tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69452352354123846652024-03-13T13:53:12.327-07:00Leopold's CrateThis is a blog of my experiences with dogs -- as an owner and as someone who worked with them professionally. Hopefully what I've learned from my experiences will also help you with caring for your own dog.Laura: of Paws and Tailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796206837313902865noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945235235412384665.post-86844252989102336202018-03-01T22:46:00.002-08:002018-03-01T22:50:48.375-08:00Hydrogen peroxide could save your dog's life.<b>Does your dog ever eat things they shouldn't?</b><br />
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Ahahaha! Silly question. It's a dog! The answer is almost 100% surely "yes".<br />
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BUT, does your dog ever eat things that could harm them or even kill them? Not all dogs have this problem (Leopold, for example, is pretty good about just eating food... and grass... and maybe cat poop). But some dogs just can't help themselves. Like Halo....</div>
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We've always had issues with Halo eating things that she shouldn't. She's gotten better, but there have been times where she seems like a canine vacuum cleaner for anything and everything within reach: her bedding, sticks, bugs, compost, important bills and documents, cardboard (<i>especially </i>cardboard).... She knows enough to not eat these things when we're around, but when we're out of site, all bets are off. It's caused problems and rather large vet bills.<br />
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To be honest, it had been a while since Halo had really gotten into anything she shouldn't. She's even pretty good about not eating sticks now. But... then the holidays rolled around... <br />
When I worked at a veterinarian ER, the holidays were always associated with an increase in dogs visiting our clinic because they ate something that could potentially harm (or kill) them. Human treats containing chocolate and raisins being the big offenders, of course. This past holidays season was the first year we had this issue with our own dog.<br />
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<b>Incident #1 </b>was some fish-leather that I had left out to dry after tanning. I should have known better to leave the skins so accessible, but the "dog area" is also my work area and I was feeling optimistic because I had been tanning fish skins for weeks and leaving them out to dry in a Halo-accessible area. But then I came home from a morning of errands to discover all but one of my skins were missing. There were foul words said, despite being in the presence of my toddler, and I stood there, dumbfounded. That was a lot of fish-leather she had consumed. I was worried about risk of blockage. </div>
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<b>Incident #2 </b>was two whole dark chocolate bars -- the really fancy ones that also help save the rainforest. My husband had done a little Christmas gift-wrapping the night before: chocolate and fishing lures. And in the depths of Christmas chaos and late-night fatigue, he left them sitting on the coffee table. Halo helped herself to what, I'm sure, she thought were special Christmas gifts just for her. Again, I came home from errands to discover she had gotten into something she shouldn't. Chocolate wrappers and wrapping paper all over the place. Thankfully, she didn't eat any of the fishing lures, though I was pretty freaked for a bit b/c she had chewed up all the packaging :-O.<br />
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<b>Incident #3 </b>was also chocolate -- some really special and fancy stuff that my parents brought all the way from my hometown in Wisconsin. We got home from some family outing and we had barely come in the door when my husband realized what had happened and shouts to me, "Get the stuff!" Again, we should have known better, but in the Christmas chaos, we weren't thinking, and the chocolate got left in my husband's office area, which is also part of the "dog area".<br />
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Luckily, in all three of these incidences, we were able to deal with the situation fairly easily at home instead of taking Halo to see a vet. How? By inducing vomiting in order to force Halo to puke up the offending material. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Trmsns3HpY/WpjqVqslj0I/AAAAAAAAE58/gU-gCrCECGwHwliFVOghfZkyh6kcY1aqACEwYBhgL/s1600/Halo%2Band%2Bhydrogen%2Bperoxide.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Trmsns3HpY/WpjqVqslj0I/AAAAAAAAE58/gU-gCrCECGwHwliFVOghfZkyh6kcY1aqACEwYBhgL/s320/Halo%2Band%2Bhydrogen%2Bperoxide.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>Why am I telling you all this?</b><br />
Partially because I have a tendency to over-explain...<br />
But mostly because I wanted to talk about what you can do in situations like this and why it's a good idea.</div>
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The faster you get whatever your dog shouldn't have eaten out of their gastro system, the better. If you wait too long, it could move on out of the stomach and then require surgery if it's a "foreign body" (indigestible, non-food item), or it could be absorbed and cause toxicity and possibly death (grapes, raisins, onions, chocolate, gum with xylitol, antifreeze, rat poison, etc.....). There are situations where you might not want to induce vomiting; for example, if your dog ate something needle-like that could cause further damage if brought back up (There was once a dog come into our clinic that had eaten a holiday candy display and had to have a ton of pins removed from it's gastro system. Eek!).<br />
But in most cases, inducing vomiting at home can help save your dog's life or at least save you some hefty veterinary bills. </div>
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<b>So, how do you induce vomiting in a dog at home?</b><br />
Hydrogen peroxide!<br />
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In addition to a turkey baster and measuring spoon, I also use</div>
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a bowl of some sort (I grabbed my pyrex this day apparently)</div>
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to put the measured H2O2 into. The turkey baster will most</div>
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likely end up with dog saliva on it, and I really don't want that</div>
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in my bottle of H2O2. </div>
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A quick google search will tell you to use 1 tsp of hydrogen peroxide for every 10 lbs of dog. </div>
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Halo is about 55lbs, so I used 5.5 tsp of hydrogen peroxide every time I needed to force her to puke.</div>
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I also used a flavor-injector syringe (without the needle of course!) or turkey baster. Anything to get the hydrogen peroxide to the back of her throat to force it down. </div>
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The way I force Halo to drink hydrogen peroxide is squirt it in the back of her throat while her head is tilted up, and then I hold her mouth shut until she swallows.<br />
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The hydrogen peroxide will make a dog's mouth a bit foamy, so don't worry if that happens. If they don't puke in the next 15 minutes, you can repeat the dose one more time. If they still don't puke, take them to the vet ER. Do not repeat another dose! Another dose could cause more problems than do good. The vet ER will most likely use apomorphine, which gets dripped in the dog's eye and then washed out once the dog has puked up whatever they shouldn't have eaten. </div>
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But if they do puke up the offending material, all that's left to do is let loose a huge sigh of relief and maybe clean up a little puke--I recommend doing all this outside, by the way, but I also recommend either spraying the vomit with the hose to disperse it or grabbing a poo-bag to pick it up. Basically, you just don't want your dog to re-consume their vomit, which we all know dogs will do. (Dogs can be so gross...).</div>
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I'd say don't worry about memorizing the dosing: Personally, I can never remember the how much hydrogen peroxide to give and how long to wait. I always just google it when I need the information.<br />
The important part is to have the hydrogen peroxide and syringe or turkey baster on hand. If you're a dog owner, I highly recommend you have these things handy in your house just in case.</div>
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Hydrogen peroxide is so cheap -- like one of the few things you can still get for a dollar (ok ok, more like $1.50, but still!). And turkey basters aren't a huge investment either. Here's one on amazon.com that's just a little over $5 (at the time of this post, anyway): <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002URJFPM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B002URJFPM&linkCode=as2&tag=leopoldcrate-20&linkId=7f306e5e45550bc876733e2d5d31ed69" target="_blank">Meat And Poultry Baster</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=leopoldcrate-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B002URJFPM" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
And if you're feeling lazy, you could always order hydrogen peroxide from amazon.com too: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GUP7KW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000GUP7KW&linkCode=as2&tag=leopoldcrate-20&linkId=a2a40fa8563a03589fbbf186e33d217f" target="_blank">Hydrogen Peroxide Antiseptic Solution 16 Oz</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=leopoldcrate-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B000GUP7KW" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
Don't have measuring spoons? First, that's weird... Second, here's some incredibly cheap ones you can do as an "add on" on amazon.com: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EZQQEH8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00EZQQEH8&linkCode=as2&tag=leopoldcrate-20&linkId=847343ee83f1300c642f57f4ac592c93" target="_blank">Prepworks by Progressive Snap Fit Measuring Spoons - Set of 5</a><br />
And I'm just going to assume you have a bowl or cup or some sort of vessel you can measure the hydrogen peroxide into ;-)<br />
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I hope you never have a reason to induce vomiting in your dog, but if such a situation does arise, I hope that now you feel a little more prepared to deal with it!<br />
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<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=leopoldcrate-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B00EZQQEH8" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Convenient product links:</span><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=leopoldcrate-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B002URJFPM&asins=B002URJFPM&linkId=edb934b5097073d18aa15c25c236866b&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
</iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=leopoldcrate-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B000GUP7KW&asins=B000GUP7KW&linkId=e6d70bb4c0454c27e75e30f41d94c53f&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=leopoldcrate-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B00EZQQEH8&asins=B00EZQQEH8&linkId=f4a3bd76d5975360a28018f9f38d2469&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div>
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Laura: of Paws and Tailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796206837313902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945235235412384665.post-64713093459624230322017-10-03T20:43:00.000-07:002017-10-03T20:44:37.170-07:00Dean and Tyler harnesses: a step up in harness quality.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1wN-QhVC1vY/WdRW7z5GfFI/AAAAAAAAE3M/m1v4BO8kIRw4-KxLo3qm93wLBt2rQEx1wCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5095_.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1wN-QhVC1vY/WdRW7z5GfFI/AAAAAAAAE3M/m1v4BO8kIRw4-KxLo3qm93wLBt2rQEx1wCLcBGAs/s1200/IMG_5095_.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
