Posts filed under ‘Boston Terrier’
Starting the training with Lily or is Lily training us
Here we go… who will win out? That is the big question. We had started trying to teach Lily to sit when giving her a treat or when eating. At first, she would jump up on us and would grab for the treat. We would have to actually gently push on her back to sit. After a few times, she got it! She is a fast learner. Now she will sit when we point and say “Lily Sit”.
Now for the potty training, as she seemed to progress backwards. We thought she was totally broke, only to have her start urinating on one area of my carpet and sometimes defecating on it. Even after washing the carpet and putting a spray on it to eliminate odors, she would still go to the same area. We were taking her out every 2 hours or sooner if she appeared to be getting antsy. No success. Remember…. we are not experts on training dogs, so we would try different methods. One person suggested to start crate training again. Have you ever had a dog that when you tried to put them in the crate, they would take off running so you could not catch them and would not come when you call them as if they thought we were playing with her, or was afraid we were going to hurt her? Putting treats into the crate did not work. She would jump back as if she thought we were playing with her again or we were going to hit her. Whether it was right or wrong, when she did have an accident on the carpet, I would see her watching me clean the carpet, and could see her ears laying back and head down as if she knew I was upset with her… I would say, you were a bad dog in a stern voice. When she did go out and do her duty, we would always say ‘Good Girl’ in a cheerful voice and give her a treat. What can we do was the question… as we were running out of ideas as to her accidents on the carpet? I did not want to abuse her and with her past history, (Can see her history in my back Blogs) wanted to show her we loved her and was not going to hit her or abuse her in any way. I came up with the idea of putting one page of the newspaper on the carpet area she would go to for two reasons: 1. Hopefully she could not smell her scent on the carpet, and 2. We would know she was on the paper to go potty as the paper would make a noise. When we would hear the paper, we would quickly go to her and say, let go to the potty in a cheerful voice. She then would go out and do her business. Coming in we would reward her with a treat and tell her she was a ‘Good Girl’. This seemed to be working. Then one day I actually saw her starting to squat to go to potty on the paper. I quickly told her “Lily lets go potty” and away we would go to the back yard. Again, we would praise as she came in and would give her a treat. (You know, giving a treat each time may not be the best thing to do but the praises and the treat did seem to be working.) Since that time… I actually only caught her about to squat on the paper that one time and since them no further accidents. The trick with the newspaper seemed to worked!!! It has been several weeks now with no accidents and have removed the newspaper. Hooray!!!
Now the trick is for her to tell us as to when she needed to go out. One sign we picked up was, she would jump into our laps and lick us as if she was telling us she needed to go out. Then, apparently, she figured, if we were not getting the message fast enough, she would bark. When I would ask her if she needed to go potty, she would get excited and go toward the door. Sometimes, she would even put her paw on my leg, and when taken out, she would do her duty. Now …who is training who? We love our little Lily and will continue to work with her as we now need to work on some other bad habits, lack of attention, jumping and nipping on us when we are walking through the house, jumping on visitors (she will actually jumps on them if they are sitting and will lick them with her tongue that goes 50 miles per hour). She is a very loving dog even with her past history.
So, until the next time, see you all later as we still have a lot on our table. We have found Lily has an attitude all of her own and so we will have to see who will win on the next training adventure.
Lily and her first 3 Weeks with US
Welcome back to our new journey with Lily, our new Boston Terrier. The story continues with another twist…we were told, if we wanted to change Lily’s name we could. But my husband and I decided, she was used to the name and we would leave her name ‘Lily’. In talking to our daughter, she reminded me, Lily was my dad’s late sister’s name. My father had been gone several years and had completely forgotten about his sister’s name as she had died several years ago. Wow! Is this another sign Princess sent us an angle from across the Rainbow Bridge? We saw it as another sign that our little Princess is watching over us from heaven and had sent us a special angel to love… just like she said in her letter to me. (If you did not read our past Blogs, please look back and read about the ‘Letter to Mom’ from across the Rainbow Bridge. But, be sure to have tissues, as I tear up every time, I read it. Anyone who has lost a pet they loved, will feel the same when they read it.
The first 2 – 3 weeks were a whiz. There were many adjustments not only for Lily, but for us also. We had brought Lily home on a Friday, so had a wellness check for her with our vet on Monday so both could get familiar with each other and to start her regular checkups. Since we were cautioned about her bolting to get out of the door, and since she did not have a microchip, Dr. Reddie agreed with us, this should be done right away. So, on Monday Lily had her first visit to her new doctor and had a microchip inserted. We also got her yearly medication of heart worm and flea medication. Dr. Reddie gave us an all clear on Lily’s health. All records were updates so Lily did not need any vaccinations at this time as everything was current. We set up a date for her to be fixed. The first opening was on Sept 11, which would have been Lily’s first birthday. She would be one year old on that date. We did not have the heart to have her surgery on her birthday so scheduled the surgery for the following week. We did have a little celebration for her 1st birthday on September 11th. Happy Birthday Lily! Welcome to your new home.
