Great Holiday Gifts for Your Best Friend

It's that time of year again! The time of year when we have an excuse to spoil our pets (as if we needed one). This year, consider some of my favorite products for your pampered pooch.

Gifts for the Canine the Fitness Buff

Most dogs don't get enough exercise. It's not always our fault either. It's just really hard for a two-legged human to keep up with a four-legged exercise buddy. They almost always leave us in the dust and some of us just aren't the best runners in the first place. Enter the Walky Dog Hands Free Bicycle Leash. Now your dog can have a high impact workout while you ride in comfort on your bike. Not into biking? The consider getting yourself a pair of roller blades!

Don't forget while you're out in the slushy Michigan snow with your big ole' boots that the rock salt we use to keep our sidewalks safe can eat away at your dog's tender paws - just look what it does to those boots, and your car! So consider PAWZ Disposable Reusable Bootsfor your tenderfoot and if he's not into fashion, Musher's Secret will help protect those pads.

Sometimes the fault lies with our schedule. We get so busy we skip our own Yoga class, and completely forget about Fido's aerobics. If this is the case, consider getting your pup a package at Camp BowWow. You can get  5-day or 10-day daycare packages at most camps and you don't have to use them consecutively. Drop your dog off once or twice a week and pick him up tired and ready for bed. Or if your dog prefers to work out at home, consider a treadmill. Get the right one and you'll both get some good use out of it.

But maybe your dog does get plenty of exercise and is looking to shake up the routine a bit. I've got you covered there too. Consider getting some agility equipment for your back yard.

Gits for Clever Canines
If your dog is an evil genous (You know the type, he's too smart for his own good, bores easily and is constantly coming up with new and exciting ways to drive you nuts. He probably eats all sorts of things that can kill him just for attention too. Yea, that's him.) everything is a puzzle to solve. So, get him some puzzles! Try Nina Ottosson Dog Tornado Interactive Plastic Toy or the Aikiou Interactive Dog Feeder. Once he's figured those puzzles out, he won't have time to figure out how to take apart your vertical blinds!

Consider also one of my favorite dog training books, The Everything Dog Training and Tricks Book: All you need to turn even the most mischievous pooch into a well-behaved pet.  That will get him on the path toward using his powers for good.

Gifts for Canine Couch Potatoes

If you'd like to get your dog a new bed (or the perfect "place" for my clients) consider West Paw Design Nature Nap Dog Mat, Large, Beach Glass. These wonderful mats come in a variety of sizes, are super comfy, fold up for travel and come in a variety of sizes that fit in your dog's crate.
If your dog has trouble jumping into the car due to age or joint problems, consider the Pet Studio Rampstep, or the PetSTEP Pet Ramp.

Gifts for Extreme Dogs

The Extreme Fetcher Does your dog drive you nuts with endless requests to throw the ball? It's time to mix things up a bit with the Chuckit! Ball Launcher and a Chuckit! Fetch Medley Balls .

The Extreme Chewer If your dog enjoys a good chew more than anything else, you'll make his day with a some Deer Antlers.  Dogs love em and they last longer than bones.  


So What are my spoiled pooches getting for Christmas?

Musher's Secret, a bunch of deer antlers and a Kyjen Fleecy Clean Split Double Tug Dog Toy. But don't tell!

Do you buy gifts for your dogs for the holidays? If you try any of these out, I'd love to hear your comments!

Getting Ready for Baby

This is just a little something I typed up for my clients. I am planning to expand on it further when time allows.

Months before baby arrives...

1.Make sure your dog knows “stay”, “come”, “place”, “leave it” and “drop it”.

2.Make sure he LOVES his crate.

3.Teach your that he is only allowed on furniture and laps if he is invited.

4.Restrict his access to the baby's room, and any other room he will be restricted from when the baby comes.

5.Start desensitizing your dog to baby noises, squeak toys, rattles, etc. Play lots of movies with crying babies in them as background noise. Or consider Baby Sounds for Pets




Weeks before baby arrives...

1.If someone will be helping out with the baby, make sure your dog gets to meet and spend some time with him or her now.

2.If your dog will be going to doggie daycare or a kennel when the baby comes, have him go for a few trial days now to get used to it.

3.As new baby items arrive in the house, leave them where where your dog can inspect them on his own time for a few days before putting them away (just watch to make sure he doesn't pee on or chew on them). Set up any new furniture as far ahead as possible.

4.Begin taking the stroller along on your dog's walks so everyone gets used to the vehicle before you have to wrestle with the leash & stroller & baby.

5.Practice “leave it” with rattles, squeaky toys, bottles of formula, and dirty diapers if you can get ahold of some.



Days before baby arrives...

1.Begin ignoring your dog now so that when the baby comes it will seem like he's getting more attention instead of less.



Once baby arrives...

1.If the baby will be in the hospital for a few days, have dad bring home a diaper or burp rag so your dog can get a whiff.

2.When baby comes home, act like everything is normal, but the person carrying the baby should drop some treats on the floor periodically.

