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How to travel with your dog in hot weather? It’s not impossible!

We’ve all seen the photos in the media, or heard about it on the news, and in some cases the interventions (vigilante justice) are justified. That said, for the most part, people are diligent about keeping their dogs in suitable conditions for the weather. The problem is, those conditions aren’t always obvious to those on the outside. Some vehicles won’t allow you to lock your doors if the motor is running, which means running the A/C is not necessarily safe. There are other options for keeping your pet cool. Portable air conditioners are becoming popular and more affordable.

Insurance vs Insurance

Letting folks know your pet is safe!

Adding a few decals to your windows can act as a deterrent to overzealous animal lovers, saving you hundreds of dollars to replace shattered windows or damaged doors.

The post Dogs in Cars ~ It’s a HOT Topic! first appeared on OdoggoMYdoggo.

Grooming time is bonding time!

With the foundation work done properly, grooming can be a very pleasant experience for you and your dog.
Our dearly departed Glock getting his spring haircut back in 2012!

Make grooming pleasurable!

If you’ve ever laid back in the chair by the sink to get a shampoo and a scalp massage from your favourite stylist, you can appreciate the moment of relaxation and pleasant sensations. Obviously this is not a technique you can use with your dog, but you can make the process relaxing and pleasant with a few basic steps.

1. Start them young, practice often, keep it short!

It’s best to begin grooming sessions early in your pup’s life, make them short and pleasant, and plan for success. By handling your pup thoroughly and gently from tip to tail, you will condition your pup to accept your hands when it comes time for formal grooming. When you are in “relax mode” meaning you have the time, the patience, and your pup is sufficiently tired, massage him gently; handle his paws, rub his ears, his muzzle, belly, tail, and check his teeth and gums. Doing this for even a few minutes a day will make a huge difference in how he behaves for you or a professional groomer.

2. The dreaded bath time!

How often you bath your dog is really dependant on your lifestyle. If you do lots of outdoor stuff and your dog lives in the house with you, you may want to bathe more frequently. It also depends on your tolerance level for cleanliness! Or a lack of!  Bathing too often will dry your dog’s coat and rob him of the necessary oils in his skin. Choose a good quality pet shampoo and if you like, a conditioner. Do not use human products on your dog; they do not have the same composition as our hair and scalp. We have a walk in shower and a grooming table for our dogs, most people don’t, but you can build or buy both pretty cheaply! For the 10-12 years you’re going to be grooming your dog, it’s really worth it! Having them at your comfort level saves a lot of aching backs, not to mention having to clean your bathroom from floor to ceiling afterwards! While it doesn’t have to be as fancy as the tub pictured here, if you have the room and the inclination you can save a lot of money and inconvenience over the life of your dog and future pets.

Bathing your dog doesn’t have to be a chore! I’ve written about this subject already, you can read it here!

Pictured is a professional bathing station. For the price of the set up, imagine how much money you can save, plus the trips to the local doggy wash.

Order Here

3. Tools for Grooming

Most people choose to send their dog out for grooming, and that’s great, but expensive. If you have the inclination to do it yourself, you can build a decent set-up for the cost of just a few trips to the groomer. I will be stocking some grooming products in store, as well as recommending products that you can order on Amazon. Visit my Products Page for more details!

These are a few of my ‘must haves’ for grooming:

Grooming Tables come in so many different styles. This one is about as basic as it gets.

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4. Cutting Your Dog’s Nails

Some people prefer to do their dog’s nails by sitting on the floor, and having the dog lying beside them. We prefer to work on the grooming table as it puts the pup at a bit of a disadvantage and it’s a more comfortable height for us. Clipping your pups nails once every week to 10 days will ensure a good length without the quick growing to the end of the nail. Just take the tip off each nail to begin with. As your pup becomes comfortable with clipping, you can take a little more off. 

A good pair of nail clippers are essential, also some “Kwik Stop” in case you cut a quick. If you do cut a quick when doing your dog’s nails, please don’t panic! If you do, you will transfer your fear and stress to your dog, and future nail cutting sessions will be a nightmare! Simply say something like “sorry pal, I gotcha!” and carry on. If the quick is bleeding, moisten your finger, press it into the Kwik Stop powder, and apply to the dog’s nail with pressure for a few moments.

An essential part of any grooming kit!

Order Here!

