Dolce won a free Pawbox from Dealwagger!!!
http://youtu.be/cXWUSwu0r9Q
Home made Sam's Yam's: http://www.17apart.com/2012/02/how-to-make-sweet-potato-dog-chew.html
I donated to the Four Diamonds Fund - Penn State's charity for children suffering with cancer...did you?
http://www.pennstatehershey.org/web/fourdiamonds/home/aboutus
Lost and found pets from Hurricane Sandy: https://www.facebook.com/SandysPets | Currently on the scene in PA: http://www.redpawemergencyreliefteam.org/ |
Facebook page for lost and found dogs in NJ: https://www.facebook.com/groups/312487882095942/
Found a great blog with lots of useful info @ http://blog.raiseagreendog.com
We're excited to see Blogger Disaster Response Network now forming!
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We found the perfect setter toy at Big Lots today - complete with feathers and a velcro slot for treats!
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Our first Bark Box arrived today!
Our second PetsLoveToys.com box arrived today! The two toys will be great for Dolce and Fresco to jointly play with - a Hol-ee Roller and a Mighty Dog Lobster! They also got Pup Chips and samples of Sojos Bacon Cheddar and WholeLife sweet potato. Here's a photo of the box:
September 17, 2012 My setters won a wonderful 3 month subscription to PetsLoveToys.com from DogTipper.com! Both chicken and beef Z filets (which will be great for nose work) and a Bumi toy (which will be great as a tug toy) are on their way...photos to follow.
Coping With Multiple Dogs!
Written by Martin Holland
Establishing a routine is relatively easy and goes a long way towards being able to instill other behavioral patterns such as teaching your dogs voice commands and good behavior. In the same way that a child becomes socially competent through the routine of going to school everyday, your dogs too will find that a structured routine focuses their minds.
Meal Times
One of our earliest problems with four dogs was at breakfast time, the stronger and more outgoing dogs would often eat so much faster than our shy dogs that they would finish their meal and push the other dogs aside and eat their food too!
We established a good routine by buying bowls specifically sized to each dog and ensuring that over the course of a week we watched over them at every meal time chastising any dog that tried to eat anothers food. We also staggered letting the dogs into the house so that each found their bowl one by one and thus knew it to be theirs.
If the dogs tried to eat anothers food then we would issue a sharp "NO" and make sure that the rightful owner of the food was allowed to finish their meal.
Another trick was that as soon as a dog finished their meal they would be led to out to the back yard to go potty, thus they did not get an opportunity to steal anothers food.
The four dogs now run straight to their own bowls and finish their meals without even considering stealing each others meals. They know that they will be fed every morning at the same time and they know that they will be rewarded in the afternoon with treats if they behave well.
Treat Time
We used to have all four dogs jumping up and down uncontrollably whenever the treat box was heard or seen! The way we established a routine was to use our ice machine... Individually whenever we got a drink we would get some extra ice and offer it to one dog at a time, the ice cube would only be given to the dog if he or she laid down on the floor. This was achieved by firstly teaching them the "sit down" voice command and rewarding a dog if it sat down with an ice cube.
The next step was the "lay down" voice command, getting them to lay down was easier if a foot was stamped to indicate that they should get close to the floor. As soon as any dog laid down they would immediately get a treat and a positive affirmation of "good boy" or "good girl".
Now when the real treats come out we simply hold a treat high in the air and say "lay down" and hey presto, all four dogs lay down before getting their treats.
Keeping the Kitchen Quiet
Another routine to establish is that when you are cooking in the kitchen for the human inhabitants that the dogs must stay out! This teaches them not to beg or try and get scraps whilst you are cooking. I have almost stepped on our little dogs many times when they are buzzing around my feet hunting for scraps of food being prepared.
We now use the "out" voice command accompanied by an assertive pointing towards our living area. The dogs now tend to sit at the threshold of the kitchen and simply watch me cook wide eyed waiting for a treat!
The "out" command may need you to actually guide them out of the room you are trying to clear and then reward them once they leave the room. This voice command is transferable to many situations and should be taught as soon as possible.
Sleepy Time
Our dogs like their beds but much prefer our king size comfortable mattress to their floor beds! One way to minimize them jumping onto the bed is to occasionally allow them onto your bed but only when their is an old sheet over the bed spread, use the same old sheet (washed occasionally) whenever you let them onto the bed. This teaches them that thay can occasionally get up on the bed but only when the correct doggy sheet is in place. A firm "get down" will suffice whenever they are not allowed on the bed.
Getting Clean
We use specific all natural dog soaps and shampoos from our family owned store, the dogs get very used to the smell of their own soaps and find that bath time is a fun and exciting routine followed by lots of treats! We usually wait for a warm but not too hot day and use a garden hose for the big dogs and a small portable tub for the little dogs. The all natural soaps and shampoos get them squeaky clean and not only makes them smell good but our house smells good too!
Summary
If you ensure a routine is established in your pets daily lives it will pay off in the long run, we hope you found this article useful and that our methods work for you and your best friends, the dogs.
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