Pets

As you know we have a large dog at home, and he can be a pain in the butt.

Dog digging

He digs in places where he is not supposed to, bark at things that are not irrelevant (trees and falling leaves), and is very hyper around new people (he just wants attentions from people).

We did take him to training classes and he did well for a while, but it is very difficult to stop him from digging; especially when our back yard is quite large.

I tried to stop him by yelling at him or just saying “no” or run after him or putting his fecal matter in places where he digged , but he thought I was joking/playing so he runs around barking and wagging his tail.

So, I read many reviews and talked with a dog trainer about getting my dog a training collar – the one with beeping warning sound option and “shocking” option.

My trainer didn’t believe in punishing the dog – she was all about positive reinforcement and gave me plenty of advice and instruction, but it’s not her backyard that he’s digging.

Last year we spent over $3,500 for re-sodding our backyard, and we had to call our lawn service people to fix AREAS where he destroyed.

I am pro-animals, but I am not pro-wasting money either – we work very hard for our money!  We had to save our money to pay for our outdoor renovations.

Alright, back to the shock collar.

PetSafe

First I went to Petco store and purchased PetSafe Delux Big Dog Trainer for $149.00 (even with my 15% discount coupon), and discovered it was not waterproof (it didn’t say anything about being waterproof so I just presumed it wasn’t).

I take our dogs to our local park all the time so it would defeats the purpose since they go into the water all the time.

Furthermore, it didn’t have a great distance/range control – according to the manual it has a range up to 100 yards, but I couldn’t initiate the warning sounds to my dog.

Also, the buttons would stick.  One day I was out in the back yard with my dog and the dog ran towards the fence and started to scratch up the fence to get to the squirrel.

I gave him a warning sound couple of time, and decided to sit on my deck; little to my knowledge that the button was stuck and started to beep at the dog for no good reason.

Unfortunately, I was at a distance where I couldn’t hear the sound, but my dog head his head low and looked at me with those puppy eyes.

Finally I noticed that the receiver’s light was on and had to literally dig the button out – it was pain in the butt.
So, for a product that closes to $150 I was really disappointed.

Fortunately, Petco has an awesome return policy so I returned the product and got my money back.

I have read many people are very happy with this product, but for me I was quite disappointed.

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Our family’s dog, Mojo, been eating his bed for a while now, and it is driving me NUTS!  

Mastiff Puppy

He is a big dog (a Mastiff), and he eats everything; especially his bed.  

I have already replaced over dozen beds (trust me, buying these large beds are expensive — they run around $35-$50 a pop), buying many blankets, and pillows.

Fooey

Anyhow, I have already sewed vinyl material duvet cover over his beds, wrapping the comforters around the bed, spraying the bitter spray (including Fooey), and just giving the dog blankets only.

Yes, I bought whole bunch of toys for the dog (squeaky toys, plush toys, balls, and etc), bones, treats, and etc. 

Of course, he doesn’t destroy the bed when we are home (gotta give it to the dog he is not that dumb) – ONLY when we put him inside his crate when we leave the house.

So, if we leave the dog roaming around the house, when we are not home, I honestly don’t know what he is going to destroy, but I do know that he’ll destroy the bed (more likely) when he is in his crate.

Thus, my dilemma is, how can I prevent my dog from eating his bed or buying a bed that is dog proof without cashing out our savings account.

I checked out the internet for the answers.

There were so many beds specifically designed/engineered for large breed dogs so they don’t chew up their beds, but I can’t decide which one is better.

Kuranda

For instance, I have read great things about Kuranda Chew-Proof Beds, but I have also read it is not great for XXL dogs because of their weight.

Kuranda beds are like trampoline beds – patented orthopedic beds which the “…design provides firm, even support that no pillow or cushion can match, AND they are chew-proof (Dog Supplies).”

Also, I have read that Orvis dog beds are great since it is constructed from touch 1,000-denier Cordura nylon fabric; which is very tough to chew through.  

Moreover, I came across a Tuffies product from United Kingdom – these things are AWESOME!  Tuffies are thick, warm and waterproof (so you can take it outside and wash it with a hose), but also hairs don’t stick and mud dries up on the bed and falls off.

With that said … these beds run between $150 – $200 a piece, and I don’t know if I want to shallow such hefty price all at once; however, I am sick and tired of replacing beds and picking up pillow guts!

Any cheaper solutions for me?

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We adopted our dog last year, and brought the puppy home two days before Christmas – it was a Christmas gift for our children. 

Let me tell you first hand that house training Click Here! a puppy during winter time (snow, ice, wind, and the cold weather) was not pleasant; however, I managed to fully house train the dog in five days!

Keep in mind I am not a professional dog trainer (nor train dogs for a hobby), but here are some tricks I used that worked for my dog. 

First and foremost, you have to take the puppy out every hour – I actually took him out every 30 minutes on his first day at our home.

Remember your dog will not relieve themselves just because you took them out; you have to wait until they smell the ground and relieve themselves (even if it’s only little amount).