You may have seen my post: <a href="http://leopolds-crate.blogspot.com/2012/09/walkin-easy-with-easy-walk-harness.html" target="_blank">Walkin' Easy with the Easy Walk Harness</a>. I've touted Easy Walk Harnesses for years and years and years. And I still think they're a good tool to help an owner control their dog -- especially large dogs.<br />
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However, I've always had problems with Easy Walk harnesses rubbing the undersides of my dogs' legs. Their skin gets red and their hair rubs off, and sometimes they would even get a rubbed a little raw. Ouch! And on Leopold, the straps would also rub his fur off his chest, too. I ended up adding some fleece padding to help solve that problem, and it worked for the most part.<br />
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Then, years ago at this point, we took Halo to see a behaviorist. While we were there, she noticed the fleece on our harnesses and asked about it. I explained, and she pointed out that the harnesses rub because they don't fit right. And the harnesses don't fit right because, lets face it, Easy Walk Harnesses are not high quality.<br />
I'll be honest, part of me was a little miffed because if you go into Petsmart or Petco or wherever and look at their selection of harnesses, the Easy Walk Harness is on the more expensive end...! (At least they used to be; I haven't been in a Petsmart or Petco, etc in years.) But then the other part of me thought "Oh, duh. That makes sense".<br />
The behaviorist made a recommendation: Dean and Tyler harnesses. She had some on hand and we tried them out on the dogs. They looked smart and seemed to fit well. So we took her recommendation and bought a pair for our pups.<br />
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Not only do Dean and Tyler harnesses look smart, but once they're fitted properly to the dog, they do not rub at all. I haven't had a problem with raw skin or even fur being rubbed off since we switched.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qF9O2jmwTqI/WdRW8ajXfdI/AAAAAAAAE3U/8De6UlXIXZsWtwlfRHW1xgy3L49kCEENQCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_5094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qF9O2jmwTqI/WdRW8ajXfdI/AAAAAAAAE3U/8De6UlXIXZsWtwlfRHW1xgy3L49kCEENQCEwYBhgL/s1200/IMG_5094.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We walk Leopold with his leash connected<br />
to the front of the harness to help control<br />
him if he starts pulling.</td></tr>
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Some other nice features about these harnesses: they have multiple locations where you can attach your leash. You can hook your dog up at the chest, which helps prevent a dog from pulling like the Easy Walk does, but you can also attach a leash to the back or the sides--a "pulling" function if you want to hook your dog up to do some work and pull something around. There's also a handle, which I LOVE because it means it's really easy to grab my dog, and I don't have to grab them by their neck collar (seriously, how awful do you imagine it is for the dog to be grabbed and yanked around by their neck??). There's also an option to add patches via velcro to either side of the harness. Patches can say things like "Ask to pet" or "Therapy dog" or I've seen some that say things like "Lap dog" and "Mamma's boy". Ha! Mine came with a blank patch, so I made my own with Leopold's name.<br />
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The downside is that the harnesses are a bit pricey. And if you've got a deep-chested dog, you'll need to also purchase an extender piece for the belly (or multiple extenders...!). Actually... I don't really consider Leopold a deep-chested dog; he seems pretty normal to me, but he needed the extender belly piece. But you know what they say: buy right, buy once.<br />
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We love our Dean and Tyler harnesses and are very happy that we spent a little extra money for a product that works well and is more comfortable for our dogs.<br />
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Interested in purchasing your own Dean and Tyler harness?<br />
Here's the product page on the Dean and Tyler website for <a href="http://www.dtdogcollars.com/DT-Universal-No-Pull-Plus-p/dthunvplus.htm" target="_blank">Universal No Pull Plus</a>, which is what I have. And then here's the <a href="http://www.dtdogcollars.com/product-p/dth6ext.htm" target="_blank">extender strap</a>.<br />
If you want it faster and have Amazon Prime, you can also purchase it from amazon.com:<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002XYJBY2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B002XYJBY2&linkCode=as2&tag=leopoldcrate-20&linkId=552bf18ccfea5fa112b649609f4d82a1" target="_blank">Dean and Tyler DT Dog Harness</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=leopoldcrate-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B002XYJBY2" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mV0DOKCUqis/WdRXqNTjW6I/AAAAAAAAE3c/TkE5GSoV8LMYMRegtQhWqwDJ-2oYQcuxQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mV0DOKCUqis/WdRXqNTjW6I/AAAAAAAAE3c/TkE5GSoV8LMYMRegtQhWqwDJ-2oYQcuxQCLcBGAs/s1200/IMG_5340.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">happy walking!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Convenient Product Link </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">(for amazon.com)</span><span style="font-size: large;">:</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002XYJBY2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B002XYJBY2&linkCode=as2&tag=leopoldcrate-20&linkId=41b2340f7683054d833a29cadf9b2327" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B002XYJBY2&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&tag=leopoldcrate-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=leopoldcrate-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B002XYJBY2" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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Laura: of Paws and Tailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796206837313902865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945235235412384665.post-48591411985725136552017-09-26T20:32:00.002-07:002017-09-28T21:24:03.769-07:00Thank you, Bronwen Dickey, for writing this book. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vEPeoH8dRLM/WcsWFmjQRoI/AAAAAAAAE20/NNegjO0YslYUzBYisfToxYcNzgbUqMybQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_7029.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vEPeoH8dRLM/WcsWFmjQRoI/AAAAAAAAE20/NNegjO0YslYUzBYisfToxYcNzgbUqMybQCLcBGAs/s1200/IMG_7029.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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This is my first post on pit bulls. I've purposefully stayed away from this polarizing topic because of the intense love or hate infused in many people's opinions. While I feel for the breed and have long thought them the victims of unfair judgement, I've also been skeptical of the claims of both side of the argument. Skepticism, of course, is something my science background has ingrained in me, and I've daydreamed for years about doing hard-core research on the pit bull question both to satisfy my own curiosity and to be able to have complete confidence in the factoids I spout to haters and lovers alike. But who has time to do that kind of research??<br />
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Bronwen Dickey made time.</div>
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And I am so grateful to her for spending years meticulously investigating the pit bull question and laying out both the facts, the missing facts, and speculation in a way that is logical, non-biased (or at least less-biased...), and very well researched. Remember my post about looking for references when you do your research? This book has 35 pages of references in the back under the heading "Notes" and " Selected Bibliography. She did her homework.<br />
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Her book, <i>Pitbull: The Battle over an American Icon</i>, is the best comprehensive look at pit bulls and their role in our society that I've seen. It is a fascinating and illuminating book that at first seems like the story of pit bulls, but is actually the story of people. The history and fate of dogs is so intertwined with the going-ons of humans that I didn't even notice. In a lot of ways, dogs are the result of ourselves as a species. They are the result of our fears, of our needs, of our hopes. They exist the way they do because we made them that way. They are a part of our quest to better ourselves and live a happy and good life. And their history as a species is a reflection of our own.</div>
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The author looks at the pit bull question from many angles: the pit bull's history as a breed, a fighting dog, a beloved pet, and as a scapegoat. And always right there with the dog and all it's histories stands mankind. It's not really a "pit bull question" then. It's a "human question". And that is an important distinction.<br />
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The pit bull has been painted as a demon by some and as an angel by others, but really, it's just a dog. Don't believe me? Then you should read this book. I highly recommend this book to anyone, the lover, the haters, the skeptics, and everyone in between. Chances are you'll learn that at least some of what you thought you knew isn't true. And besides engaging in pit bull enlightenment, it's a good read.</div>
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Check out your local library for a copy, or you can always purchase <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345803116/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0345803116&linkCode=as2&tag=leopoldcrate-20&linkId=ab09beb675883ae261c260546653ed73" target="_blank">Pit Bull: The Battle over an American Icon</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=leopoldcrate-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0345803116" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> from amazon.com.<br />
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"Pit bulls are not dangerous or safe. Pit bulls aren't saints or sinners. They are no more or less deserving than other dogs of love and compassion, no more or less deserving of good homes. They didn't cause society's ills, nor can their redemption--real or imagined--solve them. There is nothing that needs to be redeemed, anyway; they were never to blame in the first place. To frame anything in such narrow terms is to look at human-animal relationships through the wrong end of the telescope. More important, there never was a 'pit bull problem.' What happened to these animals was a byproduct of human fears, and what humans feared most was on another."<br />
~ Bronwen Dickey, <i>Pit Bull:</i> <i>The Battle over an American Icon</i><br />
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Laura: of Paws and Tailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796206837313902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945235235412384665.post-58919617818807490522017-08-22T20:42:00.001-07:002017-08-23T13:39:44.115-07:00Doing your own dog research: separating turd articles from gems<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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And.... six months later I finally have some time to do some writing. ha-HA! Holy wow does time fly when life is happening with a toddler...!<br />
<br />
At the end of my last post, I mentioned that I would talk about how I do my doggy research. So here it is. Better late than never, right?<br />
<br />
<i><b>Why am I writing this post?</b></i><br />
For the last post, I did some research on turkey + dogs + pancreatitis + triptophan...<br />
and during my research I came across a lot of bad information. Real turd articles. My experience researching the topic was not unique. In fact, one of the reasons I started this blog, as you may have read on my <a href="http://leopolds-crate.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">About</a> page, was to share the conclusions I've come to after filtering out the crap from the mountain of dog-related information out there.<br />