5. Taking care of those teeth!

Taking care of your dog’s teeth is easy if he loves to chew! Feeding hard dry kibble and hard biscuits help to scrape plaque and tarter off teeth as well. Natural smoked bones, nylon chewing products and many other hard made-for-dogs products are essential to good dental health! Have a variety available to your pup all the time. Like children they get bored with toys and treats and need change. Pick up some of the old and put them away for a while, bring them out a month later, they will be like long lost treasures! When a bone gets small enough to fit inside your dog’s mouth it’s time to discard it; it can be a choking hazard, unless you are supervising the chewing. If your dog is not a chewer, you may need to take up a regular teeth-brushing regime. There are a lot of products available to make dental care easier! Preventative care is so much cheaper than veterinary care, and a lot more pleasant for your pup!

6. NO nonsense makes the best sense!

Not all dogs enjoy the grooming experience.  Some will battle you in the bath, others with nail clipping although most will appreciate being brushed out. It’s important not to give in to your pup! A no nonsense attitude is necessary to ensure the grooming session and future sessions are successful and relatively stress free. If discipline is handed out fairly and without anger, it’s very effective. If you are firm you will get the results after one or two incidents, if you are not, you will have ongoing battles and the frustration will overshadow the joys of having your pup.

After grooming is one of the few times we treat our dogs, a single biscuit on the grooming table signifies the end of the session and makes the memory of the experience a pleasant one.

The post SIX Great Tips – Grooming Your Dog at Home! first appeared on OdoggoMYdoggo.

Get the BEST Tools for Dog Training!

Top Quality Training Equipment: Local & Imported

I am now a dealer for DogSport Gear.
Available Instore Only! Contact me directly for inventory, prices, and availability. Delivery options are available.
Location: Jemseg, New Brunswick, Canada
Email: writers@odoggomydoggo.ca
Phone: 506.260.2962

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Bathing is an important part of grooming your dog.

Bath your dog without conflict.

I laughed at Rogue this afternoon. The moment she got out of the shower, she pointed to the treat bag! I thought it was a great idea for a blog post. Hope you enjoy it. Beef Tenders (not available in the US) are a favourite in our house! See more about our dog’s favourite treats here!

The dreaded B-A-T-H, or is it?

Do your dogs know the word B-A-T-H? And do they run from you when they hear it? Even some of our craziest water dogs are reluctant to get into their shower. But they do it anyway. We don’t bathe often as shampoo and other coat products can actually strip the natural oils and cause other problems. But when needed, there is no getting out of it.

As wee pups, they are bathed in our laundry sink, and then as they outgrow that, we put a bench in the downstairs shower stall.

8 week old Lunatik von der Leidenschaft

Eventually they are tall enough I can work on them at walk-in level. In the transition period between the bench and the voluntary walk-in, there is inevitably the need for a grooming noose; it gives you something to get a hold of while you coax said dog into the shower.

Our dogs don’t get treated for many specific exercises, and I certainly don’t lure them into the shower with a treat either, but they learn in short order the words “good shower” earn them a reward afterwards.

Give a command, praise the command, and reward the command.

The command “Shower” is spoken multiple times both getting into the shower, and during and even after the bathing process. “Let’s go shower” in a upbeat and confident tone tells the dog what’s about to happen. Ideally the bathroom door should be closed first. Be prepared before you even speak to the dog. Have your towels handy, and your shampoo and grooming tools at hand so you don’t risk losing the dog scrambling for those things. For bathing, there’s nothing as effective as these rubber bath brushes for getting the dead hair off your dog.

Comfortable and easy to use, these rubber bath brushes are the cat’s meow for removing dead hair!

Buy Now!

Once the dog is in the shower, pat and praise the dog for the action, “good shower”. Shampooing, massaging, and chattering with your dog during the entire bath will make the process a positive experience. Afterwards, drying off your dog with a good rough going over, and even a little bit of tug play on the towel, will end things on a good note. As soon as you’ve got the worst of the water off of them, then it’s treat time. “Good Shower” coupled with a favourite treat, instills the word and phrase into the dog’s memory for the next time.

Happy Bathing!

The post The word “Shower” in dog training. first appeared on OdoggoMYdoggo.

Healthy treat choices for your dogs.

Made in North America (Canadian Links, some products may not be available in the US)

Our favourite treats to buy for our dogs are those which have a single ingredient, made and sourced in North America.

See our Top 10 in the categories below.

BEEF

Nutri Bites Freeze Dried Liver

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These freeze dried liver treats are large enough to be just a treat, yet crisp enough to break into smaller pieces for training. For an extra flavour sensation, crumble them over their regular meal and add a little hot water! Our dogs love them!
Bonus: They are made in Canada!

Dog Delights Beef Tendersticks

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These Beef Tendersticks are hard and crunchy! We love them for a bedtime treat, especially when crate training puppies. Also made in Canada!

Bully Sticks Beef Pizzle

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A great chew for all dog sizes! This is NOT RAWHIDE, 100% digestible beef pizzle. Made in Canada!