During this time, my daughter had requested we watch her little dog, ‘Gunner’ who was around 8 months old and was almost house broke. We introduced the dogs, and they were a playful pair!!! They played, and played and played. At times, we would have to separate them to get them to eat and rest. Our grandson who had come home from Chicago to visit, put together a nice large crate for us, as we would need it when Lily had her surgery. We were going to have to keep her quiet for several days. Boy, that’s going to be a full-time chore as she is very active…a better description highly spirited. Hopefully, I wished the dogs would get all their energy and playing done in the next few days before Lily’s surgery. You think?!! Gunner had his carrier, so at night he would be in his carrier, and Lily in her crate. So far so good. Both carrier and crate were placed in the living room so they could be around us. This was Gunner’s routine at home. He would go into his carrier at night with a cover over it. He would settle right down and go to sleep. Gunner did well on his routine at our home also. Lily would go in her crate lay down and watch us until time for me to go to bed. I hate to admit it, but when I would go to bed, Lily came with me the same as I did with Princess. Lily would go under the covers, and be near me, touching me then go to sleep just like Princess did.
Day of surgery came and Lily was gone most of day at the animal hospital. Dr. Reddie said Lily did great and went over the medications, and restrictions. Lily had her head in a cone to keep her from licking her surgical area. We were to also keep her quiet for the next 5 days with no running or playing. Lily was home less than an hour and started banging the cone on her head against the sides of the crate until she had it off and attaching it. Once it was off, she started to chew on it. Putting it back on, she resisted so much we decided to just leave it off. This meant we had to watch her very closely so that she would not start licking the area. This also now meant we had to keep the dogs separated for the next several days. No problem??? We needed to keep Lily quiet in her crate during the day…but at the same time, allow Gunner to be out of his carrier. My husband would take Gunner in his bedroom and the two would play and watch TV. They grew very close. The dogs had to be taken out separately to go to potty to prevent Lily from getting excited and wanting to run and play. At night Lily would go to bed with me, and so far all seemed to go smoothly. On the 5th day, Gunner went home as our daughter and son-in-law were back home. Lily also had a follow-up with Dr. Reddie who was very pleased with Lily’s progress. All was healing nicely against all odds. We still needed to keep her a quiet as she wanted to go back to her running wild just like when she was back on the farm running with the horses.
All seems to be going smoothly except Lily started having accidents and potty training had to go back on the schedule again. Was this a physical problem. emotional problem, or not getting enough attention?
Next Blog, Potty training and some new unwanted behaviors.
A NEW DAY and A NEW ARRIVAL with Lily
In my last blog, I shared with you my saddest and void in my life of losing our 12-year-old Boston Terrier – Princess. I also shard my frustration of trying to find another Boston Terrier and trying to reach out to rescue shelters hoping to find a young Boston Terrier (but not a puppy) only to not be selected due to the demands for that breed of dog and so many requests for a Boston Terrier. Then on one of the Dog Shelter’s Facebook pages, a lady had posted a poem Crossing over The Rainbow Bridge. (If you missed it, you can find it in my last blog). In that poem it starts out “HI Mom, Now that I’ve been across The Rainbow Bridge for a couple weeks, they said I should write a letter home.“ In that letter I felt our little Princess was talking to me and my husband through God and this Crossing over the Rainbow Bridge poem was telling us she loved us and was our Guardian angel watching over us. She also said in the poem…she was sending us another special earth angel for us to share our love with.
It was just a short time later, My daughter from Indiana called and said, mom… would you be interested in a 12-month-old Boston Terrier as a lady had reach out to her when she saw her Facebook page telling everyone her mom and dad were looking for a young Boston Terrier. My first words, “find out more, yes we are interested”. After talking to the lady (Deb), we learned this little Terrier named Lily was high spirited and liked to go out and run around the ponies getting under their feet. Lily was on a farm so there were no fences that could keep her in and they were looking for someone with a fenced in yard who would love her and protect her.
Deb and I contacted each other and found out there were even more to the story. Deb had purchased the dog a few months earlier from a special needs family who had gotten the dog for their child. The problem, each time the child opened the door the dog would bolt and run outside. The family would have to take time trying to get the dog back in the house plus there was the fear of dog getting hit by a car. They just could not take care of the dog and so they put the dog up for sale.
