I've been to Santa Monica. I've been to St. Helena. I've seen some pretty fancy pet shops in Chicago. I thought $100 was too much for a dog collar. How about $2500...yes twenty-five hundred! But you can get a deal...some are available for $1500.
Only 1,00 collars total are made each year in Italy. You'll have to get on a waiting list if you want one for your pampered pooch.
I have to admit...they are pretty cool looking.
People are dressing up their pets for Halloween, according to FamilyFun.com, an online community for families, produced by Disney Online.
According to the site, 30% of visitors plan to dress their pet up for Halloween. And it looks like there is no shortage of costumes to choose from. Costumecraze.com has great ideas for kids and pets. You can find everything from a Buzz Lightyear costume to simple Halloween Bandanas. My Google search found 4.2 MILLION results for Halloween costumer for pets!
If you have a small dog, trixie+peanut.com has a hilarious selection, from giraffes to caterpillars.
Or if you don't have a pet (and why in the world would you be reading this?) you can go to FamilyFun.com and learn how to make a Dog Walker costume!
OK, I crack myself up!
I got the dogs Halloween t-shirts from Old Navy and they glow in the dark. A little background...I don't dress my dogs up normally. I know that's hard to believe, based on the photos here and my last post about doggie parachutes. OK, they do have sweaters.
My husband is the photographer in the family. He tried to tell me how to take photos of their glow-in-the-dark shirts. It didn't really work out, but it's funny, anyway. Can't you tell they glow in the dark? You should have seen me -- by myself -- trying to get these dogs to sit still and turning off the lights, etc. I'm scaring myself.
So, this one is wierd, I know. But, this is my attempt at creative photography. See, they do glow in the dark!
I've been debating lately over what is the best way to travel with my dogs. When I take the entire gang: two standard poodles and a cocker spaniel, it's a load. Fortunately, I have a large SUV with lots of room in the back.
My worry is that in even a minor accident, my poor pooches will become projectiles, hurt me and my family, and hurt themselves. I could put them all in crates, but that takes up a lot of room and I've read stories about these plastic kennels not holding up to impacts. And, what if the crates become projectiles?
For awhile, I've been attaching tethers to their collars, so that when I get a flat tire on the tollway (that really happened to me) and have to open the back hatch, I don't have dogs running into traffic. But, my husband recently informed me that even in a minor accident, the force of the tethers jerking on their collars would probably break their necks. I didn't like that scenario at all.
So, my newest solution, and I think the best to date is traveling harnesses that attach to the tethers, which are securely fastened to tie-downs in the back and a special device in the middle seat. The Travelin' Dog Car Harness is the best I've seen on the market. It's super easy to put on and that's important. I've had other car harnesses that were impossible, and not made with the tough construction of the Travelin' Dog model.
I also found a website, www.canineauto.com that has all kinds of products for traveling with your dog.
So this story goes on...
When I get all the dogs strapped into their harnesses it looks like a bunch of dogs ready for flight training. I pretend and tell them they have to get suited up with their "parachutes." It's pretty funny, even for someone as cynical as me. Vino, the cocker spaniel, however, doesn't think it's funny at all.
Vino LOVES car rides. He loves them so much that he gets himself worked up into a potty frenzy most of the time. By this, I mean, he usually has to go out to poop when I say, "Wanna go for a ride?" The other day, I had him buckled into his harness and the poodles were already out the door. Vino was frozen in place in the middle of the kitchen. All the prodding and cajoling in the world would not budge him.
So, I opened the back door so he could go take a break out in the potty pen. Still wouldn't budget. Finally, I sort of dragged him (that buckle on the top of the harness is handy) out the door, and he wouldn't budge off the patio. So, I de-harnessed him and he took off for the potty pen.
It seems Vino thinks that if he just freezes in place, he won't have to "experience" his new car harness. It's kind of his way of throwing a temper tantrum. I'm not too worried, though. As much as he loves riding in the car, he's sure to get over this soon. Ya think?
I ran across a great new web site called Loops Chicago. They manufacture and sell belts for humans and dog collars and leashes for canines. It's hard to find cool collars for boy dogs, and Loops has some great ones. Check out the site.
Does your puppy have endless energy? My foster, Roxi the standard poodle does. I think she could play and wrestle with Norman all day long and still want to zip through my yard and bushes.
Norman, who is 2 1/2 years old is the most tolerant dog I've ever been around. No matter how exhausted he is, he won't correct her or tell her no. And, I get tired of the constant raucous, especially when I'm trying to work.
I'm a firm believer in "time-outs" for crazy puppies. My favorite method is tethering. I have cable tie-outs; the smallest length, and lightest weight plastic coated tie-outs. I've tried rope, leashes, and chain, and these tethers work the best. Roxi chewed through the leashes and rope and the chain was rough on my furniture.
I just wrap the tie-out around my desk leg several times and give her about 6 ft. of length to travel around. I have another in the family room near "my" chair. This way, she's always close by, which is important. Puppies and dogs are social animals and they need to be with others. I can also move the tether to other locations, if I need to.
She took to the tether easily and settles down immediately when I hook her up. If your puppy resists at first, just be consistent. Ignore any attempts to get attention from you and reward quiet behavior. After a few days of this new routine, your puppy will learn to settle down. It also would help to save bones or great chew toys for this quiet time. Ration toys for when you need to entertain your dogs. Don't let them have access to the toy basket all the time.
You could also teach your dog to go to his bed and stay, which I'll write about in future posts. But that's a tall order for a crazy puppy.
My friend Danielle, editor of foodmomiac, a blog about moms and great food, recently replied to one of my posts on Vittle Vaults dog food storage bins.
I've considered this... but we are resisting it because it is plastic. Maybe you have another idea for us? We just moved into a small apartment from a very large house. We used to keep our dog food in a big garbage can in our pantry. Now, it is in the same big garbage can on our patio table, out on the deck. Not a great solution. We'd like something inside. Maybe something mounted on the wall? We'd prefer chrome or stainless. Any ideas? We are coming up short here!!
So I spent some time thinking, and how about a metal garbage can? There are some beautiful ones on the market and many are made with space saving designs. Here is my favorite, available at both Williams Sonoma and Bed Bath and Beyond.
This model is available in 8 gallon capacity in stainless steel and measures 14 1/2" x 12 1/2" 2 26 3/4". It has a removable polypropylene liner that can be washed. Washing regularly is important as dried food does become rancid over time. There is also a 10 1/2 gallon model available in stainless and white.
I couldn't find anything to hang on the wall that was stainless, only plastic. Good luck, Danielle!
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.
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.
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.
$24.95
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