<br />
It's funny that I say I filter out the crap, because while in the process of writing this post, I learned that there actually exists a <a href="https://ccconline.libguides.com/c.php?g=242130&p=2185475" target="_blank">"C.R.A.P." test for evaluating sources</a> (Shout-out to my librarian friend Amy who made me aware of this useful tool!). And a lot of what I already do is in the C.R.A.P. test, so that's awesome. <br />
<br />
And while you could just go check the C.R.A.P. test (and you totally should!), a promise is a promise, so here's what I do when I'm researching information for a post on Leopold's Crate (or when I'm researching information for any reason, really...):<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ja16Uc-hOgE/WZpl8wYAF_I/AAAAAAAAE1w/K7rNZJGImY4LarBaCGr8zOvzlUWA7iU-gCLcBGAs/s1600/internetresearch1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="908" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ja16Uc-hOgE/WZpl8wYAF_I/AAAAAAAAE1w/K7rNZJGImY4LarBaCGr8zOvzlUWA7iU-gCLcBGAs/s320/internetresearch1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wikipedia = like asking a really smart friend</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><b>Wikipedia can be a good place to start</b></i><br />
But the information on <a href="https://www.wikipedia.org/" target="_blank">wikipedia </a>is populated by anyone who wishes to do so, which means that it's possible that some of the information is incorrect. I keep that in mind. Someone once told me that using wikipedia for information was like asking a very smart friend: chances are they know what they're talking about, but it's possible they're wrong. Information that has a citation (an associated reference) is more trust-worthy, though it's smart to double check that the reference isn't crap.<br />
<br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i>I try to stick to websites that I know and trust</i>.</b><br />
But, if I'm unfamiliar with the website, I read the "about" section to see if I can figure out where the information on the site is coming from and/or who is doing the writing. For exampling, <a href="http://petmd.com/">petmd.com</a> provides articles that are apparently written and approved by petMD's "trusted veterinarians". That's good. I am the ever skeptic, though, and know that self-proclamations aren't always trustworthy, so sometimes I also google the credibility of source. For example, when I googled "credibility of petmd", I found a page on <a href="http://bostonstreetvet.com/2015/05/05/beware-dr-google-finding-a-reliable-veterinary-information-website/" target="_blank">Boston Street Animal Hospital</a>'s website that mentions that yes, petmd is credible, but the information isn't always accurate. (Bonus: the article I found on the animal hospital website has a list of "credible and verified" websites for pet parents to use when researching pet-related stuff).<br />
<br />
<i><b>I look for articles that provide references, especially peer-reviewed article references.</b></i><br />
What are peer-reviewed articles? They're articles that have been through a rigorous process of anonymous and unbiased review by experts in that field of study. Articles are not published unless they pass the scrutiny of expert peer reviewers and the journal editors. Peer-reviewed articles are pretty much the gold-standard of credibility when it comes to researching a topic. A word of caution: there do exist "predatory journals" that appear to be peer-reviewed, but they are NOT and they will publish just about anything, which means their articles are not credible. Not sure if the reference you're looking at is a peer-reviewed article? Google it.<br />
<i><br /></i><i><b>Media sources are NOT good references. </b></i><br />
A well-researched news article can be a good way to find new paths to venture down for information. But, generally speaking, a news article is not "proof" of anything. There is often some sort of spin put on the article to lead you to believe something in particular, so be wary.<br />
<br />
<i><b>I look for facts, not opinions.</b></i><br />
Sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference between facts and opinions.<br />
This is because some writers present their opinions as facts. It's important to be able to tell the difference. The proclamation that "I know for a fact that cats are vile" is presented as if it's a fact. But it's actually an opinion (one I do not share, by the way. Cats are great! They just make me sneeze a lot...).<br />
It's imperative that you know and understand that there are websites out there on the internet devoted to anything you can imagine, no matter how absurd, how biased, how ignorant, or how dangerous the ideas are. Just because you found a website devoted entirely to an idea does not make that idea right.<br />
<br />
<i><b>I look at more than one source. </b></i><br />
I like to find multiple trust-worthy sources and compare information. If it's hugely different, there might be some opinions sneaking in there instead of facts. Or one source might be outdated. Research is constantly advancing, so the date of a published source can matter.<br />
<br />
<i><b>And lastly, I take everything with a certain grain of salt.</b></i><br />
I know that there are a lot of weirdos out there who may not actually be who they say they are, so I try to keep that in mind when I'm reading things online. Additionally, I know that even scientists get it wrong. And sometimes different studies will give opposite results. The scientist part of me really wants to explain to you all the ways a study can give bad results, but I doubt you want to hear that. Lets suffice to say that scientist aren't always right, BUT what they have to say is more likely to be correct than someone who doesn't study that topic as a way of life. <br />
<br />
<i><b>Time for some examples:</b></i><br />
<br />
Here is an example of a real turd of an article:<br />
<a href="http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Love-Your-Pets-Just-Dont-Feed-Them-Turkey-107946584.html" target="_blank">Love Your Pets, Just Don't Feed Them Turkey</a><br />
No references, and more importantly it's an article on NBC, a major media company, so, you know.... sensationalism. Whatever sells, right? Not surprisingly, the information in this article is wrong and misleading.<br />
<br />
Here's one that I feel a bit skeptical about, but it may have some clout:<br />
<a href="https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/news/Pancreatitis-Causes-and-Treatment-21579-1.html" target="_blank">Dog Pancreatitis Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment</a><br />
There are no listed references on the webpage, which is why I feel more wary of the information.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wiXVT7abM4w/WZz0ZEAhppI/AAAAAAAAE2U/JX4A6_LViuQuYVLs2GpNKTK0uuc7ADwOgCLcBGAs/s1600/The%2BScience%2BDog.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wiXVT7abM4w/WZz0ZEAhppI/AAAAAAAAE2U/JX4A6_LViuQuYVLs2GpNKTK0uuc7ADwOgCLcBGAs/s320/The%2BScience%2BDog.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">YESSSSS. This "About" page on Science Dog <br />
makes me feel good about trusting the writer.</td></tr>
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Here's one I feel is truly a nice, shiny gem:<br />
<a href="https://thesciencedog.wordpress.com/2014/10/02/talking-turkey/" target="_blank">Talking Turkey</a><br />
There are references cited at the end of the article, and the author of Science Dog is schooled in the topic of both science writing and animal nutrition. Her credentials as listed on her "About" page are stellar.<br />
<br />
<br />
Want more information on how to research pet-related topics? I found this article that has a list (and links) of helpful websites:<br />
<a href="http://www.sfgate.com/pets/yourwholepet/article/YOUR-WHOLE-PET-I-read-it-on-the-Web-A-pet-2508561.php" target="_blank">YOUR WHOLE PET/ I read it on the Web: A pet owner's guide to finding good health information online</a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy researching! And good luck.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #3b2c0f; font-size: 20px;">Have any questions? I've love to answer them! Leave a comment or send me a message and I'll respond as soon as I'm able!</span>Laura: of Paws and Tailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796206837313902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945235235412384665.post-31439203119409222412017-03-05T21:26:00.000-08:002017-03-05T21:43:44.413-08:00Last night I was told that turkey can kill my dog. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eixwIr1vKv0/WLzw1vBm9NI/AAAAAAAAEys/U3x6UdEEE64DTjRvp2FzO74w-n1OzEjdgCLcB/s1600/IMG_5342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eixwIr1vKv0/WLzw1vBm9NI/AAAAAAAAEys/U3x6UdEEE64DTjRvp2FzO74w-n1OzEjdgCLcB/s1600/IMG_5342.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leopold eyeing up some leftover turkey from last night.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Deep fried myths.</b><br />
Last night my husband and I threw a "fry party", where we heated up a deep fryer in our back yard and guests came over with ingredients of their choosing to drop in the vat of peanut oil. It was a night of indulgence for sure. My favorite fried goodies included oreos, bananas, and the large turkey my husband prepared.<br />
<br />
At one point Leopold was eyeing up that turkey (and by eyeing up I mean sniffing <i>awfully close!</i>). I don't blame him. It smelled good and tasted better. A couple of the guests were watching and said something to me, in what I thought was jest, about how turkey can hurt dogs. I laughed and said "Leopold seems to disagree". They then proceeded to tell me that turkey can, actually, kill dogs.<br />
I responded by saying "What? That's not true".<br />
Yes it is, they said. Tryptophan, they said. Then they told me of their relative who's dog ate a bunch of turkey and turkey fat and then died from pancreatitis. (which is very sad)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I hope I didn't come off as rude to the well-meaning guests, but in my years working with dogs in both a professional and personal setting, I have never once come across that little factoid. <br />
<br />
And that's because it's not... actually.... true....<br />
(sorry, friendly guests! Either your information is outdated or just...er... false. =/ )<br />
<br />
<b>Online myths propagation.</b><br />
I'll admit that I was terribly afraid that I was wrong. So I did some research online. <br />
<br />
I did find articles and blog posts about the dangers of turkey. "Skip the turkey at Thanksgiving for your dog!", stuff like that. Or <a href="http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Love-Your-Pets-Just-Dont-Feed-Them-Turkey-107946584.html" target="_blank">this one from NBC</a> that contained a subheading "Toxic Turkey" and advised people to "Refrain from giving any part of the beautiful bird to your cat or dog".<br />
(NBC.... come on man....)<br />
<br />
But the articles that made claims about turkey toxicity had no cited references. No quotes from veterinarians. So, I'm not sure where they were getting their information--possibly other websites that were getting their information from other websites that were getting their information from a random stranger who claimed turkey killed their dog. (Apparently if enough people believe something, that makes it true. ...Except that it doesn't.).<br />
<br />
The articles I found that did have any sort of clout explained that turkey, as a meat, is fine to give to dogs. In fact, it's a high quality protein source. That's why you can find it as an ingredient in some dog foods. In fact, "smoked turkey" is on the list of ingredients in the kibble I feed MY dogs -- Taste of the Wild, Wetlands recipe. <br />
<br />
<b>So what's the poop?</b><br />
The poop is that sometimes the manner in which the turkey is given to a dog can cause gastrointestinal upset and in some cases pancreatitis. It's not the turkey, it's the fact that a dog isn't used to eating turkey, and/or the fat content of the turkey tidbits they're eating is too high (the skin has quite a bit of fat in it, for example).<br />
<br />
Thanksgiving is often the time we give our dogs turkey, or maybe even a whole meal comprised of the different delicious dishes we, ourselves, enjoyed. Thanksgiving turkeys and side dishes are more likely to be decadent, full of extra butter and oil. At least that's how it is in our house... Most dogs don't eat this kind of food on a daily basis, and therein lies the problem.<br />