So, this meant Lily would be coming to a 3rd home with her already… many unsafe habits. In talking to my husband, we decided, yes, we wanted the dog and be both agreed, this was what our little Princess was trying to tell us when she said she was sending us someone for us to love, like we had given her.
I’ll send you another Earth Angel so you won’t be alone.
Give them your whole heart, like you gave it to me.
I’ll check in every so often to make sure they treasure your love ~ I always did!
Our tears were now happy tears and not sad tears.
The day came. We were to meet Deb & her husband half way to pick up Lily as they were in the Northern part of Indiana, and we were in central Illinois which met we both would be driving 3 hours one way rather than us having to drive 6 hours one way to get Lily. We met in the parking lot of a major chain department stores to get her. As we were approached, I was the first one out of the car. Lilly ran to me pulling on her leash to come to me and giving me hundreds of kisses. She did the same when my husband approached her. Deb said she was very loving and loved to give everyone kisses. She was still working on her walking with a leash, and was almost house broke. She also explained when they first got her, she would wince every time, her husband went to pet her as if she may have been hit by a man, or possible the child, and it had taken time for Lily to trust him. She also said they had taken Lily on their camping trips and did very well. But she did get off the leash one time and it took them over an hour with several people trying to catch her… so cautioned us to be careful with open doors.
I had to laugh as we were getting Lily and supplies into our car. It was like getting a new baby… car set, harness, doctors reports, shot reports, the teeth cleaning & treats she liked, and her favorite toy. I had to laugh, in all my excitement to get on the road initially to get Lily, forgot a leash. Thankfully, Deb had a leash we could have and helped us to get Lily into the car seat. Could tell, Deb really did not want to give up Lily, but realize the danger Lily was in to keep her on the farm with all of the animals. Deb had another Boston terrier that was about a week from having pups. When asked if she was going to raised Boston Terriers, she said they were going to try. But…she said she had not gotten Lily for breeding as she was not built for breeding and wanted her more as her pet. Deb told us she had concerns about Lily when she first heard about Lily and the problems the family was having with the dog and the special needs child.
We agreed to keep in touch and started our long journey home. Lily would look all around and did go to sleep for part of the trip back home. One could tell, she was wondering what was happening, why am I going with these people? As we were getting near home, we were wondering, can our love overcome any fears Lily might have, will she be able to adapt to a home with a small fenced in back yard after being able to run about a large farm, and is she the one our little Princess was sending to us that needed our love?
Next; Our first weeks with Lily!
Princess and the Rainbow Bridge
Our little Princess (I have always called her little, but with the treats she got from my husband she weighed around 28 pounds.) From my last Bog, Princess and Buddy were always together. Sometimes, our daughter’s Pug (Leland would come over, and play with Princess and Buddy. They would chase each other around the living room, through the 1st bedroom, going through the 2nd bedroom, which lead to the dining room and then back into the living room making a circle. They would go one way and then change direction and go the other way. One time, I heard the three of them on my bed growing, so went to check them out. Believe it or not, one of them had gotten their pull toy and each one had a section and were playing tug of war with each other on my bed. It was so funny and they all seemed to be having fun.
The years passed and Buddy started slowing down and didn’t initiate play time any more. But Princess would still be at his side. The last week we knew we were going to lose Buddy. My heart aced for not only loosing Buddy, but to see Princess going around looking for Buddy, smelling his bed and blankets. What to do? In reviewing some article, came across a writer that said to change your routine and the dog’s, spend time with the dog and give them love and support just like us humans. First, we had to think, what was it that we did everyday with Buddy and Princess that we needed to change? I would go to the post office in our city to take our packages and the dogs would remain at home. So, I stated taking Princess with me to the post office. Because it became a pattern, whenever I would pick up the mail bag to go to the post office, she would jump up and run for the door to go with me. We spent more time with her and would take her on walks and car rides. Each day became easier and easier. She remained active and loved to play fetch. That was an everyday activity. As time went on, we noticed she was slowing down and her length of playtime was getting shorter and shorter.
