Never Ask Your Husband To Put The Food Away.
April 30, 2012 in Leia's Corner
He has no idea how hard I work to keep their diets pure. At least this was only rice and beef broth. *sigh*
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10 Creative Ways To Exercise Your Dog
April 26, 2012 in Dog Training, Leia's Corner
Remember, that's Maui I want you to dig a hole to. Not China!
Have you ever had one of those dogs? You know. The one that barks all day long, digs furiously in the garden, tears up the whole house when you leave it, and can’t be taken for a walk without warning everyone in a ten mile radius they’re about to get clotheslined?
I’ve got one of those dogs right now. I have taken her to animal behaviorists, dog trainers, e-mailed other dog people online. I have listened to smug pet store employees preach to me about lack of exercise, and I want to slap them all. Those of you who have a dog like this know, there is no way to give a dog like this a walk that long without quitting your job and applying yourself to nothing else.
My dog is a friggin Chihuahua. (Pardon my french.) Her stride is about 18 inches long. So why is it we can go for a four mile run, pushing so fast and so hard that steam is coming off my body, up hills and over difficult terrain, and yet when I collapse on the couch gasping for air, she’s grabbing up a squeaky toy and begging for more? Before you ask, yeah it does help with the destruction a little. That’s not the point. She should be exhausted! She’s a Chihuahua!
What’s a person to do when faced with a dog like this?
1. The Dinner Time Workout
Those precious few minutes your dog is eating, he’s not ripping up your underwear or whining at the door. Why wouldn’t you want to stretch it out a little? Give your dog his meal in a doggie puzzle, such as a kibble dispensing cube or a kong toy. Figuring out how to get his meal will give him a mental workout, and take his focus off that hole to China.
Don't worry. He's got a compass in that pack.
2. Take It Somewhere Else
New surroundings can be both mentally and physically more difficult than the same old boring walk every day. I took Leia to a park on a 30 foot dog lead, put down a blanket for myself, and let her run. My blanket was strategically placed between a soccer field and a tennis court, and she spent two hours dashing madly back and forth between the two. She didn’t disturb either party since she was too far away, but she exercised herself so well she retired to the couch for the rest of the afternoon, and I got four chapters of my lastest Stephanie Plumb book read. Not a bad trade off.
3. New Toys
Leia is ball crazy, and I spend a little time playing fetch with her most days. Recently I got a frisbee for her to try. She ran harder, jumped higher, and tired herself out faster, playing with a frisbee over a ball.
4. New Tricks
This kind of goes back to the first one, but when my first dog was difficult, I distracted him by giving him something to do. In his case, I taught him to track a specific smell, and had him look for it throughout the house. Now that smell is permanently attached to my keys, wallet, and cellphone. He’s a useful dog.
5. Armchair Exercise
Your dog is still on fire, and you’re ready to sit in your easy chair. Instead of forcing yourself to limp out the door for one more round, try a compromise. Teach your dog to spin, sit and down. For a low calorie treat, have him do doggie push-ups (sit, down, sit, down, sit…) or spin to the left and to the right a few times. He’ll get his workout, you can sit still. It’s perfect!
6. Bring A Friend Over.
If your dog has a best friend, invite him over for a play date. They can tear up the backyard while you sip iced tea on the porch.
7. Hire A Kid
Under supervision only, with a child-proof dog and a responsible child. When I was ten years old, I was hired at the princely price of fifty cents per hour, to throw a ball for a couple of German Shepherds. I thought it was the greatest job in the world, and probably spent hours tossing that ball. The dogs loved it too.
8. Set Up An Obstacle Course
When a storm decides to dump the entire ocean onto my house, all at once, I do not go for a walk. I also do not go out when it is snowing, windy, or over 90 degrees. When these things happen, I set up an obstacle course for my dog in the house and run them over it. This can consist of jumping on the couch, jumping off the couch, weaving empty pop cans, sailing through a child’s play tunnel, and laying down on top of an ottoman. The sky is the limit, as long as you don’t mind dismantling it when play time is over.
9. Tie a toy to yourself.
I wouldn’t recommend this with a dog that weighs more than you do, but it works great for toy dogs. I tie a toy to my belt with a rope while I’m doing stuff around the house. Sure I’m getting tugged on and tag-teamed all through the house as all 3 chihuahuas ‘dog pile’ the toy, but I feel I can handle the combined weight of 11 pounds hanging off my belt loop.