<br />
Have you ever tried to switch your dog's kibble to a new brand or a new recipe? If you try to switch outright, the result is a sick doggy who probably needs to be let outside many many times if you're luck or hours of cleaning for you... (ew.....)! To switch a dog's food, you're supposed to slowly introduce the new food over time, gradually adding more of the new and less of the old over ten or so days. And switching dog food brands/recipes is a much more innocuous event than is offering Thanksgiving leftovers.<br />
Imagine, then, that the Thanksgiving meal you're giving your dog is not only atypical to their diet, but is very possibly higher fat that normal. There's a good chance that it's not going to sit well. And in some cases can result in pancreatitis and even death, such as the case my guests were relating to me.<br />
<br />
<b>What about tryptophan?</b><br />
Tryptophan is an amino acid found in turkey. And tahini. And yellow mustard seed. And parmesan cheese. And seaweed....<br />
It does not kill dogs. It doesn't harm dogs. In fact, there are even supplements on the market that use tryptophan specifically for dogs to help relieve anxiety (research suggests these supplements don't work...).<br />
If you want to know more, I found <a href="https://thesciencedog.wordpress.com/tag/tryptophan/" target="_blank">this great science-based article</a> online that gives the rundown of tryptophan and dogs. <br />
I'm not sure why my guests thought tryptophan was the blame for the pancreatitis of their family's dog. I hope their vet didn't tell them that...!<br />
<br />
<b>Moral of the story.</b><br />
Turkey does not kill dogs. Tryptophan does not kill dogs.<br />
<br />
BUT, be smart about the little extras you give your dog. Is your dog on a low-fat diet? Don't suddenly give them a bunch of fat. Does your dog never get to eat "people food"? Don't suddenly give them an entire meal of "people food". Also, it's a good idea to cover and put your leftovers away so that your dog doesn't sneak onto the counter and help himself.<br />
<br />
PetMD.com has <a href="http://www.petmd.com/dog/wellness/nutrition/evr_multi_holiday_scraps2#" target="_blank">a great article that gives easy guidelines</a> on how to safely share your special holiday meals with your dog. And if you're worried about the fat content of the turkey you're giving your dog (for example, if you deep fried it....!), then maybe boil it in water first to remove some of the fat.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R8e5pJHTFHY/WLzx7PAJURI/AAAAAAAAEyw/C5v1ZkJSVlo87T9n_GQ9nV46ecx9mC0OgCLcB/s1600/IMG_5347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R8e5pJHTFHY/WLzx7PAJURI/AAAAAAAAEyw/C5v1ZkJSVlo87T9n_GQ9nV46ecx9mC0OgCLcB/s1600/IMG_5347.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">yes... yes... I did give Leopold a taste of turkey. Halo, too. How can I say no to those faces??</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
I did research online to write this article. Part of feeling confident in the information I present to you, my reader, is knowing what to look for in an article that tells me it's a reliable source. Interested in learning how to research dog-related topics (or... any topics, really), for yourself? Stay tuned. I'll work on that blog post next.<br />
<br />Laura: of Paws and Tailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796206837313902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945235235412384665.post-67819466482754179792017-02-28T22:08:00.000-08:002017-02-28T22:14:41.374-08:00If your dog is ever admitted to a veterinary emergency clinic: Here's one small way to help them stress less during their stay.I worked at a veterinary emergency clinic for over 4 years before having to quit my job (because it's hard to make a living in the veterinary business...!). I loved my time there. I saw and learned a lot; even up until the end new scenarios would come into the clinic and I'd learn new things (always, it seemed, when I was training a new employee... Murphy's law at work there...). I'd like to share an observation with you in hopes that it could possibly help your dog be less stressed out if it ever has to stay at a veterinary ER, though I hope it never does (quick, knock on wood!!).<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>A stressful experience.</b></div>
<div>
As you can imagine, it's a stressful experience for a pet to be at an ER. And while I know taking a pet to the emergency clinic is stressful for the owner, too, this post is about it being stressful for the animals. </div>
<div>
How could it not be?? They're sick and injured, so they're already stressed about that, and then a barrage of strangers poke and prod at them while in a strange place with, sometimes, lots of other animals around. We always tried our hardest to keep animal stress to a minimum (while still treating the animals and making sure they were receiving good care), but some amount of stress is inevitable in a place and situation like that.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<b>Less stress.</b></div>
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One thing I noticed was that dogs would often panic less and were more calm if they were walked away from their owners as opposed to their owners walking away from them.</div>
<div>
<br />
<b>Let me explain.</b></div>
</div>
<div>
Sometimes dogs needed to be admitted to the clinic for continued treatment and observation. In that case, dogs would be brought back into our treatment area, where they would be housed in their own kennel or pen. Often, especially for dogs who stayed extended periods of time, owners would come to visit their injured or sick furry family member. <br />
<br /></div>
<div>
When an owner came to visit, we would do one of two things:</div>
<div>
A) Have the owners walk back to the treatment room and visit their dog in/around their kennel, and then the owner would walk back up front when they were done.</div>
<div>
B) We would bring the dog to them to visit in one of the private rooms out front (normally used for veterinarians to first see a new patient). When the owner was done visiting with their dog, we would come get the dog and bring it back to it's kennel in the treatment room.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
There are always exceptions, but in many cases, scenario A would result in a very upset doggy. Something about having their owner walk away from them while they're left behind in a strange place seemed to trigger anxiety. Dogs clawed at their kennel door, barked, whined, and/or cried, sometimes for hours afterwards. </div>
<div>
Scenario B resulted in a stressed out dog much less often.<br />
<br />
All humans subjected to constant barking can confirm that it's an unpleasant experience, but perhaps more importantly is that the increase in anxiety and stress does not promote healing for the animal itself. It can also cause an increase in anxiety and stress for other animals currently at the clinic. <br />
And while it probably doesn't mean life or death for your dog, if you're anything like me, I prefer to reduce the amount of stress and anxiety my dogs experience as much as possible. And in emergency cases, I would want to give my dog the best chance at getting better as quickly as possible.<br />
<br />
Scenario B isn't always possible; sometimes dogs are hooked up to so many life-saving things or need extra oxygen (and so are in a special oxygen cage) that they can't really be moved from their kennels. And it's possible that a clinic could be so busy that there aren't any rooms available for an owner to visit with their dog. <br />
<br />
But if it is possible when visiting, having your dog brought to you and then taken back to it's kennel by an ER staff member is one way you might be able to reduce the amount of stress your dog is experiencing if it has to stay at a veterinary emergency clinic.</div>
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Laura: of Paws and Tailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796206837313902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945235235412384665.post-12782258112923205942017-02-20T19:37:00.000-08:002017-02-20T19:38:26.617-08:00Frustrated by a non-stop, stubborn sniffer? I may have a solution for you.<div style="text-align: left;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leopold being stubborn on a walk.</td></tr>
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<b>So you're on a walk with your dog</b>, and your dog pulls you over to a bunch of grass to sniff around. Then he spends a while there before walking three more feet and stopping again to smell a stump. Then more time passes and he finally moves on: four more feet and he stops at a rock. Then two feet and it's some random bit of who knows what that you can't even see because it's so small. And every time your dog stops, you stop, because you're attached to him. <br />
Sound like your experience?<br />
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It's certainly my experience with one of my dogs: Leopold will stop dead and dig in his heals in order to thoroughly inspect an area with his nose. If I let him, our walks would take hours. I don't have hours, so Leopold's excessive sniffing behavior just can't happen. I used to spend a good deal of our walk hollering at him to get a move on and eventually putting my weight into the leash to get him walking again. Let me tell you, 70 lbs of stubborn dog can be hard to get moving, and all the hollering and pulling sure puts a damper on our walk.<br />
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But dogs like to sniff, and it's good for them. It's an engaging activity that's great for mental health. I'm all for doggy mental stimulation, but I'm a busy person and can't spend hours on walks. I concluded that Leopold should get to sniff, but I get to decide when enough is enough and it's time to move on. The trick is communicating this to Leopold so that I can avoid the whole forceful haul.<br />
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<b>My solution was a countdown. </b><br />
Here's how it works:<br />
Leopold gets to stop and sniff, but when I feel like we need to continue on our walk, I say "Leopold, Three, Two, One" and then I start walking again.<br />
And it works--Leopold starts walking again without me having to pull and yank on the leash. <br />
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It took a little time to teach Leopold the countdown, just as it takes time to teach anyone anything. In the beginning, I would count down, and then give him a pull to get him walking. It didn't take long for him to learn that the countdown means he better get in one last sniff or finally pick something to pee on already, because when I get to "one", we're headed away from the area. <br />
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Both of us are a lot less frustrated, and walks are much more pleasant. As with so many things, communication is key.<br />
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If you're frustrated by a dog that likes to sniff non-stop on walks, you might give this trick a try. If you do, leave a comment and let me know if it worked for you, too!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leopold gets to stop and sniff, but when I want to keep moving, I do a count down.</td></tr>
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Laura: of Paws and Tailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796206837313902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945235235412384665.post-28736642406012269662017-02-15T21:11:00.001-08:002017-02-18T20:54:00.701-08:00Have a short-haired dog? This brush is perfect for grooming!<div style="text-align: left;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leopold sniffs a ZoomGroom</td></tr>
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<b>Short hair stumped</b><br />
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My childhood dog, Max, had medium-ish fur. We used a human bristle brush to brush his fur, and it worked great. We'd brush him, the brush would fill with fur, we'd pick the fur out and throw it away or toss it in the wind, and then repeat. Fun for a kid. (Even funner was shedding season-- lots of "pick-ables" to pull right off his rump...!)<br />