Then that day came when she appeared to have a seizure. At least it looked like a seizure, except for her rolling on her back with her four legs up in the air. Latter learned it was a syncope (fainting spell from the lack of oxygen to the brain because her heart was not functioning properly) It lasted for a few seconds and then she got up but acted confused. We took her to the doctor, to learned her heart was beating under 50 per minutes. The normal dog’s heart beats around 100 beats per minute. After x-rays, labs, and test the diagnosis was, she needed a pace maker. Princess was now over 12 years and we had to question ourselves… is this something we really should do…and would it really help her at this stage in her life? After deciding to not do the pace maker, and would give her quality of life as long as she was not suffering. The doctor suggested a medication to strengthen her heart hoping this might give us more time with her. She did not appear to be suffering, was eating good, drinking, had full control over her urine and stool and was active within her limitations. But the, within 8 months, we could see some changes. She started having several syncope’s, not eating, or drinking. It was like Princess was saying, she was ready to go. On the second day, our little Princess left earth and went to be with God. The pain I felt, is still present today and have never, felt such a lost as I did with Princess. She had become my shadow, slept with me, went just about everywhere my husband and I went, etc. Now came a void and when I would say my prayers at night, I found myself crying every night. “When will this pain stop”, I asked myself every night? Friends could see me without Princess and ask where she was. For weeks, I could not talk about her without tearing up and to this day, my tears flow when I thing about her. Just light right now as I write this story.
About 2 months went by and my husband and I finally decided it was time to get another Boston Terrier hoping this would help our pain. We decided, we did not want a puppy since we were getting up in age, and felt it would not be fair to the dog if something would happen to us and the dog would have to be replaced with another family. We also decided not to get a senior dog, as I could not go through losing another dog so soon. We checked animal shelters, and rescue sites every day. We put an application in on two dogs. Our applications were accepted but due to the numerous applications, we were not chosen. Each time, there was another disappointment. Then on one of the Rescue sites, a lady had posted the poem The Rainbow Bridge. As I read it, I believed it was a message from our little Princess to us. Here is the Poem:
Crossing the Rainbow Bridge! A letter to Mom
Hi Mom,
Now that I’ve been across The Rainbow Bridge for a couple weeks, they said I should write a letter home.
Sorry, Mom but I’m so busy ‘across the bridge’ that I haven’t thought of home much. They said it’s okay and that you would understand. I hope you do. (I think you will.)
Remember that night when I wasn’t feeling very well and we were all crying?
I don’t remember much, but I do remember seeing and hearing all of you and feeling your touches and hugs…I remember hearing “we love you” and that one last command of “Go through”.
I didn’t know what you meant, so I turned around and walked through the fog that was in front of me.
I saw the biggest bridge I’ve ever seen! And so many friends on the other side of it!
They were all playing with toys and balls!
You were right to tell me to go there!
My feet kept moving forward, but my heart kept pulling me back.
Your touches became lighter and lighter and I wanted to come back and nudge your hands for more love, but I was overcome by this feeling of curiosity for the happy place over the bridge!
My feet started moving on their own, like a gentle breeze was moving them forward for me!
I can’t explain it, but I had no doubt that it was the right thing to do!
So, I walked across that big, huge bridge by myself!
I looked for you, because you’re always by my side, walking with me, but this was different.
I didn’t have a collar around my neck or a leash connecting me to you ~ I was ‘free’!
Even though you weren’t there with me, I never felt alone!
I actually felt like I had a huge cape of love wrapped around my body and the more I walked, the easier it was to breathe!
So, I kept walking!
And I would feel more warmth in the big hug, so I kept on walking!
I eventually made it over the big bridge – I did it by myself, mom. When I got here, all of my new friends greeted me and helped me walk off the bridge ~ it was so cool!
They gave me a pair of wings and said that I was now a Guardian Angel!
What I’ve learned over these past few weeks has been amazing and nothing like I’ve seen before!
We’re all the same up here ~ we all have wings and we all have Forever People to watch over ~ that’s YOU, mom !
You’re my Forever Person and I’m your Forever Dog!
We had such a great life together and I do miss you a LOT, but please know that I am so happy in my new home across The Bridge!
I’ll send you another Earth Angel so you won’t be alone.
Give them your whole heart, like you gave it to me.
I’ll check in every so often to make sure they treasure your love ~ I always did!
When you miss me, think of a rainbow and know I’m on the other side of it, waiting to walk with you again.
I’ll always be in your heart.
I love you, mom!
Time for me to go play.”
-Author Unknown
Those words haunted “You’re my Forever Person and I’m your Forever Dog! I’ll send you another Earth Angel so you won’t be alone.”
“Give them your whole heart, like you gave it to me.”
To this day I do feel it was Gods way of letting Princess communicate to us and to help us through our sorrow and our lost. So, what did this mean…she would send us a special angel. Was it going to be another dog, or something else? Each time I put in an application and waited thinking; this must be what Princess meant. But each time, more disappointment. But then came a special phone call from my daughter telling us a lady had contacted her about a dog. The message was starting to make sense.
Next Time: More about another Boston Terrier whose life was in danger and was needing help.
