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?
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
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!
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.
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 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.
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.
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!
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Canine to Five Howl O Ween Party
NOTE: I am not at all affiliated with these folks, I'm just passing this on.
DETROIT – Spooky pooches and their owners can get dressed-up and have a blast at Canine to Five Detroit's Howl-ween party on October 25, 1 – 4 p.m. The event will include contests for spookiest costume, owner and pet look-alike costume, funniest costume and most creative costume. There will also be fun activities for your furry friends such as bobbing for balls, biscuit in a haystack, and trick and treat.
Howl-ween is $5 per dog in a costume and $10 per dog without a costume. Admission includes entry fees for the contests and activities, and access to Canine to Five's 4,500 square feet of indoor dog park and 8,000 square feet of secured outdoor dog park space.
"Howl-ween is another great way to enjoy the season while spending time with your dog and meeting other dog owners and new friends," said Liz Blondy, Canine to Five owner. "We've had great success with our organized dog events, such as drinking with dogs this summer, and I expect Howl-ween to be a lot of fun."
Canine to Five is Metro Detroit's only dog daycare, boarding, and grooming facility, located in the heart of Detroit's Historic Midtown Neighborhood. The facilities includes 4,500 square feet of cage-free, indoor climate-controlled play space and 8,000 square feet of secured, fenced in, well-lit outdoor play space, separate play area for puppies, small dogs, and quiet time, and one dozen large secure kennels for our overnight guests.
Canine to Five: Detroit Dog Daycare is located at 3443 Cass Avenue, Detroit, just south of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. It's regular business hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. with the exception of the dog park days and the puppy socials.
For more information, visit www.detroitdogdaycare.com.
DETROIT – Spooky pooches and their owners can get dressed-up and have a blast at Canine to Five Detroit's Howl-ween party on October 25, 1 – 4 p.m. The event will include contests for spookiest costume, owner and pet look-alike costume, funniest costume and most creative costume. There will also be fun activities for your furry friends such as bobbing for balls, biscuit in a haystack, and trick and treat.
Howl-ween is $5 per dog in a costume and $10 per dog without a costume. Admission includes entry fees for the contests and activities, and access to Canine to Five's 4,500 square feet of indoor dog park and 8,000 square feet of secured outdoor dog park space.
"Howl-ween is another great way to enjoy the season while spending time with your dog and meeting other dog owners and new friends," said Liz Blondy, Canine to Five owner. "We've had great success with our organized dog events, such as drinking with dogs this summer, and I expect Howl-ween to be a lot of fun."
Canine to Five is Metro Detroit's only dog daycare, boarding, and grooming facility, located in the heart of Detroit's Historic Midtown Neighborhood. The facilities includes 4,500 square feet of cage-free, indoor climate-controlled play space and 8,000 square feet of secured, fenced in, well-lit outdoor play space, separate play area for puppies, small dogs, and quiet time, and one dozen large secure kennels for our overnight guests.
Canine to Five: Detroit Dog Daycare is located at 3443 Cass Avenue, Detroit, just south of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. It's regular business hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. with the exception of the dog park days and the puppy socials.
For more information, visit www.detroitdogdaycare.com.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Dog First Aid & CPR Class
FYI
The Bull Terrier Club of Metro Detroit is hosting a
Red Cross Dog First Aid & CPR Class on Sunday October 25th, 2009
To be held at:
Flushing Township Offices
6524 N. Seymour Road
Flushing, MI 48433
Time: 1-4 pm
Cost: $40.00 per person
Contact: Diane Thomas at: 1-810-845-2901 by October 7, 2009 if you would like to attend. There will be a limit of 40 people
Each participant will receive from Red Cross a manual and DVD covering what you learned during the presentation.
The Bull Terrier Club of Metro Detroit is hosting a
Red Cross Dog First Aid & CPR Class on Sunday October 25th, 2009
To be held at:
Flushing Township Offices
6524 N. Seymour Road
Flushing, MI 48433
Time: 1-4 pm
Cost: $40.00 per person
Contact: Diane Thomas at: 1-810-845-2901 by October 7, 2009 if you would like to attend. There will be a limit of 40 people
Each participant will receive from Red Cross a manual and DVD covering what you learned during the presentation.
Friday, September 4, 2009
My Babies are Growing Up
This weekend my daughter and her little dog are competing in their first agility trial! Check out the PDF link for more information if you'd like to come out and cheer us on! We'll be there on Saturday doing "Jumper" and "Standard".
(it's so exciting!!)
(it's so exciting!!)
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