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Leopold, however, has short fur. One layer. No undercoat. Short and bristly.<br />
When I first got him, I was kind of at a loss on how to brush him -- and I really wanted to brush him because the more loose fur I got out with a brush, the less would end up on my floor... and on my clothes... and in my food...<br />
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I tried all sort of brushes including fine-tooth combs and even a brush meant for horses (ha!). None of those worked very well, though. I was stumped.<br />
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<b>Brush discovery</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">knobby brush</td></tr>
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And then I started volunteering at a vet clinic. The clinic started me out with brushing dogs. Yep. That's all I came in for: brushing the dogs they were boarding. Hey, you got to start somewhere, right??<br />
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The clinic had a great arsenal of brushes, and one of them was the answer to all my short-hair fur problems: the ZoomGroom. It was not a brush in the traditional sense; it was more like a knobby piece of silicone that could be used to push loose fur out of a dog's coat (as opposed to pulling it out like traditional brushes and combs). And once I discovered how well it worked, I bought one for myself and have needed no other brush since. <br />
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It works well on Halo, too, who has longer fur and an undercoat. The product description says that it works for all coat types, though I can't speak to that because I've only used it on dogs with shorter fur. And there are lots of brush choices for long hair dogs, so who cares. Finding a brush that actually worked on short-hair dog is all I cared about!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fur pile pushed out by a ZoomGroom!</td></tr>
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<b><br /></b><b>Advantages of using the ZoomGroom</b><br />
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1. It works SO well! I'm really amazed at the amount of fur I get out with this brush. And fast! Though... somehow we always seem to still have dog hair tumbleweeds rolling through our house. I can only imagine how bad it'd be if we didn't brush our dogs!<br />
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2. Can be used to help with baths. This brush is great for scrubbing a dog really well and really working in shampoo. Fingers work to lather a dog, but the ZoomGroom works better.<br />
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3. Easy to clean. Not a lot of hair gets stuck in the brush, except sometimes when it gets used during doggy baths. I just run it under some water, though, and the hair washes right out. And because the knobs are so far apart, the brush doesn't really retain any water so it dries quickly.<br />
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4. Massages your dogs while you brush. This is a feature that I love! The knobs are big enough and spaced far enough apart that they also massage your dog as you apply gentle but firm pressure to push loose fur out. I've tried it on my own skin -- it feels nice! The fact that this brush also massages helps make brushing my dogs a bonding activity. My dogs were a little unsure of the brush when I first introduced it, but after some sniffing and a little brushing, they decided they love it. Both of my dogs sort of melt when I start brushing them. And then their eyes start to close in that contented sort of way. You know what I'm talking about--The look of a happy and relaxed dog.<br />
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The only disadvantage, really, is that the brush doesn't collect the hair, like traditional brushes do. It might gather some, but most of the hair get pushed out of the coat and onto the floor. This is why I like to brush my dogs outside. Then the hair just blows away and gets recycled back into the ground (eventually). When I do brush them inside, I like to work the fur into a little pile on their rump and then scoop it all off at the end. But you know... do what works for you.<br />
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There are other rubber/silicone brushes out there, also. I have one that fits over my hand as a mitt and has smaller teeth-- I think it's Petmate brand. I don't like it as much as the ZoomGroom. I haven't tried some of the other brands. If I do, I'll report back. But for now I'm quite pleased with my ZoonGroom.</div>
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<b>Think your dog would benefit from a ZoomGroom? </b> I've seen them at most pet stores. The brand is Kong. Otherwise, you can buy one here from amazon.com: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002AR19Q/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0002AR19Q&linkCode=as2&tag=leopoldcrate-20&linkId=5499b5937f300b686be0cb1d3a673125" target="_blank">KONG ZoomGroom, Dog Grooming Brush</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=leopoldcrate-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B0002AR19Q" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <br />
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Happy Grooming!<br />
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Also, this:<br />
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<a href="http://livingwithanimalscomic.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MdCTJb3DL0g/WKUykl7ZzTI/AAAAAAAAEvM/B-ZTnIL0BvY20WVdQ1qfo9-MLABgG2yaQCLcB/s1600/living%2Bwith%2Banimals_010417_furbabies.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Convenient Product Link:</span><br />
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Laura: of Paws and Tailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796206837313902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945235235412384665.post-47984272770074721032017-02-02T22:37:00.003-08:002017-02-18T20:55:03.887-08:00Where's the poop! In a bag, because you're a good owner and you picked it up.<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oJde2mp_qTg/WJQQOn9f78I/AAAAAAAAEts/8Boh_lmkrEAHaXKsUJoZBB6IPQU6QszTwCLcB/s1600/IMG_3152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oJde2mp_qTg/WJQQOn9f78I/AAAAAAAAEts/8Boh_lmkrEAHaXKsUJoZBB6IPQU6QszTwCLcB/s1600/IMG_3152.JPG" width="400" /></a>If you're one of those lucky people who have enough land that your dog can go poop in the woods or field, and you can just leave it there without fear that you or someone else will step in it (or that your toddler will pick it up.... which happened to me not long ago...) then this post isn't for you.<br />
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If, however, you're one of the many, many people who don't have that luxury, then let's talk poop! That's right, I'm blogging about picking up dog poop.<br />
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I realize this is maybe an odd topic to discuss, but I just can't help but feel that I'm somewhat of an expert poop picker-upper considering the sheer number of poops I've bagged--and in different climes, too (which can make a difference!). I've even been praised for my poo-bag-tying abilities (thanks for noticing, Dad! :-D ). Basically, I've got the poo-grab down to a science and can knot a bag up with a flip of the wrist. Bingo, bango, bagged.<br />
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Want to be an expert, too? Then let's talk about some of the different ways to pick up poop in different poop scenarios:<br />
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<b>Poop in grass</b><br />
This is probably one of the most common scenarios you'll run into. I've found there are two ways to handle the poo-grab when a poop is in grass. One, I push back the blades of grass as much as I can, because grabbing a stalk is a good way to make a mess of the whole grab because then the poop gets smeared on the grass and you either have to leave the poop grass (and pray the owner of the yard doesn't accidentally walk in the poo smear!) or somehow break off the poo-grass blades mid-pick-up and get it stuffed into your bag, which doesn't always work because if the grass is too long, it can flop around and risk getting poo on the outside of the bag or on your hand, a scenario that I've had happen, which was clearly a traumatic experience because it has caused me to write a horribly run-on sentence.<br />
The second option, then, is to purposefully grab the grass below the poop and pluck it as you're picking up the poop. I find that this method works well if the poop is too "embedded" in the grass.<br />
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<b>Soft serve poop</b><br />
Which brings me to what husband and I refer to as "soft serve poop". You know what I'm talking about... When it's soft, but still forms a pile? These poos are tough. Probably the toughest to pick up aside from runny poops, which don't really have a chance of being picked up at all unless they've been deposited on leaves or debris or sand. <br />
But you do have a chance with the soft serve poop. Usually just one chance. You've got to get it right if you want to get it all. You may be temped to do a full-out grab, but that's a mistake! And usually results in a quite a bit of poo-smear residue (that I've seen my husband try to basically wipe into the ground... ha! He's adorable).<br />
The trick is to use a light touch and roll. Don't push down, because that causes the smear. Just grab as much as you can with a very light touch and gently roll the poo to the side and into your bag. If you get it right, you won't even be able to tell there was a poo there at all. If you can master this poo-grab, I recommend you add "dog-poop picker-upper expert" to your resume, because that's what you are.<br />
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<b>Runny poop</b><br />
Unless the runny poop has been deposited on leaves or debris or sand, the method we use for runny poops usually goes something like this: <br />
Blurt out "Crap!" (which functions as both an exclamation of discontent but also points out what is now on the ground), curse our dog's gastro system for having issues, attempt to pick up at least some of the poo--usually just so that any passers-by know we at least tried, and then walk away quickly from the scene of the crime and hope that no one notices the nasty poo we just left on the ground! And then we hurry home in case there is more runny poop on the way. If it has to be in someone's yard, it's only polite to have it it my own. Plus then I can wash it away with a hose if I want.<br />
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<b>Poop in leaves or debris or sand</b><br />
This has got to be my favorite substrate from which to pick up poop. So EASY. And if it's a sloppy poop, all you do is pick up a little of whatever the substrate is around the poop and ta-da! Not a bit of poop left behind. A clean grab. When I lived in South Bend, IN, I would purposefully take Leopold for walks on routes that had areas like this, and I would encourage him to poop in those areas. We don't really have leafy or sandy or debris-y areas like that along our walking routes now here in South Texas... But it was nice while it lasted.<br />
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<b>Poop in snow</b><br />
When I lived in South Bend, we knew it was spring when we started to smell the malodorous stench drifting off the large piles of accumulated dog poop as they emerged from the melting snow. I can only assume that no one in South Bend knew how to pick up their dog's poop when it fell in snow and would instead just kick a bit of all-too convenient and abundant snow over top to hide it. Good thing I'm writing this post.<br />
And while it's going to be some time before I need to pick up another snow-poop, I have spent the majority of my life, so far, in areas with winters, so I've picked up my fair share of turds from the snow. I'll admit that snow-poop pick-ups were kind of hit or miss for me at first. If you just go for the turd, there's always a bit of brown left in the snow, which is just gross. To avoid leaving brown snow, I would often try to also grab a bit of the snow that was under and around the poop. Occasionally, though, I would misjudge and grab too much snow, making it hard to then close the bag. And then I'd have to compress the snow inside the bag, sort of like making a poo snowball, in order to get the bag tied shut. But in my opinion, better a poo snowball inside a bag than gigantic poo mounds on sidewalks and back alleys come springtime.<br />