Costumes for your Dog
Have you ever been to or watched a dog costume contest or maybe watched a parade that had dogs all dressed up in costumes? If you have done these things, then you will have to agree with me when I say… dog costumes brings out the ooohs, the aaahs and those remarks all dog owners love to hear! But are you one of those people who think dog costumes are only for Halloween time? Well, we would like to share a new idea with you! Here it is… Dog costumes can be worn at anytime not just the major holidays! Rover can dress up for a family- get- together, for birthday parties, for BBQs parties and more! Now… if you have never thought of dog costumes for your pet or if you just didn’t know what’s available for your pet… then let us help you by taking a closer look at dog costumes and what is available for your pet!
First, let’s begin by taking a look at what is offered for those story time themes, and major holidays… then let’s look at some costumes you might think your “ROVER” would look great in.
STORY BOOK THEMES:
Remember the story of Alice in Wonderland? Check out these costumes…
Remember Little Red Hiding Hood? Check out these dog costumes.
The Fox
Then there was the Wizard of Oz. See if you recognize any of the characters.
We can’t forget the story of Snow White and the Wicket Witch!
HALLOWEEN
Halloween is a fun time to dress up your dog. These are just a few ideas for costumes for your dog.
SCARY WITCH
FALL FESTIVALS
In the fall there are many fall festivals going on. Many of the festivals have dog costume contests and parades. You might consider one of these for your dog.
MARDI GRAS
There are even costumes for Mardi Gras!
SEA LOVERS
For the sea lovers, there are cute dog costumes…
SUPERHEROS
For the superheros in your life….
CHRISTMAS
Yes, there are even costumes for Christmas…
As you can see there are a lot of dog costumes available, but perhaps you DON’T want a full costume for your pet…no problem! For football or baseball fans, we carry jerseys or a bandanas to help you cheer for your team… just pick your favorite team!!! For those pet owners who want something to dress up your pet everyday… we offer cute bandanas and even dog collars…
So, celebrate the holidays or those special occasions with your pet! JUST remember… Whether it be by costume, by bandana or by collar… LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL!!!!
Doggie Dog Coats thanks you for enjoying our dog costumes.
Dogs from my past remembered…including the odd balls
Dogs from my past remembered …including the odd balls
My first dog was brought home by my dad because dad could not say no to a friend who was moving out of state. You can’t imagine the feeling of terror I felt when dad opened the passenger door of our 1948 two door Buick and out came a dog bigger than ME!! Then…guess what happened?
child hugging new dog
I became the target of all its licking, of all its pouncing on and all its games…i.e. carrying off everything not nailed down, of chasing the chickens and its favorite game of all … laying in ambush until I came past carrying two pails of water or feed for the animals… then without warning he would let out the loudest bark and jump up on me! Pails of food or water would go flying everywhere! Everyone would laugh and hoot at me… Let’s just say these were not my favorite times in my childhood!
The next dog that stands out in my memory was Pal- the-chewer! This dog LOVED to chew on everything he took a fancy to! Shoes, slippers, clothes and wood products bore the scars of his chewing escapades! No matter what we did or what we tried… Pal-the-Chewer kept on gnawing away! Then, one day we came home and found our bathroom’s built in cabinets had been chomped on by Pal …this was the last straw… Pal-the –Chewer had to go!
Dog the chewer… saying I’m sorry
So, I looked around and found a farmer who would take Pal even if Pal had a chewing habit. Pal would have… a heated dog house… which was a converted incubator… have over 10 acres of woods to chew on and a big barn loaded with hay and straw bales to play on. A year later, I met this farmer at one of our flea markets and asked him how Pal was doing. His answer was what I had suspected all along… Pal-the –Chewer had been a BEAVER in another life!! It sure felt good to realize that all of our efforts to rehabilitate Pal were in vain… because we were using dog training methods on Pal-the-Chewer instead of BEAVER training methods!
The most remembered dog of my childhood days was a Brindle Bulldog named Pepper. Where ever I went or what I was doing pepper was there at my side doing it too! I shall have to stop here because the memories and Pepper’s death are still too painful to me… Pepper taught me what companionship, faithfulness and love was about… so… with teary eyes and loving memories I say good-bye to Pepper!
Buddy, our rescue dog
Today, our lives hovers around two dogs… The oldest is Buddy who was rescued from the dog pound 15 years ago…
Princess our little Boston Terrier
and Princess who is a 7 yrs. old Boston Terrier and whose antics has kept us in fits of laughter and also kept us in states of complete awe because of her actions. When we brought Princess home, we were a little apprehensive about how the older Buddy would react to having to share his home with another dog! But, to our amazement, Buddy took this little puppy under his care!
