Dogviews

Canine Cookout

Does your dog get jealous when you're eating corn on the cob and ribs on the patio? Nylabone has the answer with some new nylon bones.

• The Bar-B-Chew Cob Bone has soft chewy ends and durable nylon middle with gum massaging texture in bacon flavor. It's available in three sizes. Vino LOVED this bone. My husband came home from a trip and first thing Vino did was run and get his corn cob to brag about his new prize. I got the larger version...Vino likes his cobs long.
• The Bar-B-Chew Rib Rack is made of flexible nylon for moderate chewers in three sizes. Supposedly it tastes like ribs, but I didn't try it. My puppy actually snapped one of the rib bones off the end, so I wouldn't give it to aggressive chewers. It's available in three sizes.
• Flexible Rainbow Bone is for average to light chewers. The "skeleton" inside even glows for those dogs that are afraid of the dark.

Of course, these bones are expensive. Dog.com had the best prices I could find on the Web...nearly half what I paid at my pet store.

Nylabone

Good Smellin' Dog

I don't like my dogs to stink. That's why I love shampoo by Pet Aromatics.

I use their Dew Drop Doggie  scent on my dogs. It not only smells great, it makes their coat soft and tangle free.

Here's a description of their product from their web site:

Both you and your dog will look forward to bathing time with our Dog Bath Shampoo and Conditioner in one. Our extra gentle 100% earth derived formula is the very best choice you can make when it comes to pampering your precious pooch. Our select conditioning agents such as whipped honey, macadamia nut oil, almond oil, colloidal oatmeal, cucumber extract and Pro Vitamin B-5 and all vegetable derived cleansers will leave their skin and coat remarkably soft and luxurious. Choose your favorite scent for a one of a kind bathing experience.

Contains NO:

• sulfates
• parabans
• DEA
• TEA
• alcohol,
• phosphates
• pesticides
• detergents
• dyes
• animal by-products

• Helps naturally repel ticks and fleas.
• Custom made essential oil blends for fragrance.
• Low Foaming
• pH balanced
• Demats and detangles

All of our products come with a 100% guarantee

I tried to find gallon sizes online for purchase, but no luck. So I called the company and they were just delightful to deal with. What a nice surprise.

Pet Aromatics

Potty Training and the Potty Pen

Last year, I was tired of Norman, the white Standard Poodle, and his run-a-thons through the muddy yard. I can't tell you how many hose showers I've given that dog. So, I had a Potty Pen built in the back yard. It's a small fenced area with pea gravel on the ground. It keeps the grass green and white feet white. And it's easier to pick up the poop. Great idea!

Only, I didn't anticipate just how difficult it would be to train the dogs to actually use the Potty Pen. It seems they prefer the grass.

Here's my advice:  You have to go outside with your dog (yes, even if it's raining) and you have to put them on leash. Every time. All the time. It took a good 2 months, but now they are pretty reliable. I still have to step outside and direct traffic every now and then, particularly if the gravel is wet (Vino can get his feet wet in the grass, but not on the gravel??). All I do now is say their name and point my arm toward the pen and firmly say, "Go!" It really is as if I'm directing traffic.

And, I praise them EVERYTIME they go.

This same method can be used in a corner of your yard...a Potty Place! It just takes consistency and discipline (yours).

Agility: Building your dog's confidence

Agility training is a great way to build a bond with your dog, and build their confidence. If you're not familiar with agility, it is a great sport. Here is Wikepedia's definition:

Dog agility is a sport in which a dog moves through an obstacle course with the guidance of his or her handler. Dogs run off leash, so the handler's only controls are voice and body language, requiring exceptional obedience training of the animal. In competition, both accuracy and speed are important.

I took Roxi, the 9 month-old Standard Poodle to agility class last night, and I think I had more fun than her...and she had a GREAT time.

At first she was timid running over the dog walk. It's about 4 feet off the ground (regulation height is much higher). She ran up the walk, but when she got up the ramp, she stopped. If she could talk, she would have said, "Hey! Wait a minute. I'm up high!!" But, after about three attempts, she ran full speed ahead over the dog walk. It was if she was celebrating her newfound skill!

Many dog "schools" teach agility, but not all do a great job. I've trained Vino, Norman and now Roxi in agility, and here are my tips for making sure your dog has a fun AND safe time.

