Is it police dog? Search and rescue dog? Detection dog? Herding dog? What do you think?
Would you believe me if I told you, it is the everyday, ordinary, often taken for granted, family dog??
When the thermometer is peaking and the tongues are hanging, it’s important for your dog to keep cool! Sure you can hold the garden hose, or put ice treats in their water buckets, but our top five products accomplish cool k-9’s with minimal effort on your part! Sit back with a cold beverage and enjoy your dog’s antics.
We have four dogs; none of them are particularly fond of showers but they behave for them anyway. Three of our dogs are hose maniacs, but the other one hates it and won’t allow herself to be cooled by it. BUT, they all love to splish and splash in their own way. Check out the links below for our favourite water fun!
This splash pad is a blast! The bottom is thick and sturdy, and even when our dogs finally punctured it, it still works great because the purpose of this pool is not for deep water anyway. It’s awesome for our puppies too. No worry about drowning or exhaustion, they can easily run in and out.
Some dogs like to lay and soak, and that can lead to dirty water in no time! This collapsible pool is easy to clean, store, and serves many functions as well as keeping your k-9 kid cool!
Fresh water on demand! Our dogs would run the well dry, but fortunately, this item is sold with a two-way Y hose connector so you can turn it on or off as you wish.
Keep cool anytime, anywhere! No electricity or freezing necessary. Durable and non-toxic!
Cool air and mist on the go! At home, in the car, in the RV at the campground, or where ever you travel with your pets. Keep them cool with a portable air conditioner. Many styles and power/charging options available!
Anyone who has raised children or spent a good deal of time with them can tell you that you get as much information from watching their bodies as you can by listening to their words. The same is true for dogs of all ages! Understanding dog body language is key to avoiding common problems and mistakes. Dog body language is a bit trickier to read, as you need to understand the canine species and their pack rituals before you can truly comprehend the many signs and symbols they give.
What some find cute can be the next step towards dominance! “He’s licking me, he must like me!”, more likely it means, either the tuna sandwich you had for lunch is still evident on your hands and face or depending on the posture that is going with the licking, he’s submitting or dominating. If he’s licking at the corners of your mouth, he could want you to regurgitate for him!
Longline training is an invaluable addition to regular obedience training. It is never too early or too late in your dog’s life to start this type of training. Longline training gives you control over your dog’s actions even at thirty feet away. Longline training is also a safe responsible way to exercise your dog out in public. Most towns have leash laws, a longline allows you to obey the law and still give your dog some freedom.
Many people look at a crate as a jail for dogs. This is absolutely not true! Dogs are den animals; a crate to them is their own little place in the world where nobody bugs them! Once a dog becomes used to a crate, he will go there when he’s been scolded, when he’s tired, or when he just wants to get away from it all! If only we had something like that!
Read moreI absolutely shudder when I hear of dogs six, eight, or twelve months old that still are not house broken! I know of dogs that are several years old and still mess in the house! It is absolutely not the dog’s fault! If you think dog, you will understand that my den is what I make it; I have a corner for sleeping, a corner for eating, a large area for playing, fighting, mating, etc., and a corner for bathroom duties. Your dog does not come pre-programmed that this particular corner needs to be outdoors. You must teach him! Do not begin with teaching him to mess on paper; you are teaching him to mess indoors!
Read moreFrom roughly 3 ½ weeks old, our puppies are raised on Kirkland Signature Puppy and I also like Iams Large Breed Puppy Formula. By just over 5 weeks, they are no longer getting mom’s milk, they are strictly on kibble softened with hot water. At 8 weeks old, they are on dry kibble with fresh water available. They have also been cut back to three feedings per day, from the four that are necessary for them at the younger ages.
From eight weeks old until about six months, a good schedule is three feedings per day, roughly at the same time of day. We like breakfast at 7:30 AM, lunch around 1:00 PM, and dinner around 7:00 PM. You will obviously have to adjust the feeding schedule to meet your needs. The first day or so in your home, your pup may not be that interested in their food. Part of that will be that they are missing their littermates; competition at the food dish is one of the main driving forces for puppies to eat!
Read moreSo you bought a puppy; now what? No doubt, the whole family as well as all your friends will be excited to see your new puppy! Chances are he has just had a long plane trip, or car trip to get to his new home. In this and following posts we share some secrets to bringing home your new puppy and creating a successful bond right from the start!
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Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.
Groucho Marx, American Comedian
I received a message from a puppy buyer with a question… “What are your thoughts about dogs on couches?” I thought, rather than just answering her directly, it would make a great blog post. I hope you agree.