Buddy and Princess greeting each other
Buddy would allow Princess to pull his hair, to grab his tail and pull on it. Buddy would even share his food with her! Over the years, we have seen these dogs bring food to each other, sleep together, and even get into trouble together!
Buddy and Princess as a pup, sleeping together
To this date these two are inseparable… BUT sadly, the time is nearing when Buddy will no longer be able to chase Princess around the house, to play tug-of-war or to just be here
… you see Buddy has lung cancer and day by day we him fading away…Soon Princess will be alone… and only time will tell how she will react at the loss of her life long companion! She has already showed us that she knows something is wrong with Buddy…. She sniffs him all over, she goes to him when he coughs or tries to breathe through his nose and more and more she stays at his side! I believe this is nature’s way of saying GOOD BYE Buddy!
Thanks for listening to our story of our loved pets. Here at Doggie Dog Coats, our pets are our children…we like to dress them, feed them, protect them, and love them.
Do you have a Bad Dog or a BAD MASTER?
I saw a dog being let out of a car, while I was dumping our RV’s tanks after one of our road shows. As I watched this dog, I noticed it was sniffing every thing i.e. the grass under its paws, a single weed growing away from any others, a tree standing all alone and each time this dog sniffed an object, it would back away!
Dog sniffing flower
Shortly, the man who owned the dog came over to my RV and started talking to me. We talked about how he had noticed my wife as she walked our TWO dogs, Buddy and Princess. He was amazed that they seemed to stay right with her and did not try to PULL her arm off like his ONE dog did all the time! He asked me how I trained the dogs to do this.
Walking two dogs
I asked him how old was his dog? He told me the dog was given to him by his aunt and he did not know the age. I told him about noticing how his dog was reacting to the outdoors! I also told him, the dog seemed to be frightened and unsure of everything. Then he told me the dog had always been in the aunt’s house or let out into its pen which was attached to the aunt’s house itself! I told him his dog’s problem seemed to be along the lines of not being a socialized dog. In other words, his dog was not introduced to any thing else but his aunt’s house… simply put his dog was a house dog and did not know how to accept new and/or strange things.
This chance meeting got me to thinking about how our pets today have to adjust to our work schedules, our family’s coming and goings or our resting times. An example is this… dad and mom work days, the kids are in school, and the pet is all alone at home! Is this fair to the dog? When mom and dad get home, both are tired from work…doggie wants to play! (You might consider a pet care center while at work, or someone to take your dog for a walk while you are at work or a dog walker).
Dog begging to play
So…you are now home from work or school… instead of getting up and going outside or walk somewhere to play with rover… rover is played with indoors i.e. tossing a ball down the hallway or across the room… OR is just told to go lay down!
Go lay down
Dog laying down
Today, most dogs are found in a city or urban home environment. These are the dogs I am mostly talking about in this blog. I have found that, farm dogs or dogs having large back yards to run around and play in, have a better chance at becoming a well socialized pet dog. But some of this blog information can be applied to any pet dog you want to train as a COMPANION dog.
Man with dog..His Companion
When I say a companion dog, I am talking about a dog able to go with you and act civilized… i.e. it gets out of the car and waits until you are ready to go, a dog which does not bark, growl, or seemingly tries to rip your arm off chasing something! All of these bad behaviors can be corrected or at the least be improved! First, remember this, a puppy or young dog will learn faster than an older dog.
Man training dog to shaking hands
So be patient and start by leashing your dog and taking a doggie walk. A doggie walk centers around Master and dog walk someplace where few people are met and master is able to interact with the dog by… reaching down and petting the dog, by rubbing or touching the dog all over its body and most importantly taking the time to sit down and rough house with that dog! Why, you ask? It is this simple process which allows you and your dog to bond, to get to know each other’s voice tones, to get to know what is allowed and what is not allowed! Look what happens on a typical doggie walk: master and dog walks along… dog tries to pull the leash taunt and go, master gently pulls the dog back and pets the dogs, talks to the dog using a soft re-assuring voice. The walk continues again… at masters pace. I can assure you… this will be repeated many times, but with patience’s from you, your dog will learn to walk with you at YOUR pace. Be sure to incorporate into your doggie walks a time I like to call, petting time. Petting times get your dog used to being touched all over its body… this accomplishes two things. First, it lets the dog know through touch that master loves and cares for him. Secondly, this all over touching will allow other people to pet you dog.
Child petting dog
When you take the time to rough house with your dog, you have to use many tones of your voice. Over a period of time, you will see your dog begin to respond to a certain tone of your voice, in a certain way… i.e. he is biting you too hard, so using your loud, sharp voice you tell him… STOP. Without you knowing it your voice instantly lowers to a softer tone and you usually say something like…”come here boy, its o.k.” This is that bonding I’m talking about!