10. Give Them A Bath
I know a few of you are scratching your heads over this one. How could giving a dog a bath be exercise? I can’t possibly have the only dog on Earth who has “The After Bath Freak Out” and if tornadoing around the house at top speed does not tire them out, I don’t know what will.
Leia is still a hyper, crazy, full of energy little monster, but she doesn’t destroy stuff anymore. Now it’s your turn to share. What do you do to tire your dogs out?
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Stop Itching!
February 24, 2012 in Dog Grooming, Hot Topics, Leia's Corner
When my husband first got me Leia, I can not express to you the joy I felt. She passed the Rocco Test right there in her own front yard, she got along great with our son, she was beautiful, and she was Chihuahua. Everything I was looking for in a dog. I snuggled her into my arms on the way home, and discovered something very quickly about my wonderful dog.
My perfect puppy had a whole lot of fleas. To compound the problem, we’d taken Rocco with us to make sure any new additions we brought home were ones he approved of. What were the odds one didn’t migrate?
We took them by my workplace where Rocco and Leia both got flea baths and 30 day flea protection. I figured the bites would heal in a week, and there’d be no more itchy dog. Boy was I wrong.
Leia continued to itch for weeks. I changed her food, changed her shampoo, and called the vet.
Between these things, I learned a lot about itching dogs and what causes them. If you have an itching dog, check for these problems:
Fleas
They can hide from you. They can hide in short haired dogs, and just because you don’t see them, doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Use a flea comb to check the base of the tail, chest, belly and the top of the head. If you have a flea collar on the dog, check under it. Fleas frequently hide under them. If you don’t find fleas but you do find little tiny black grains, you found flea dirt.
If your dog has 30 day flea protection on, he may still be suffering from fleas. Flea protection works by killing any fleas that bite the dog. The dog still has a flea bite to show for the dead flea, and that bite still itches!
Food
A common culprit in dog allergies is grain, or rather the toxic insects frequently found in animal-grade cereals. Common signs of allergies include itching, black pigmented skin on the 
belly, red oozing ears, yeast infections and more. That’s a lot of problems! Unfortunately it takes anywhere from six weeks to six months for a food change to help with itching since it has to work from the inside out.
Leia’s major problem was her previous food. Switching her to EVO solved the problem…six weeks later. This can be frustrating when you’re buying an expensive new food and even though you can practically see your dog eating dollar signs, he’s still itching!
Environment
Dogs get hay fever too. If you’ve ruled out food and fleas, ask your vet about environmental allergies such as pollen. You can limit this by wiping down your dogs feet and belly with a cleaning wipe or even a damp rag every time they come in. Don’t forget shampoo and topical flea treatments as possible external allergies.
Genetics
Some dogs are prone to skin problems, and a few breeds have skin disorders specific to their breed alone. Unfortunately there is no easy solution for many of these diseases. Ask your vet for help, and do your research before getting a puppy.
Has your dog ever had itchy skin? What did you do to get rid of it?
Does Your Dog Get Enough Exercise?
February 21, 2012 in Dog Training, Leia's Corner
For the third time this week, Leia is sitting with her face smashed up against my leg, whining for attention. She has also been barking at all hours of the night, digging holes in the garden, destroying what ever she can get her claws on, and raiding the trash.
Sound familiar? These are all common signs that a dog isn’t getting enough exercise. But how much exercise is the right amount? It depends on the breed and the individual dog.
Well great. Most of us can’t afford a personal trainer for ourselves, let alone for our dog. If there’s no blanket response for every animal on the face of the planet, how do you figure out what’s right for your dog?
If this question has plagued you, look no farther. We’ll show you how to measure your dogs exercise requirements in 3 easy steps.
Evaluate Your Pet
If your dog is under a year of age, elderly, sick, deformed, morbidly obese, or has a squished in face that makes breathing difficult, ask your vet before starting an exercise program. Dogs with unique physical issues need an exercise program tailored to them by a medical professional. Young dogs should be leash trained, but running or very long walks are out of the picture for those developing bones!
If your dog has no medical problems that might make exercise a challenge for it, we need to group him into one of three energy groups. Low energy, medium energy, high energy.