SEAFOOD

Nutri Bites Freeze Dried Salmon

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Our dogs are highly attracted to these salmon treats! Yes they’re smelly, but that makes them a high value reward in training in obedience, or any type of nose work. We use them for training our dogs to track. They are also great crumbled as a topping for their regular meal. Made in Canada!

Only One Treats Dried Sardines

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Our dogs love to share a tin of (people) sardines with their regular kibble, but because there is added salt, we don’t feed it often. With these dried sardines, they are just that, “Dried Sardines”, nothing added! Single ingredient treats are perfect for dogs who have allergies or food sensitivities. They allow you to feed only the product that works best for them.

LAMB

Crumps’ Naturals Lamb Chops

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These are on our dog’ wish list! I will let you know what they think of them. Made in Canada

Stella & Chewy’s Freeze Dried Lamb Treats

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Small pieces of lamb are perfect for training rewards, especially for dogs with beef or chicken sensitivities. Made in the USA.

POULTRY

Nutri Bites Freeze Dried Chicken

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Just like the beef and the salmon, these quality treats are great for training obedience and tracking. Made in Canada!

Stella & Chewy’s Freeze Dried Chicken Heart Treats

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These freeze dried chicken hearts are a great single ingredient treat. Made in the USA.

Pupford Freeze Dried Sweet Potato Treats

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Our dogs love sweet potato, whether it’s steamed and mashed, oven baked slices, or freeze dried training treats. This is a great low calorie offering. Made in the USA.

The post Our Top 10 Single Ingredient Dog Treats first appeared on OdoggoMYdoggo.

E-collar Training – Proof Your Dogs

Love it or hate it, electronic collars, known as e-collars, do have a place in the dog training tool kit. Just like any other training tool, its place in training is neither good nor bad, it’s all about the way it’s being used. E-collar training is no exception.

The Best Use of E-collars

Some “trainers” like to train everything on the e-collar from the time the dog is a puppy. I personally don’t understand the reasoning. The dog learns all control is from the collar, and therefore must ALWAYS wear the collar.

Full Disclosure here: My husband Ron Murray has been training the public and their dogs since 1978. I have picked up a thing or two in our years together since 1994, so my philosophy on e-collar training has come from my experience training with him.

Be fair to your dog and teach him what’s expected!

I (we) believe, a dog should have a full grasp of what’s expected of it before fine tuning with the e-collar. I also believe, the e-collar’s best use is for problem solving and trouble shooting; correcting behaviours that basic obedience just can’t cover.

Since some of the behaviours can be life threatening, such as chasing cars, farm animals, or wildlife, dog fighting, or simply not returning when called, the use of stronger correction methods is certainly justified. You can do the basics on leash, but when drives are high, those basic lessons fall short of registering with your dog.

High drives are a double edged sword!

Here’s an example of how the e-collar could have saved a great deal of pain, and money. Our “sweet and spicy” girl Flirt has an incredibly high hunt drive. Think “if it moves, I’ll kill it” type drives. She has a high functioning nose, a take-a-message attitude, and on top of it all is super fast and determined. She often wears an e-collar for these reasons when we go walking in the woods. There have been days when she’s caught a scent of something and taken off on a tear through the woods towards our busy highway! Needless to say, panic and much yelling ensued.

I can’t tell you how many times Ron and I have threatened “you’re wearing that collar for the rest of your life!”. But of course, to be human is to eventually grow complacent.

Flirt vs the Porcupine

On such a day, Ron took Zeus and Flirt through the woods up to our training field. No collars. Of course, with the dogs running, they arrived at the field before Ron did. When he did clear the tree line, he caught sight of Flirt attacking a porcupine on the field. By this time she already had a face full of quills, but she attacked it again, and then a third time. He and our vet were two hours pulling quills out of her face, chest, and legs. We continued to find quills for months afterwards.

Had Flirt been wearing the e-collar, she would have stayed closer to Ron, and even if she did get some quills the first time, she would not have continued to attack once corrected on a high enough level.

We live in the country, we share their territory, therefore we must take precautions to protect them and our dogs.

E-collar Training – Simply Set Up the Problems

Unfortunately, not much of basic obedience covers the attack on a porcupine, however having a strong recall, reinforced with e-collar training can make a difference.

As with most problem solving, e-collar training is most effective when problems are set up. Take the reactive dog situation, why take a chance on an accidental dog fight when you can set up the scenario and correct the dog(s) for aggressive behaviour in a safer environment.

Obviously setting up chasing and attacking wildlife is a bit trickier, but consistently working on that recall with e-collar reinforcement will make an unexpected situation a lot more manageable.

Choosing your e-collar

For e-collar training, our favourite brand is Dogtra!