Man playing fetch with dog
When you and your dog bond, the dog will do things and react in ways that will bring your approval voice… your dog will do better if your good voice is followed by a nice rub down too. And remember, if your dog is alone for long hours while you are at work…consider a doggie day care center while you are at work, or have someone some into your home to walk and spend some time with your dogs….or hire a dog walker. I hope this blog helps you and your dog to get together better and enjoy each others company more… From all of us Doggie Dog Coats we wish you happy doggie walks!
Pets and Fire…Do you have a Plan?
Pets and Fire…Do you Have a Plan?
House on Fire
What happens to your pet dog if……?
We had a catastrophic fire on Presidents Day, February 18, 2013 which required an evacuation from the flaming home… without a moments hesitation!
Our house is on fire
The pets were rounded up gotten out of and away from the burning building… AND I MEAN JUST IN TIME!!
Fireman carrying pet
Hours later, after everyone was trying to settle down in our home… (You see the burning house was next door to our home and was being rented from us by our single- mother -daughter- Carole Jane…C J ! So… since C J had only the uniform she wore to work left and since… Austin, our grandson had only the clothes he wore left… we took them in!)… As they were trying to get a good night’s sleep, I just sat there in the dark thinking and thanking God for His protective Hands.
Giving thanks to God
Then, I suddenly thought about getting J C’s two pet dogs out and away from those swift moving flames, hot gases and that acidic, blinding smoke… So I am writing this blog to pass on some very hard learned lessons that this catastrophic fire taught us, and maybe help you prevent suffering the loss of a beloved pet… or even a loved one! So here I go with our lessons learned so far:
Have a fire escape plan
HAVE AN ESCAPE PLAN… AND PRACTICE IT!
Our fire started out with a lot of blinding, hot smoke… you couldn’t see where you were at or where you were going! Be sure your plans include not only the fastest way out, but also drop and crawl fast… the aim being to get out fast. Be sure every member of your family knows where the DOG LEASH is kept… believe me; you won’t have time to look for it!
Ditty bag with dog Supplies
Keep a small ditty bag next to your exit site…
it should contain a few of these items: bottled water, a non-breakable jar of dog treats, small bag/can of dog food, another dog leash (in case you need to tie Rover up to prevent him from getting in the way) and be sure to pack a “stress” toy for later use) and ask your Vet for his advise on what medications might be needed.
Written agreement for your pet
Written permission/ agreement for treatment
Ask a friend if they would be willing to dog sit in case you are not there or something happens to you. Be sure and give this friend a written and signed permission slip to treat your pet as their own! Just in case something would happen while Rover is in their care and you can’t be reached.
I know you can not prepare for every single event in your life, but you can be prepared to act quickly when the need arises, simply because you have given fore thought to you and your pet’s safety!
All of us at Doggy Dog Coats hope these ideas will help you and your pet feel safer… Will help you put together a plan that answers the question…. What will happen to your pet if….?
Choosing the best dog for your family
The best dog for you and your family
I was asked one time, if I could pick out or name the best dog I ever had. Yes- sir-ree I replied…and I told him… the best dog for me was a chili dog with onions and a side order of fries!
Chile Dog
Boy oh boy, you should have seen the look on his face… he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry! Now, you might wonder why I replied this way. I did this to drive home a very import point about choosing a dog as a pet. The point is… each and every dog has its own personality and its own quarks! It is these traits which allow a pet dog to put joy and laughter into its owner’s life and family! The game of… I’m master…you dog begins the very second the two of you meet. Consider the way your soon- to- be- pet dog greets you for the very first time!
Dog looking for a home
Some dogs come right to you, greeting you like a long lost friend, while other dogs just sit there looking at you with an expression which seems to say… what is with this guy or this guy has to be from the bottom of the master barrel! This dog is the quite, thinking type pet and (I have found out from experience) is best matched up with more experienced owners…. More on these types later… You see, you must first begin the pet selection process by knowing what your daily routine and home environment is… i.e. I work long hours and I am not at home a lot… or… I have lots of “stuff” lying out in the open areas of my home.
Dog pulling girl
Now this first step will become clearer to you as you learn about the two most common types of pet dogs. First, let’s look at that friendly dog. This long lost friend type dog usually will require a lot of lessons in calming down… learning to control its seemingly endless energy! So, if you pick out this dynamo pet dog, you better have lots of spare time to train your pet! Also, living in a concrete bunker with unbreakable everything will definitely help you keep you blood pressure down!
kids hugging dog smiling
Now, the up side in choosing this friendly pet is two fold…
1) if you have children, this boundless energetic ball- of- fur will wear the kids down…thus giving you time to relax!