When they smell around just repeat a phrase you are comfortable with.  For example, I repeated over and over (in a calm and confident voice) “go pee.”  You can also say, “now,” or “relieve,” or “business,” and etc.

Remember to bring yummy treats (sometimes puppies are not used to the treats and will not take it) or favorite toys after they complete their business.  Also remember to give them LOTS and LOTS of love and praises.

Soon, they’ll associate relieving themselves outside as a reward with lots of love and treats from their master– remember “normal” dogs want to please their owners.

Also, I would eliminate using housebreaking aids, such as potty mats, in the house because they’ll associate that area as possible potty area – even though you will eventually remove it in the future.

Moreover, use the same technique when they are defecating – I just say “go poop.”

It has been little over a year and he only had two accidents – at puppy stage they get really excited when seeing new people and faces and sometimes little bit of urine comes out.  It’s just puppy thing, and he got over it rather quickly.

Also, I have trained my dog to go on command; especially urinating.  With pooping, he likes to smell around little bit before defecating – hey, I can’t control everything!

In summary, training a dog is a process and require lots of patience – it’s like dealing with kids! 

Just remember to say “go pee or go poop” when they are outside, and say “good pee or poop” with excitement while they are doing it.  Remember to give him/her lots of treats and love.

Good Luck!

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Americans have spent over $39 billion on pet food alone in 2006, and it is expected to grow. 

Not only people are buying the best possible foods available for their pets (e.g. no byproduct ingredients or using organic products or giving raw meals), but they are also cooking and baking for them as well.  

There are many recipe books, DVDs, and internet resources Click Here! to assist pet owners to provide best food for their beloved family members.

I have to confess — I am more of a cat lover than a dog lover, but my husband and I decided to adopt a dog for our children.  I am terribly allergic to dogs and cats, but we decided it would be wonderful for our children. 

Child health is number one priority in our family (like most of you guys), so before we finalized on our decision I came across an article that Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that having animals around during child’s first year of life may decrease likelihood of developing allergies.

So, what the heck, I’ll just live with inhalers and zyrtec – even if my doctor said I should get rid of the dog.

Honestly, the dog drives me NUTS!  It’s just typical stuff – very active, always moving and sniffing around the house, barking, playful, eating and drinking things that he shouldn’t, bringing in dirt onto my carpet, and etc.  But, I do love her – I just don’t admit it to my husband.  It’s just another thing I complain about.

Anyhow, I do cook extra things for him to put on top of the best dog food in the market — I have done tremendous amount of research on dog food; can you believe it?

Every other day, I buy couple of pounds of ground beef or ground lamb or chicken (NO turkey meat though) and sauté it with bit of garlic powder, onion powder, and salt and pepper.  I even pay local chef to bake him some dessert treats.

My husband can’t believe I do this for the dog; however, it does not interfere with my commitment to my husband and children. 

A month ago I saw it, on TV, a woman cooking for her two dogs a rack of lamb (spending over $45/day and staying in kitchen for couple of hours) while serving her family TV entrees.

So, I am happy to say that I am neither committed nor distracted.

Good luck if you spoil your pets, but don’t forget to take care of your family first.

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Does your dog smell?  Smelly dogs are not pleasant to be around; however, there are little solutions to people with acute sense of smell – like myself.  Let me tell you that I can smell a dog from a mile away — just figure of speech. 

My dog smells horrible – at least to me anyhow. I taken the “beast” to the vet’s office about squeezing her glands and to the groomers, but they all told me that “she smells like a dog!”  What do you mean she smells like a dog?  Maybe I am oversensitive to dog smells (according to everybody I have talked with), but I can’t live like this. 

During the summer months it was easy to maintain her smell.  I can open the windows and give her regular showers outside with non-soap shampoo products (in oatmeal formula) to avoid drying her skin out.  However, since it is too cold outside I have to give the dog less showers – making sure her skin does not get dried out or diminishing her coat sheen or catching a cold.  

I have tried in-between showers/Deodorizing Bath Wipes and sprays for the dog, but they have a very strong fragrance to it.  Yes, they do smell great (after airing them out) for a day or so, but after that it leave a very strange/weird smell.    It leaves them smell grosser than before – it’s no longer a dog smell, but a strange smell – it’s really hard to describe the smell! 

Honestly, I am ready to hang a car freshener (those things you hang in the car that looks a Christmas tree: hehe) around her neck. 

Anyhow, I came across a bath oil spray product from *efa HyLyt.  Not only it conditions my dog’s skin (her skin is getting really dried out from the changes in the weather), but it also reduces her smell as well.  She still smells a bit, but I guess I can’t totally eliminate the “dog smell.” 

I think I paid around $9 a bottle, but I have already used for two months – so it really does last!  This spray is both for cats and dogs; I usually spray on her first and take the long prong plastic brush and brush the heck out of her – man, this dog sheds! 

I usually brush her every day, and my dog loves it – that dog goes into a “coma” from enjoyment of brushing.

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