There are many e-collars on the market, and more arrive daily. There are lots of ways to cut costs on dog training, but going cheap on electronic collars is not in your best interest. Features differ a great deal, from weather resistant to waterproof, range of effectiveness, beep/vibrate/correct, and multiple dog systems. Our personal favourites are from Dogtra. Because we have a multi dog family, and acreage, and we train in all weather conditions, Ron and I each got a set of Dogtra 1902S collar systems. You might not need that much power, and there are many systems to choose from in their product line.

If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out by commenting on this post, or emailing me writers@odoggomydoggo.ca or message on my Facebook or Instagram accounts!

The post E-Collar Training for Dogs – The Basics are Important! first appeared on OdoggoMYdoggo.

While I agree with Snoopy’s thought, the best time to bring a new puppy into the home is when the atmosphere in the home is calm and normal. NOT in the craziness of the holiday season.
If you did get a puppy and are feeling overwhelmed, have a read through some of my articles on puppy raising.

This is a good one to start with!

I can also be reached via email or social media if you need help!

The post Please, NO Puppies for Christmas! first appeared on OdoggoMYdoggo.

Ticks can be dangerous!

These simple tools can help keep you and your pets safe!

Yesterday I was training our youngster Quest alongside one of my husband Ron’s private students. I was getting her dressed in a protection harness to do some puppy prey work when I noticed what I thought were “eye boogers”! UGH!!! It was not, it was a tick. I DO NOT do ticks! I can do anal glands, placenta, vomit, assist in surgery, you name it, but ticks make my skin crawl!
I told Ron that Quest had a tick on her face. He said he didn’t have a tick removal tool with him, they were all at the house. However, his student spoke right up and said she had a Tick Key. She got it for us, and Ron was quickly and easily able to remove the intruder from Quest’s fuzzy little face!

Tick Prevention or Disease Protection?

The Great Debate About Ticks

Many veterinarians will offer their clients products to prevent and kill fleas and ticks. I’m neither an expert on these products, nor am I a veterinarian, however I am a concerned pet owner, and just like I don’t use toxins to control other pests in my environment, I choose not to apply toxins to my dogs. Instead we choose to vaccinate our dogs annually for Lyme disease. Thus the great debate! Consult with your veterinarian about the best choice for your pet.

GET IT OFF!!!

Don’t be caught empty handed! Get the proper tools now!

Regardless of the prevention or protection route you take, if you see a tick on your pet, or yourself, you want one thing, and one thing only! REMOVE the parasite! The three products below are highly rated for safe and simple tick removal. I can tell you for sure, I’m ordering some tools to have on our key chains so they’re always handy.

The Original Tick Key
Hang this handy tick removal tool on your key chain, your dog’s collar, or leash.

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Tick Twister
This tool removes ticks without squeezing them, thus ensuring no toxins go into your pet.

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Tick Kit
A complete tick removal and identification kit. Keep this in your car, camp, or anywhere you would use a first aid kit! (Canadian Owned)

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The post Simple Tick Removal for your Dog. first appeared on OdoggoMYdoggo.

Visibility is important for dog walking safety!

LED Dog Collars

With more hours of darkness upon us, nighttime safety with dogs is crucial! Whether you walk on the streets after dark, or just play in your back yard, visibility is important. Last year we bought our dogs these amazing LED dog collars. They are rechargeable, water proof, and extraordinarily durable, which certainly makes them the perfect collar for dogs of all ages and sizes. With a variety of colours you can dress multiple dogs differently for ease of identification; perfect when you have dogs that look similar!

Rechargeable LED Dog Collars

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Dog Walker Safety is important too!

Just as important as making your dog visible, is making sure you also have high visibility. This sash is not only reflective, but with rechargeable LED lights on the front and back, it’s a game changer! The adjustable sizing, and handy clip allow you to walk your dog hands free which is also an added safety feature. Available in three colour choices, you can be safe and fashionable!

Dog Walker Safety with this LED and reflective hands-free sash.

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Safety Vests For Dogs!

Not just for hunting season, visibility is important any time!

Not just for hunting season, now anytime walks all year round just got safer because of this highly visible and reflective dog vest. With water resistant material and the adjustable design features accompanied with numerous reflective strips and patches, this vest will ensure your dog can be seen in the woods, on the road, or anywhere your dog loves to walk and play.

Safety Vests for Dogs! The ultimate in visibility day or night!

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My Commitment to my readers!

When I write about dog issues, and review products that help with said issues, I’m committed to recommending products and techniques I either use now, or have used in the past. I’m not just selling you stuff, I’m offering you my wisdom, and experience.

The post Simple nighttime safety! Visibility for People and Dogs. first appeared on OdoggoMYdoggo.