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<b>Baked poop</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Partially petrified poop.</td></tr>
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I currently live in South Texas, where the sun is <i>fierce</i>. Around here the poops that my dogs leave in the yard bake in the sun so fast that I actually leave them on purpose (unless we're having company over or my kid is running around in the back yard!), because a baked poop is infinitely easier to pick up than a freshy. Dog leaves a pile in the morning, and by the afternoon the poo has a hard exterior and is a breeze to pick up and leaves little, if any, residue. And if I miss a poo (it happens... even to me!), by the time I find the pile, it's often petrified to the point that I have to look twice to tell if it's a poo or a light-colored rock. As a midwest girl at heart, I've been trying to find the bright side of living in South Texas; the sun's poo-baking abilities is certainly a benefit of being down here.<br />
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<b>Poo too far up the side the bag</b><br />
If you pick up dog poop on a regular basis, you're bound to mess up the poo-grab at some point. If you end up with poo smears too far up the side of the bag, I recommend that you do NOT try to tie that bag shut. You will almost certainly end up squeezing the poop out and onto your hand. Again, this has happened to me. Instead, just toss the now-compromised bag onto the ground and try again with a second bag. I recommend grabbing the open side of the messy bag to make sure any errant poop ends up in the bottom of the second bag.<br />
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<b>Poop walker trails</b><br />
Most dogs squat and deposit their poops in a nice, singular pile. However, some of us have a special breed of dog: the poop walker. Halo is such a dog. Sometimes she starts pooping before she stops walking, which results in a trail of turds. If you have a poop walker as well, just remember to back-track a bit and try to find all the offending nuggets. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just picked up some trash bits, now time to pick up a poop!<br />
(Seriously... where does this stuff come from??)</td></tr>
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<b>Double dooty</b><br />
I'm always pleased when my dogs decide to poop at the same time while on walks. It means I can use one bag for two poops! And saving bags saves money and resources. Helps offset the occasions when I mess up a grab and need to double bag....! A tip for cramming two piles in one bag: it sometimes helps to reposition your hand between poops in a way that sort of partially closes the bag around the first poop. Sometimes I even use two hands: one to secure the first poop in the bag and the second to grab the second poo. Otherwise, it's very probable that little poo nuggets will drop out as you're picking up the second poop, and then more will drop out when you go to pick up the firstly dropped poo nuggets, and so on and so on.<br />
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Another way to use a bag for "double dooty" is to pick up some trash in the bag, also. We moved into our house about a year ago and are still finding little bits of pieces of plastic and who-knows-what in our yard (I think I've got it all and then more appears... I don't get it!). When I'm picking up poops in our yard, I keep an eye out for some pieces of garbage that I can pick up, too. This practice can also be applied to dog walk poops. Look for some litter on the ground, pick that up first, then pick up your dog's poo. It's just one small piece of trash, but could you imagine if everyone picked up one small piece of trash every time they picked up their dog's poop? <br />
I suppose that would require everyone to pick up their dog's poop... But that's another issue. And not one that applies to you, because now you know how to pick up every type of pile of poop in existence. <br />
...Except runny poop. If you figure out how to do that, leave a comment with instructions, and know that you are a true poo-grab master!<br />
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This is from my amateur comic strip "<a href="http://livingwithanimalscomic.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Living with Animals</a>". I felt it was relevant. <br />
Though I should add an event: "(g) write a blog post on dog poop"; it would cause a rather large spike in the graph!<br />
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Laura: of Paws and Tailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796206837313902865noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945235235412384665.post-82557908520825488962017-01-21T20:42:00.001-08:002017-02-18T20:56:17.654-08:00Do you need to trim your dog's nails? Probably.I took Leopold to a low-cost vaccine clinic last month to get him updated on his rabies vaccine. While I was waiting (and I had to wait a while...), I enjoyed some small talk with other fellow dog-owners who were also waiting around with their pups.<br />
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One lady had a pair of adorable shitzu puppies: one was taking a pup-nap (I'd say cat-nap, but that just seems wrong) in it's little stroller, and the other was snuggling with it's owner.</div>
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Apparently the snuggling pup had long nails, because the owner complained more than once about how sharp they were. She said she wasn't sure if she should cut them, and that her veterinarian told her the nails would wear themselves to a short length just by the pup running around outside.</div>
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I wanted to laugh at the veterinarian's advice. But I didn't.</div>
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So I'll laugh now. AHAHAHAHAHA!</div>
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Woooo...! It feels good to laugh.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JWbYq5u7nik/WHHY7pP2KoI/AAAAAAAAErY/V3Fe9G2rmds3ZWZlpE09SOxK8HumhxpXACLcB/s1600/Halo%2Bnapping.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JWbYq5u7nik/WHHY7pP2KoI/AAAAAAAAErY/V3Fe9G2rmds3ZWZlpE09SOxK8HumhxpXACLcB/s1600/Halo%2Bnapping.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Halo enjoying a mid-afternoon nap. Or was this her morning <br />
nap...? Maybe her late afternoon nap?? I can't remember!</td></tr>
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In my experience, most dogs need to get their nails trimmed by their owner (or a professional if the owner can't do it). It's true that some dogs run around enough outside for their nails to self-maintain at the proper length, but it's rare. In the four years I worked at an emergency veterinary clinic, dogs that came in with naturally trim nails were the exception, not the rule. The truth of the matter is that a lot of dogs spend a good chunk of the day napping or just lazing about. According to <a href="https://sleep.org/articles/how-much-do-dogs-sleep/" target="_blank">an article on sleep.org</a>, the average dog spends about 50% of the day sleeping and another 30% lying around awake. <br />
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Sounds about right for my pups! I let Leopold hang out in our back yard as often as he "asks" (so long as it's not too hot outside) and he'll wander around and sniff things, but mostly he's incredibly content to just lay in the sun and sniff at the wind or take a nap. He likes to run and play, too, and we make sure he gets exercise every day, but the majority of his day is spent deciphering smells on the breeze, woofing at passing cars, and catching Zs. Halo prefers to be where the humans are, so she ends up spending her time inside a lot. But she, too, naps a lot. There's stuff for her to do and she'll chew on a bone or toss around a toy if she feels like it, but again, she doesn't run around enough for her nails to self-maintain to a proper, short length. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leopold's nails could use a trim. Ideally,<br />
I would trim his nails regularly enough that<br />
they don't touch the ground at all. His nails<br />
are a little long here!</td></tr>
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Of course, the best way to know if your dog's nails need a trim is to look at them. Do they touch the floor when they walk? If yes, then they're probably too long and need a trim. Do they cause your dog's toes to push out in funny angles? If yes, then you definitely need to trim those nails and stat! If you don't, your dog's nails could grow into their paw pad, which is very painful and could potentially result in an infection.</div>
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Having trouble trimming your dog's nails because your dog won't let you? Check out <a href="http://leopolds-crate.blogspot.com/2012/02/trimming-dogs-nails-sometimes-less-is.html">this post</a> for some tips on trimming your dog's nails.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zf-oK68y01s/WIQ1UDkFjmI/AAAAAAAAEs8/JZX86eaSDbgkOpOIKVunJm-hYEM1I9h0wCEw/s1600/IMG_4151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zf-oK68y01s/WIQ1UDkFjmI/AAAAAAAAEs8/JZX86eaSDbgkOpOIKVunJm-hYEM1I9h0wCEw/s1600/IMG_4151.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leopold partaking in his favorite activity: sun-bathing while sniffing the wind.</td></tr>
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Laura: of Paws and Tailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796206837313902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945235235412384665.post-57646552367489543762017-01-07T21:16:00.000-08:002017-02-18T20:57:01.870-08:00Cleaning your dog's teeth by rubbing with a wet cloth: does this method work?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rubbing with a wet cloth: will this method sufficiently<br />
clean Leopold's teeth? I decided to find out.</td></tr>
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I moved to Texas a year ago. That meant finding a new vet, again, for my dogs. Thanks to yelp and google reviews, I found a vet that I ended up liking quite a bit! He seemed to know his stuff. <phew><br />
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He was examining Leopold (who was just there for a check-up), and I mentioned that I had been doing a bad job brushing Leopold's teeth. I was feeling guilty so I wanted to mention it, I guess. After using some dental tools to pick off the worst of the tartar on Leopold's teeth, our new vet showed me an easier way than brushing to clean a dog's teeth. He grabbed a wash cloth, put a little water on it, and rubbed Leopold's teeth! And that was it. He said that if I did that once a day, that would be sufficient. Whoa! So easy! And cheap! --who doesn't have an old towel or wash cloth lying around, right?<br />
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I like easy and cheap. But does it work? In the past I've used an <a href="http://leopolds-crate.blogspot.com/2012/05/tips-on-brushing-your-dogs-teeth.html" target="_blank">enzymatic toothpaste and toothbrush method.</a> How does this new method compare?<br />
I put the "rub with a wet cloth" method to the test to find out.<br />
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I started cleaning Leopold's teeth with this method on November 14th, and other than missing a week over Thanksgiving (I wasn't going to make my dog sitter deal with this!) and a couple days here and there, I cleaned Leopold's teeth once a day until December 28. So a bit over a month of cleanings.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leopold's teeth before (left pic) and after (right pic) a month of cleaning by rubbing with a wet cloth.</td></tr>
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Here's what I learned:<br />
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1. Leopold is not a fan.<br />
After a week or so, Leopold started to run from me as soon as he saw me approaching with the cloth.<br />