2) Usually, but not always, this friendly type dog will jump up and knock the smaller kids down… kissing and licking them with a nicely “wetted” tongue … a yuck to us… but consider how clean each kid will look… also, consider how much you will save on SOAP!
Dog with bow in her hair
When selecting the just sitting there dog type, you must consider your ability to be patient! Why? Because this pet type will need lessons dealing with trust and confidence building… in both of you! (Now don’t get me wrong, there are dogs in between these two groups… But as an owner of two dogs now, and having experience learned from many past pet dogs… combined with having trained a few too) I want to pass on information concerning the most common pet types. Now let’s look at this next laid back pet dog.
Dog asleep on book
Generally speaking, this quite… laid back type dog… if handled correctly will make your home a safe haven. Why? Well, I have found that in getting used to its new home, this pet type sets its territorial boundaries, its place to eat and sleep similar to other new pets… BUT with one very important difference! This dog picks out the places where it can watch what is going on in the daily routine of its master or masters!
Dog showing his teeth
Let something happen out of the daily patterns and Mr. Cool pet lets you know in no uncertain ways… Barking, growling, and just pawing at you until you get up and correct what IT thinks is needing to be done to make things normal. You get all this commotion from these pets because they have watched you, studied your habits and learned what you like or dislike! How do they learn this? Simple… they test your patience and I mean constantly! i.e. they pull things off of beds or furniture… they carry off items belonging to only one member of the family… like A sock, A shoe or a shirt…. Why do these dogs do it? The answer is simply this… BECAUSE THEY CAN! And after these laid back rascals have tested you and are satisfied about your routines, they will suddenly seem to… read your mind… to know when to console or just be there for you! When you are sick or feeling plain lousy, you will have these big lugs snuggle up to or lie next to you… as if they are saying… move over and make room for a fellow suffer!
Princess and Buddy
Now, I know some people might disagree with me about these observations and that is alright with me, BUT DON’T say anything to Princess (our FRIENDLY Boston Terrier) or to our Buddy (our LAID BACK mixed breed)… you see they have tender feelings and if they were to hear you, both of them would promptly go into their Moping mood…….. Hope some of this info will help you select a suitable pet or if you have already have a pet… hope this info will help you enjoy it more! …John
Trimming your Dog’s Toe Nails
If you ever had your dog jump up and land on your bare skin causing you to jump back due to those sharp toe nails, then you need to know how to trim a dog’s nails. Now, don’t do the Hebe-geebe dance just because I wrote TOE NAILS and trim in the same sentence! The hardest part of this job is getting Mr. Dog to sit still while you trim! If you have never trimmed your dog’s toe nails before and is your first time to trim toe nails on a dog, we suggest you have your vet show you the first time. It’s not hard to trim them, but you do need to know how and where to trim the nail.
First, you will need to purchase a nail trimmer. I like the style where you insert the nail and squeeze just like a pair of pliers. Also, be sure to buy some styptic powder which you may have to use if you cut too close to the quick and cause bleeding. This styptic powder will stop the bleeding. You will also need a good nail file to round off some sharp edges that might occur from the trimming. Now begin by… first, examining the nails. You are looking for nail color… if the nail is all one color i.e. black, dark bone to brown, you must use extra care and not cut back too far on the nail. I suggest you start out by just barely trimming the end of each nail and then file it smooth. Why is this the best way, you may ask? Well, if you look at your own nails, you will see that if you cut your nails back too far you get into the quick area and usually they start bleeding. This is the reason why I told you to start small and not go back to far into your dog’s quick area. If you do and bleeding occurs…just slap some styptic powder on it. Now, if you examine your dog’s nails and find they are light colored… your in luck because you can see the pinkish quick.
Dog Nail to be Cut
Just remember to stay ahead of it when you are trimming. Finely, be sure to establish a regular schedule for trimming your pet’s nails because those quick areas will stay to the back of the nail providing you trim regularly, so remember to trim at regular intervals. Some articles say, you should trim once a week.
For more information on trimming your dog’s toe nails, visit PetMD – 
How to Trim a Dog’s Toenail @ http://www.petmd.com/dog/grooming/evr_dg_how_to_trim_a_dogs_toenails#.UWlaysqyIxQ… Here they show pictures of step by step on how to trim your dog’s toe nails.
dog treat
AND…as always be sure to give your dog a treat after trimming their nails. If you need some help or if you have questions just drop us a line at Doggy Dog Coats… thanks!
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