In my 25 years of dog ownership, a lot has changed.
I brought home Max Sr as a 8 week-old puppy and placed him in his crate the first night. He howled and whined the entire night. After speaking to my vet the following day, I was given the recommendation of placing a small desk clock or other analog clock with a towel wrapped around it to mimic a mama dog’s heart beat. He also advised to play soothing music. This worked.
On January 18, 2019 we helped our beloved 15 y/o miniature schnauzer cross the Rainbow Bridge.
A couple of days ago I endorsed the Kong Goodie Bone. It is a spin on the original Kong Classic chew toy. This rubber dog toy is a staple, being on the market for decades.
Different dogs have different intelligence levels. Just like humans. Some dogs are a bit, ahem, ‘sharper’ in their earlier months. Some are simply the opposite. But generally, I find that six months old is about the time average puppies start to respond to conditional training. That is, training that uses a repeated reward system to build upon their memory.
We love the Kong products (in fact, I just reviewed another one here). For Mollie (our puppy pictured here), the small / petite size works best. It’s simply a rubber toy with a pocket that holds small dog treats. If you have a dog that gets bored of toys quick, this might be a great solution.
This past summer we turned our deck into a zen-like retreat for my husband and myself. Complete with Buddha statue and soft lighting. We wanted our dogs to enjoy it too.
Our house is situated next to a state route and while not heavily traveled, those that do travel it rarely keep the speed limit. Our yard isn’t fenced and while we have a trolley-runner for the dogs in front of the house, behind the house is nothing. I wish I could say that our dogs were trained enough to stay on the deck, but they aren’t.
My dog ran away. What do I do? Where do I start looking? Could he have been hit by a car? Will he be scared and bite? So many questions, and such little time to panic. You need to be smart in this stressful situation.
On March 17th 2019, the Luck of the Irish was not with me. Brody, the fear aggressive Bull Mastiff that lives next door, was once again the biggest dog in our yard. Even though he isn’t supposed to be there.
I have a great tip for you today. If you shop on Amazon, you could be helping your favorite local or national pet charity by using Amazon Smile.
I’ve heard mixed thoughts on elevated pet bowls. On one hand, it’s generally good for older dogs, so they don’t have to bend down to get food as well as taller dogs for the same reason. On the other hand, it’s not good for some dogs because it can be a factor in stomach bloat. I’ve been through this emergency – it’s terrifying.