I tried to massage his face while I was rubbing his teeth to help him enjoy the experience more, but in the end he just didn't like it. Bummer.<br />
The toothbrush/toothpaste method is a treat for Leopold: He enjoys having his teeth brushed because he likes the way the toothpaste tastes and because he likes chewing on the brush.<br />
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2. It's difficult to clean every tooth. <br />
Dog teeth overlap, so there were some teeth that were never touched by the cloth.<br />
When using toothpaste and toothbrush, Leopold is chomping away, opening and closing his mouth, which allows me to work the brush onto every one of his teeth.<br />
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3. It's difficult to clean ALL of every tooth.<br />
The cloth doesn't really get to the gum-line. It also doesn't get behind the teeth. <br />
A toothbrush allows brushing on the back of teeth and is also so much better at getting into crevices and making sure the gum-line sees some actions; this is important for healthy gums!<br />
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4. It seemed better for getting crud off broad surfaces. <br />
I think. I thought I noticed a small difference over time, but I don't actually see a lot of change in my before and after photos. You can press more firmly on the tooth with the cloth rubbing method, which could potentially help to get more crud off.<br />
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Conclusion:<br />
Cleaning your dog's teeth by rubbing with a wet cloth is maybe better than nothing, but I think brushing with a toothbrush and enzymatic toothpaste is a better option. If you're brushing and still having trouble getting crud off some of the broad areas (I always seem to have trouble with those back molars!!), rubbing with a cloth might help as an addition to your toothpaste/toothbrush routine.<br />
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For more information on keeping your dog's teeth clean, check out my post on <a href="http://leopolds-crate.blogspot.com/2014/02/cleaning-your-dogs-dirty-teeth.html">cleaning your dog's dirty teeth.</a>Laura: of Paws and Tailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796206837313902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945235235412384665.post-59984930426750342862014-04-16T19:42:00.002-07:002014-04-21T18:55:34.500-07:00Off-leash dog charges at my dogs. Part two.I've shared some stories before about off-leash dogs that have come charging at me and my own dogs. Feel free to ready part one <a href="http://leopolds-crate.blogspot.com/2013/02/what-do-you-do-when-off-leash-dog.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
Well, I have another story. This happened just this morning.<br />
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Chris, Halo, Leopold, and I were on our daily morning walk when we noticed an off-leash german shepherd across the street. There was no owner in sight; I'm guessing it had gotten out of its back yard somehow and was wandering the neighborhood alone. When we noticed the german shepherd , it was already making a bee-line for us. To my eyes, the german shepherd did not approach in a submissive, friendly state. It's head was up, its ears were up, its tail was up; I had a bad feeling as soon as I saw the dog heading for us. <br />
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Almost as soon as the german shepherd reached us, it tried to attack Halo. Halo, who was just being a dog, tried to defend herself and pulled on her leash to get at the german shepherd . Chris had Halo's leash, and so he pulled her away from the german shepherd , trying to break them up--he kicked at the german shepherd a couple of times (thank goodness Chris had thick boots on this morning!). The german shepherd kept trying to get at Halo, so Chris kept pulling Halo away; he and I both yelling at the dog to go away.<br />
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Eventually the german shepherd backed away from Halo, then turned its attention on Leopold, whom I had on a leash. The dog tried to go for Leopold, too. Just as I've done with all other off-leash dogs that have harassed me and my dogs, I let this german shepherd know that I was taking control of the situation by taking a step towards it and firmly telling it "no" and to "go home". The german shepherd did stop his advance every time I stepped towards it, but it did not retreat much, and when it did retreat, it would stop and look back, still fixed on Leopold, and start approaching us again. Every time it tried to approach us again--even tried to take one step--I moved towards it, and firmly (and loudly...) told it to leave and go home, claiming control of the area around me and my dogs. I had to keep moving towards it halfway down the block until it finally stopped trying to approach us and scooted off between some houses.<br />
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I waited to see if it would reappear, and when it didn't, we felt we could continue our walk and get safely home. (wherein we called the police to let them know that a possibly dangerous dog was roaming around our neighborhood; maybe it wasn't dangerous to people, but we have a lot of dogs in our neighborhood!).<br />
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Afterwards, I looked over Halo to see if the german shepherd had done any damage; I thankfully found none. I'm also thankful that both Chris and I were out walking the dogs this morning, each of us handling one. Sometimes only one of us will take the dogs for their walk. I can only imagine what would have occurred
had there been only one of us walking Halo and Leopold this morning. Managing our own two dogs on leash while trying to fight off a german shepherd would have been a shit show!<br />
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This whole experience is a nightmare come true for me. In the past, the biggest dog I've had to deal with in this manner was a golden retriever. But german shepherds are big dogs, and while this one wasn't huge for its breed (I've definitely seen bigger), it was still a very large dog--much larger than my own dogs. And I know that German shepherds can do a lot of damage, so it was a pretty terrifying situation. My body was still quivering with adrenaline long after the encounter. However... Nightmare handled. <br />
<br />Laura: of Paws and Tailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796206837313902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945235235412384665.post-62978673662853836822014-02-10T07:37:00.000-08:002017-01-07T21:38:51.070-08:00Dry dog food ≠ Clean teethAs a follow-up to the previous post on things that can help get your dog's teeth clean, I wanted to mention something that does <i>not </i>work to clean a dog's teeth....<br />
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<b>Dry dog food does NOT keep teeth clean. </b><br />
I wanted to talk about this real quick because I've
had so many people tell me that their veterinarian recommended that they give their dog a
larger sized kibble as a way to help keep their dog's teeth clean. I'm sad to
say that veterinarians do not always know what they're talking about,
especially when it comes to food. (My vet once told me that Purina Pro
Plan was a high quality food. HA! but we'll talk about that another time)<br />
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<u>Their logic:</u> if the kibble
is bigger, the dog has to chew more, and the kibble scrapes stuff off
the teeth in the process. This would be like your dentist telling you
to chew on Captain Crunch to clean your teeth. I don't know about you,
but if anything, my teeth feel kind of "fuzzy" after chewing on Captain Crunch; the fuzziness, of course, is due to food particles that are now stuck to my teeth.<br />
The
large kibble idea is a scraping technique that doesn't work, but
can actually makes things worse. <br />
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<u>In reality:</u> the more a
dog has to chew their food , the more likely that food particles are
going to get lodged
in and around the teeth and gums. Have you seen dry dog food when it gets
wet? It's very soft and falls apart. Saliva in a dog's mouth makes kibble more soft the longer it's there. This makes it more likely to stick to their
teeth. More food bits means breeding
grounds for bad bacteria. It makes periodontal disease <i>more </i>likely.<br />
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If you're trying to keep your dog's teeth clean, or if you're trying to clean their already-dirty teeth, it's better to stick to the techniques I mentioned in <a href="http://leopolds-crate.blogspot.com/2014/02/cleaning-your-dogs-dirty-teeth.html" target="_blank">the previous post.</a>Laura: of Paws and Tailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796206837313902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945235235412384665.post-53752892360775002252014-02-08T07:41:00.000-08:002015-01-31T15:12:11.878-08:00Cleaning your dog's dirty teeth.I've had dental health on the mind lately. Partially because I just went to see the dentist for the first time in two years, but also because I've noticed recently that some of Leopold's back teeth are starting to build up a thick coat of tartar. There's also some redness along the gumline around the teeth. These are signs of dental disease! Oh no!<br />
Another sign of dental disease, also called periodontal disease, can be really bad-smelling breath; and yup, Leopold's breath is kind of funky right now (I just took a sniff. Eww).<br />
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Just like humans, dogs can get dental disease. From my experiences, its pretty common that they do. The majority of older dogs that I see at the clinic have some degree of dental disease, and some of the oldest dogs I work with have breath that could wilt a redwood because of the severity of their dental disease. Aside from malodorous breath, dental disease can cause serious, negative health effects not only in your dogs mouth, but in its entire body. I'm not going to go into details, but many of the same dental issues that can affect humans can also affect dogs.<br />
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So the question is... how do you clean your dog's dirty teeth? <br />
Here's my answer: <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of Leopold's favorite games is "brushing teeth". Here he is waiting<br />
patiently for me to put toothpaste on the brush and start the game.</td></tr>
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1. <b>Brush your dog's teeth.</b><br />
It seems to me that brushing a dog's teeth still hasn't quite caught on in the dog owner community. It's starting to, but it still seems that the majority of dog owners (at least the ones I know) do not brush their dogs teeth. Help get this trend going! Brushing your dog's teeth will prevent or delay the need for a professional dental cleaning, prevents the need for tooth extraction, helps with bad breath issues, and can be a fun activity for your dog! My dogs actually really like to have their teeth brushed. They like the
attention and they like the flavor of their dog tooth paste (so the toothpaste is like a treat for them!). For some tips
on brushing your dog's teeth, check out <a href="http://leopolds-crate.blogspot.com/2012/05/tips-on-brushing-your-dogs-teeth.html" target="_blank">a post I wrote a while back</a>.<br />
Brushing your dog's teeth will help clean them because dog toothpastes are specially formulated to help break down plaque buildup via enzymatic activity. I should note that you should <i>never</i> use human toothpaste on a dog because its harmful if swallowed, and a dog is guaranteed to swallow it. <br />
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I try to brush my dog's teeth as often as I can remember, but sometimes it only gets done twice a month. Sad face. I've been trying harder, lately, to remember to brush their teeth every day--especially since I've noticed Leopold's dental disease. I leave their toothbrush and toothpaste sitting near my computer on my desk; that way I see it and it reminds me to brush their teeth. Some people like to brush their dogs' teeth right after they brush their own as a way to remember.<br />
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2. <b>Give your dog bones to chew on.</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leopold chewing on an antler.</td></tr>