1. Never force your dog to do an obstacle. This will only intensify his/her fear. I made this mistake with Vino on the teeter and he still doesn't like it.
2. Let your dog succeed. If you let her run up the dog walk and fall off, she probably won't like the dog walk in the future. And she could get hurt. Start training with obstacles (dog walk, A-frame) low to the ground.
3. Obstacles like the Chute (a tunnel with a closed tent of fabric on the end) are scary. The dog has to go into a dark hole and then be encased in nylon fabric. Roll the fabric up just start with the barrel. Have someone help you by holding your dog while you bend down and call her through.
4. Start with jumps low. If your dog is real hesitant, put the pole on the ground. Dogs under 1 year of age should only jump very low heights. Their bones and joints are still developing.
5. Praise, praise, praise. Agility should be a party!

By the end of the night, Roxi was flying through the obstacles and starting to anticipate the next, as well. She had a ball! If you've never seen a Poodle jump, you should try and watch one at an agility trial. In my opinion, of all the breeds, they are the most fun to watch!

For more information on Agility, go to my favorite web site on the topic, Clean Run Productions.

Siblings Raised Together Make for Tough Pets

When I started learning about dogs, I read that it's bad to get two sibling puppies and raise them together. I was reminded of this again during a training session.

This big lug of a black lab I'll call Noir (his real name is almost that funny) came to the assistance dog organization I volunteer for as a two-year old dog. For some reason he was donated by his owners. I do know that he had been raised alongside his sibling (brother) and had never been away from him.

Upon evaluation the first day at our facility, he did great. He retrieved well, was focused on the trainer and seemed a happy, eager-to-please dog; destined to become a great service dog.

I worked him for the first time yesterday and again today and couldn't get this dog to look at me or wag his tail once. His eyes were trained on the door, presumably looking for the kennel manager -- the one who feeds him. She has become his new "sibling." I don't think this dog really knows how to interact with humans. It could be that he's still adjusting to his new environment, but many dogs do so much quicker and easier.

Back to my opening paragraph: If you raise two sibling puppies together, they tend to bond with each other instead of their human pack leader. Who needs a human if you have another dog to play with?

Update on my progress with Cesar's Way

I wrote a book review a few weeks ago on Cesar Milan's new book Cesar's Way. In the article I vowed to follow Cesar's advice to walk my dogs at least 30 minutes per day.

Ummm, I haven't been too doing well on that promise. It's been disgustingly hot and muggy here in Ohio and I've chosen the eliptical machine, instead (ok, well, not every day).  Have you ever tried to get a poodle on an eliptical machine? Norman's not crazy about it.

I also have a new dog in the family. I'm fostering a standard poodle who will hopefully become a service dog for a woman who is paralyzed. This woman used to train service dogw and then she was in a tragic accident that left her in a wheelchair. I hope this dog, Roxy, will be an incredible service dog. She's 9 months old, sassy and smart. She's the apricot poodle in the middle. Doesn't Vino look thrilled ? I digress...

It's hard walking three dogs at once. Milan says in Cesar's Way that the daily walk is important and that as the pack leader, I, the owner, must take these dogs on the trek to keep them happy, healthy and to make them respect me. There must be another way! I said his methods were not practical for the average dog owner...and I guess I'm living proof.

Don't Get a Dog!

Pet Columnist Gina Spadafori's recent blog on not getting a dog stirred up something in me I've been thinking about for awhile. While Gina's blog refers to recent articles about "Hollywood dogs" and a collaboration between Walt Disney Co. and the American Kennel Club (AKC) to discourage puppy purchases as a result of dog stars, my thoughts go to an even more troubling issue.

I have two boys and almost one girl in college and about a week ago one of my sons called me and said, "Can you give my friend's dog a bath and haircut because he can't afford it?" It took all my control to not scream.

Fact is, my kids tell me all the time about friends at college with new dogs...many of them Pit Bulls or as the AKC calls them, American Staffordshire Terriers.  I know, through my sons that these dogs are not being trained and that chances are they aren't being properly cared for. Tell me how many college boys will get up by 8 am to take a dog out to toilet?

What I want to know is why are landlords and rental companies allowing pets in these complexes? Why are breeders selling puppies to these kids (actually, I know that answer.)

I'm sure that many of these dogs will end up in rescue shelters, adding to the already too numerous poorly socialized population of unwanted dogs.

If you have teenage kids, talk to them about the huge responsibility of owning a pet. If they aren't ready to have kids, they shouldn't have a pet!