3.Let your dog inspect the baby and tell him how good he is. Don't hide the baby from him and make it mysterious.

4.Do not leave your dog and the baby in the same room unsupervised until the baby is about 10.

5.Take your dog and the baby on walks together every day.

Should You Send Your Dog to Daycare?

Should You Send Your Dog to Daycare?

Doggie daycare is a popular trend among busy dog owners that can solve many problems and create new ones! Is doggie daycare right for you and your dog? How do you choose the right one? What facilities are available in the metro Detroit area?

Dealing with Destruction

Step One: Prevention
The first step to saving your house from your companion's destructive tendencies is to prevent it from happening in the first place!

• Crate train your dog. Put him in a crate whenever you are unable to watch him. This way, he will not have access to anything outside the crate to destroy.
• If you don't want to put him in a crate, or if you are going to be gone for very long periods, consider sending your dog to doggie daycare.
• If your pet has shown specific appetite for a particular item (such as shoes) or a particular area (such as the doorway), restrict his access to the item or area. Pick up your shoes, keep your pet away from the doorway unless you are escorting him, don't let him get to the object and he won't be able to destroy it.
• Carefully observe your pet's behavior and surroundings to determine triggers for destructive behavior. Maybe your dog chews on the couch when a certain person comes to visit, when the kids have been home for school for a few days, when the garbage collector comes or when they test the tornado siren once a month. Keeping a journal of what goes on in your household and your dog's behavior will help with this. Once you've determined your dog's triggers, you will be further empowered to take preventive measures.

Ask Yourself: How is my dog being rewarded by this behavior?

Animals (including humans!) repeat behaviors that are rewarded, even if they aren't rewarded every time. Does the behavior make your dog feel good, help relieve stress, pain from teething, boredom? Keep in mind that the reward doesn't have to be "real". Your dog could make a correlation between one action and another that doesn't exist, for example "If I dig at this door long enough, someone will eventually come through it to keep me company."

Remove the reward
Your goal is to make the behavior unattractive to your pet. Here are some ideas.

• If the dog is digging at the front door in hopes of eliciting your return, come in through the back door instead.
• Coat things your dog enjoys chewing on (those things you can't hide) with something that tastes or smells bad to your dog. Vinegar, citrus, Listerine, Altoids (try different flavors, crush them into a powder to apply) or black or cayenne pepper may be what you're looking for, but individual dogs have different tastes, so you may have to experiment.
• Make sure you aren't inadvertently rewarding your dog with attention in response to this behavior. Keep corrections low key and don't follow them up with a rowdy game of tag.
• Set up booby traps; Try putting mouse traps in and around your shoes (the plastic snap kind is safer for your dog than the wire type.) the noise may deter your dog from sticking his nose in their again. Put some bells on the trap to make it extra noisy. Double-sided tape, like carpet tape, may deter your dog from digging around baseboards, windows and doors, but be advised that it may also lift up paint and wallpaper. Motion sensor devices can also be set up in areas to produce loud noises.
  

Provide an Alternative
Many dogs destroy things because they are bored or lonely, or need to relieve tension or just the desire to chew. If you simply remove their ability to destroy one item, they will find something else to destroy unless you provide them with an appropriate alternative.

• Make sure your dog has something appropriate to chew on. Try a bully stick, a smoked knuckle bone, a stuffed marrow bone or the Nylabone Double Action Combo Bone. These are relatively safe and long-lasting, will help relieve nervous tension and boredom and will help with teething if that's the issue.
• Present your dog with puzzles to solve while your away. Hide treats, chew toys or stuffed Kongs around his play area (or even hang them from a string from the ceiling just within reach). Freezing treats inside a yogurt container or putting your Kong in the freezer will make them last longer and is especially fun on a hot day (but messy!).
• If it seems your dog is destroying your personal items out of love, give her something that smells like you for her very own. Keep in mind that it won't smell like you anymore after a day or two and will need to be refreshed. Try this: Buy 3 similar toys. Put them all in your laundry, give her one the next day, then after three days, put that one in the wash and give her a new one from the laundry, three days later, put that one in the wash, the clean one in the laundry and give the one in the laundry to her. Continue this rotation.
  

Make Sure Your Dog Gets Plenty of Exercise!

This cannot be stressed enough. A tired dog is a good dog. Most dogs were bred for a physical job and most house dogs aren't performing that job. This can cause them to be restless and stressed out. Help your dog out by making sure he gets lots of physical and mental stimulation.

• Walk him at least once, preferably twice a day.
• If he is not dog aggressive, take him to the dog park, play dates, or doggie daycare once or twice a week.
• Play fetch, hide and seek, tug of war, or chase daily.
• Practice obedience and tricks every day. (Check out The Everything Dog Training and Tricks Book by Gerilyn Bielakiewicz)
• Take your dog somewhere exciting, like the pet store, the park, or grandma's house once a week.
• Get your dog a kiddie pool to play in during the summer. If you've got a big pool, invite him in for a swim!
  
• Consider getting involved in a sport, like dock diving, disc dog, agility or fly ball. It'll be fun for you too!