Low energy dogs are happiest when they are on the couch. They don’t want to exercise, and their idea of a good walk is a gentle stroll from couch to food bowl. Medium energy dogs need some exercise, but won’t go to quite the lengths a high energy dog will to get it. High energy dogs act like five-year-old children after drinking a six pack of soda if they don’t get their daily 10 mile run.
Don’t rely on the internet to tell you which energy group your breed falls into. I found a website informing me that chihuahuas get enough exercise running from room to room. HA! Tell that to Leia. Instead, spend a day observing your dog.
If your dog:
- Doesn’t seem to care about walk time.
- Spends most of his/her time laying down.
- Doesn’t display any restless behavior.
He or she may fall under the category of a low energy dog (or you’ve met its energy requirements, in which case why are you here?)
If your dog:
- Gets excited about walk time.
- Spends equal time playing, exploring the house, and resting
- Only displays restless behavior when cooped up for long hours
You may have a medium energy dog. (Corrections appreciated here. All of my dogs have been either FLOOR IT dogs or Couch potatoes, and the couch potatoes all became FLOOR IT dogs after a couple weeks on my food.)
If your dog:
- Is trying to shovel its way out the door, regardless of whether your coming or not.
- Has holes dug half way to China in the backyard.
- Barks over nothing.
- Destroys the toys meant to amuse him.
- Goes nuts at the sight of a leash.
- Gets “the zoomies” in the house.
- Is a Jack Russel (just kidding, there are some relaxed JRTs…I saw one once!)
Your dog may be a high-energy dog. These are just guidelines to help you group your dog to an energy level. You know your dog. If you have a gut instinct about it, its probably true.
Start Slow
Even if your dog is very high energy, starting it in a triathlon his first day isn’t going to help either of you. Remember your dog can be out of shape just like you, and if he hasn’t been getting regular exercise, he probably is. Before exercising your dog, warm him up first. Start by giving his major muscles a light rub to get blood flow going, and then ask him to turn a complete circle in both directions. (You can bribe him with a treat if necessary.)
After he’s limbered up, start by walking him on a leash for five minutes. If your dog is very out of shape or low energy, this warm up may be all you want to do for one day. If he’s still vibrating at the end of your leash, now is the time to choose what direction you want to go with your dogs exercise program.
- If you don’t want to do much exercising but want him to, try playing frisbee or fetch. Start with 10 or 15 tosses in an enclosed off leash area.
- If you are a jogger, start your dog off as you would a new recruit. Include as little as 30 seconds of jogging in your first run with your dog.
- Some dogs will drop dead before they say, “No.” Use common sense even if your dog seems eager for more.
- If you can’t keep up with your dogs pace, consider training him to run beside a bicycle. You may need professional help with this one, and I don’t recommend it for pullers!
Evaluate your dog throughout your exercise program. If he’s heavily panting or needs to sit down and rest, its probably time to quit for the day.
Gradually increase your dogs daily exercise like you would if you yourself just started the program.
Keep Changing It Up
Just like in humans, dogs benefit from a change in their exercise routine. If you normally walk, try fetch instead. If you normally fetch, try a brisk run. If you always walk the same path, go the other way. If your exercise is always physical, try a dog puzzle that exercises your dog’s brain instead.
To help get you started, here’s a sample exercise program, which I came up with for Leia:
Day 1:
Evaluation. (High Energy)
Warm-Up. (Massage, turns, 5 minute on leash walk.)
Work-Out. Fetch, 25 tosses in backyard.
Cool-Down. 5 minute on leash walk. Turns. Massage.
Day 2: Recovery day.
Day 3:
Warm-Up. (Massage, turns, 5 minute on leash walk.)
Work-Out. 10 minutes Power Walk
Cool-Down. Slow walk back to our house, massage, turns.
Day 4:
Mental exercise: Sit/Down Drills. Dog puzzle with kibble in it.
Day 5: Warm-Up. (Massage, turns, 5 minute on leash walk.)
Work-Out:
Tug 5 minutes. Fetch 25 tosses in backyard.
Cool-Down. 5 minute walk on leash, massage, turns.
Day 5: Recovery day.
This is just what I came up with for my specific dog. Do you have a training program? Share it with us!