; before meals, so they sit patiently for their food; at the top of the stairs, so they don't tackle me and make me fall on my rear down the stairs.

You can teach wait in two different ways. If your dog is very food motivated and goes crazy when you're getting his dinner ready, make him sit and wait while you put his food down. Put him into a sit position and say WAIT. Do not start to lower the food bowl until he is still. As you lower the bowl, he'll probably jump up. If he does, raise the bowl up again and use an "interrupter tone" such as "achh" in a low pitched tone (don't screech).

Start moving the bowl toward the floor again. Repeat raising the bowl as you bend down until he's still for just a moment. The moment he is still, tell him FREE and lower the bowl and praise him.  Keep doing this every meal until you can walk across the room while his bowl is in front of him as he's sitting patiently. If he is really resistant, turn around and put the food bowl on the counter and wait 5 minutes before starting again.

I can feed all three of my dogs by making them wait in front of their bowls scattered throughout the room until I release them at once. It makes for a calm mealtime!
The second method is to teach him to wait in front of a door while you open it and go out the door. Start with your dog in a sit in front of a door. Tell him WAIT. As you slowly start to open the door, he'll probably start to get up. If he does, close the door quickly (don't catch his nose.) When he looks at you, tell him "Good boy" or click and treat him. For more on clicker training, see Karen Pryor's website.  Once he stays for a moment, give him a reward by opening the door, and letting him out the door. Make sure he is on leash, or in a confined area. Keep doing this over several days. As he catches on, keep raising the bar until he will stay while you go out the door and come back in.

Don't confuse this command with STAY. STAY means stay in one place until I release you. WAIT means stop in your tracks for a small moment in time.

Taking your dog on the road

I just found Gina Spadafori's dog blog, Dogma and it's great!

What a great idea! She does reviews of vehicles in relation to how well they work for dog lovers. See the article on the Toyota RAV 4: dogma: Dogmobiles: Road-testing the Toyota RAV4.

I'm in the market for a new car and everytime my 14 year old brings up a vehicle (he's a walking car encyclopedia) we first discuss how well it would accomodate the dogs.

Great idea, Gina!

Carpet Stains Gone Like Magic!

If you're new to the dog world, you probably don't know about Nature's Miracle. I've lived through at least five puppies in the last three years, and I'm not sure I would have stayed sane, had it not been for Nature's Miracle.

Nature's Miracle Stain and Odor Remover uses enzymes to remove stains and odors. The packaging claims it is "guaranteed to eliminate all stains and odors from pet accidents permanently, or your money back!"

I like the fact that it works, and smells good, too.

The company also makes Pet Mess Cleanup, which works great for vomit.

The best advice I have for potty training, however, is to take your dog outside yourself and praise, praise, praise him! Also, keep your puppy on a tether in the house. That way, you won't lose track of him. Most dogs won't eliminate in front of you, they'll run off to the new carpet in the dining room.

Roam at Home

The Roamer leash from Ruffwear is my new favorite leash. This contraption has a bungee-like cord inserted in the center of the leash, which allows it to expand from 5' to 10'. It's great for those walks where you sometimes want control, and sometimes want to let your dog explore. The bungee system keeps the lead from tangling and it saves your shoulder!

That's only part of why I like this leash. It has an adjustable handle with a side-release buckle so you can hook your dog up to a post, or put it around your waist for hands-free movement. I've been using the leash as a tether to keep a new puppy close by my side at home, and it works great. I can tether her to me, the desk, coffee table, etc. The elastic in the center keeps her from getting tangled and saves on my back.

In addition, the leash has a "traffic handle" near the collar so you have more control when you need it. You can tell it's well-made, from the heavy-duty nylon webbing, to the sturdy hardware. It's available in two sizes, and three colors. 

Ruffwear

$24.95

Combat Not-so-Extreme

The Combat Extreme Toss 'n Pull Dog from Bamboo Pet Center toy is touted by the manufacturer as:

Constructed of the most durable fabric for aggressive and persistent chewers, Combat® Extreme outperforms most competitive soft toys on the market today.

I don't think so! Norman, the poodle had it torn apart in about 15 minutes, and he is not what I'd call an aggressive chewer, at all. The dummie/bumper is still intact, and Norm loves it, but it had a pocket at the top that contained the rope, which was attached to the ball. Norman chewed through the pocket and chewed the rope off the ball, and now it's in three pieces.

I'll give it to the company...they say I can return it for a refund!  I'll give it a try.

After Norm:

 
 

Hot Dog

It's hot here in Toledo, Ohio! Hot, muggy and buggy. We've had too much rain and the mosquitoes are bad.

Here's my amateur (as in check with your vet) checklist of  precautions to take in this weather.

1. Never, ever leave your dog in the car when it's hot. I know you've heard it before, but it's tempting to want to take them with you (my dogs love rides and know how to spell the word.)
2. Take water with you if you go to the park. There are all types of gadgets out there, but a throw away plastic tub and a used plastic bottle with tap water works just fine, too. Dehydration is a big problem with dogs. They don't sweat like us and can only pant to regulate their body temperature. A recent post from Dog Reader has great info on dehydration.
3. If your dog loves to play outside, get one of those cheap baby pools and fill it up with water, or just spray them with the hose.
4. For protection against mosquitoes, my vet recommends Off for kids. Also, according to their web site, K9Advantix protects agains mosquitoes, along with fleas and ticks. I can't find any information on Frontline, but once again, check with your vet.
5. Even if you do use a product like Frontline, check your dog often for fleas and ticks.
6. If all else fails, turn on the AC and play inside!

What a Tuffie

OK, I know. There is nothing tough-looking about this photo. It's just downright goofy! I bought Tuffies Pet toys for some Lab and Golden Retriever puppies that love soft toys, but destroy everything they get their mouths on. They loved their Tuffies. I guess Norman loves it, too.

Tuffies are made to be tough. From the manufacturer's web site:

Our toys are made from 1 layer of soft fleece to allow for easy chewing and 2 layers of ballistic, industrial grade coated denier nylon in the center. All three layers are bonded and sewn together to make one Tuff Layer. Our toys are assembled with 7 seams. 4 seams hold the product together and then a layer of nylon is added to cover the assembly stitching and 3 more seams are added. Lets see your dog chew through that! Each toy is stuffed with safe, non toxic fiber and we added a protective pouch around each squeaker as an added safety measure in the unlikely event your dog gets to the core. Our toys have been tested on numerous dogs (including our own) to ensure the highest quality and most fun for our best (four footed) friends and the best value for our two footed customers.

 

Tuffies are washable (air dry) and they float. There are many sizes and designs available. See Ray-Ray and Purple Pete below. Products are rated according to their "Tuffness."

Note that a dog may be able to chew pieces or threads off the toy, and the manufacturer recommends that you cut off any loose pieces or threads so nothing is ingested.

Tuffies

Get Loopie

My Poodle Norman loves his Loopie Ball. This neat toy from Loopies is great fun. It's soft and has six hidden squeakers (according to the manufacturer.) Something about the velour-like loops on the surface makes Norm just want to fling the ball across the room. There are all  types of Loopies:  Chill Pill, Dumbell Loopies, Lovey Dovies and the list goes on. There are even Water Loopies for the beach or pool.Next we're going to try Bag O' Balls. My dogs love to find hidden treasures.
Loopies