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I provide my dogs with real bones, synthetic bones (Nylabones), and antlers to chew on. (Though I only leave the Nylabones on the floor for them to access at all times. I keep real bones and antlers up away until I can be in the same room with them to supervise. <a href="http://leopolds-crate.blogspot.com/2012/05/bone-chewing-remembing-why-its.html" target="_blank">Here's a post explaining why I do this.)</a><br />
Leopold doesn't seem to like to chew on bones without some encouragement. I've tried dipping a bone in chicken broth to entice him, which worked well enough. He really enjoys antlers, however, so I usually go that route with him.<br />
Halo, on the other hand, chews on her Nylabone daily, and loves to chew any bone she can get her paws on. As a result, her teeth look pretty good!<br />
The reason is that chewing on bones scrapes plaque and food residue off the teeth. If there's no plaque and food bits, there's nothing for bad bacteria to live on; bad bacteria are the cause of dental disease, so if the bacteria have nothing to live on, dental disease won't happen!<br />
<br />
To help fight off Leopold's current dental disease, I plan on making sure he spends a little time chewing on an antler every day. I've done this for two days so far and already some of the tartar has chipped off and some of the redness has gone away. woo-hoo!<br />
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3. <b>Take your dog in for a dental cleaning.</b><br />
I've not had to do this yet for my dogs, so I can't relate any personal experience. My goal is to never have to bring my dogs in for a dental cleaning. From my understanding, dog dental cleanings can be done by most veterinarians, though specialized veterinarians, dog dentists if you will, do exists. Usually the procedure involves some sort of sedative or anesthesia. I've heard of some professionals who are skilled at cleaning dog teeth without sedatives or anesthesia, but I imagine it depends a great deal on the dog.<br />
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4. <b>Feed your dog a healthy diet. </b><br />
Just like humans, a crappy doggy diet is bad news for doggy teeth and dental care. I haven't done a post on doggy diet yet, but I'm planning on it because there's more to say than I want to say right now in this post about teeth. So stay tuned.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0Bs8eSV2ji4/UvZMOPNHXlI/AAAAAAAADWE/WnCWK_UIuq4/s1600/DSC_0678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0Bs8eSV2ji4/UvZMOPNHXlI/AAAAAAAADWE/WnCWK_UIuq4/s1600/DSC_0678.JPG" height="132" width="200" /></a><br />
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5. <b>Pay attention to the state of your dog's teeth!</b><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Iw3EyGNnQqk/UvZMCNlq7dI/AAAAAAAADV8/qHd7QiL8IHM/s1600/DSC_0685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Iw3EyGNnQqk/UvZMCNlq7dI/AAAAAAAADV8/qHd7QiL8IHM/s1600/DSC_0685.JPG" height="132" width="200" /></a>If possible, don't leave it up to your veterinarian to examine your dog's mouth. The first step to keeping your dog's teeth clean is knowing when they're not! I look at my dogs' teeth at least once a week, sometimes more often. I've noticed Leopold's molars building up more and more plaque, but recently I noticed redness. I noticed because I've been looking.<br />
At this point, my dogs are very used to me lifting up their lips to look at their teeth. I usually do it as part of normal doggy attention time. I give them some pets, then look at their teeth real quick, then give them more pets. In other words, its a positive experience, so they safely let me do it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I'm optimistic that with diligent bone chewing time and teeth brushing, I'll be able to reverse the dental disease that has started to occur in Leopold's mouth. Of course, if it doesn't work after all, I'll be looking to visit a dog dentist in the near future, as I want to help my dogs live as healthy and happy a life as I know they deserve.<br />
<br />
I hope this post helps you if you're in the same situation.<br />
If nothing else, I hope this post helps put "dog dental health" on your radar! :-)<br />
<br />Laura: of Paws and Tailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796206837313902865noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945235235412384665.post-76140029762726794852014-02-07T17:38:00.000-08:002016-08-09T13:13:29.807-07:00Leopold plays Sniff and Find!Here's another game I like to play with Leopold.
The premise is easy enough. I hide treats under and in things. Leopold uses his sniffer to find them!
I like to hide them in different ways to try and challenge Leopold mentally.<br />
<br />
***WARNING*** this game is NOT for dogs that will eat pieces of fabric or paper or toys. Also, as always, its important to supervise your dog when playing with things they could potentially swallow (whether on accident or on purpose).<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Here how I hid some of the treats:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3b9-nWq06v0/UvWLL8rwgsI/AAAAAAAADVA/Y2XExL1oIPY/s1600/DSC_0012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3b9-nWq06v0/UvWLL8rwgsI/AAAAAAAADVA/Y2XExL1oIPY/s1600/DSC_0012.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">in the nook of a toy monster ball</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IKzVg470ECY/UvWFfO7wHkI/AAAAAAAADUI/5E_mvBovxSo/s1600/DSC_0001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IKzVg470ECY/UvWFfO7wHkI/AAAAAAAADUI/5E_mvBovxSo/s1600/DSC_0001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">inside a paper tube</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kasQfNG4zLw/UvWFx45EeRI/AAAAAAAADUY/OE1zZxnqMJ0/s1600/DSC_0004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kasQfNG4zLw/UvWFx45EeRI/AAAAAAAADUY/OE1zZxnqMJ0/s1600/DSC_0004.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">under a piece of fleece</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S1BABZ5I4m0/UvWFq5CT4nI/AAAAAAAADUQ/lrD8ZrgVZ10/s1600/DSC_0005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S1BABZ5I4m0/UvWFq5CT4nI/AAAAAAAADUQ/lrD8ZrgVZ10/s1600/DSC_0005.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">between the layers of a folded over stuffingless polar bear</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6fN31jBmjgY/UvWGA0x72JI/AAAAAAAADUg/VpCd1kPJoUw/s1600/DSC_0008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6fN31jBmjgY/UvWGA0x72JI/AAAAAAAADUg/VpCd1kPJoUw/s1600/DSC_0008.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">under an down-turned Kong toy</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y7y5lz8plRQ/UvWGKpTDGDI/AAAAAAAADUo/eGy0rywQ8Hg/s1600/DSC_0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y7y5lz8plRQ/UvWGKpTDGDI/AAAAAAAADUo/eGy0rywQ8Hg/s1600/DSC_0010.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">under a well-loved fabric dog frisbee<br />
(made by Kate Butler, <a href="http://leopolds-crate.blogspot.com/2012/12/check-out-eleanor-and-milo-online-store.html" target="_blank">click here for a post on her awesome toys</a>)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Leopold sits staring at the landscape of hidden treats:<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EEfK-jvEzLg/UvWIPl9EtWI/AAAAAAAADU0/QE0ibEX07-g/s1600/DSC_0014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EEfK-jvEzLg/UvWIPl9EtWI/AAAAAAAADU0/QE0ibEX07-g/s1600/DSC_0014.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
<br />
here's Leopold searching for treats. Not every toy or piece of fleece has a hidden treat!<br />
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<br /><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/AY5483xltlk/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AY5483xltlk?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br />Laura: of Paws and Tailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796206837313902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945235235412384665.post-10488242740416336692014-02-01T07:50:00.000-08:002017-01-14T19:33:02.992-08:00Halo gets her breakfast from a Big Orange Ball<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w8HmvEzQFjc/Uu0UUzUdseI/AAAAAAAADSY/xq7F0D8PLww/s1600/DSC_1054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w8HmvEzQFjc/Uu0UUzUdseI/AAAAAAAADSY/xq7F0D8PLww/s1600/DSC_1054.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Winter is making my household lazy; the dogs have been napping more than usual. So this morning I decided it was time for some mind-stimulating games. Halo got to play with what I call the Big Orange Ball! (It's actually called a Tricky Treat Ball, by Omega Paw--convenient product link at end of post).<br />
<br />
The ball design is quite clever. Not only does it have a hole on one side so that treats can fall out, but there is a tube that is recessed into the ball from the hole, making a sort of barrier that the treats have to first get around before they fall out. The result is that a dog has to work harder for treats to fall out because they don't fall out every time the ball is turned upside down.<br />
<br />
Halo is very excited about her kibble, so I like to use that instead of treats. This morning I put her entire breakfast in the ball. At first, when its so full, many pieces of kibble fall out at a time, but once there are less pieces in the ball, they come out less and less often, and Halo has to work harder for her kibble! Leopold likes this game, as well, but gives up after it becomes too hard to get kibble or treats out. Halo, on the other hand, will continue rolling around the ball until the very last piece of kibble comes out--which sometimes takes her over an hour!<br />
<br />
Here's Halo working on getting breakfast:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/T4cRAWgsOEc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T4cRAWgsOEc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
If you're looking for a great way to stimulate your dog's mind and/or want a way to slow down their eating, this big orange ball is a great option.<br />
<br />
<b>Want to get started? </b><br />
Here's where you can get it on amazon.com:
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002DK26M/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0002DK26M&linkCode=as2&tag=leopoldcrate-20&linkId=994149bb2ae6f6e9b4d86d6c4537f2f1" target="_blank">Omega Paw Tricky Treat Ball, Large</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=leopoldcrate-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B0002DK26M" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<br />
<br />
A quick tip on filling the ball: after dumping some kibble down the hole, cover the hole with your hand and shake the ball to get it to fill up around the tube on the inside. You can also put your thumb down the hole and shake to push the kibble in.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BZO3jsSD-EM/Uu0W5viubiI/AAAAAAAADSs/jdZpuqgiQzE/s1600/DSC_0656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BZO3jsSD-EM/Uu0W5viubiI/AAAAAAAADSs/jdZpuqgiQzE/s1600/DSC_0656.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Halo is content after a delicious breakfast game!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Convenient Product Link:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=leopoldcrate-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B0002DK26M&asins=B0002DK26M&linkId=a156df8721b3ce50b8440199cd37ac39&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
</iframe>
</div>
Laura: of Paws and Tailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796206837313902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945235235412384665.post-3540214496393801172014-01-31T15:34:00.000-08:002017-02-02T11:36:12.221-08:00Nylabone rings are better than any other Nylabone shape!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WahqMux0PjQ/Uuwx40wjCeI/AAAAAAAADR8/4F8sT4IEtXQ/s1600/DSC_0669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WahqMux0PjQ/Uuwx40wjCeI/AAAAAAAADR8/4F8sT4IEtXQ/s1600/DSC_0669.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Halo fell asleep chewing on her Nyabone</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My dogs love to chew on Nylabones. Especially Halo!<br />
<br />
The Nylabone company offers their synthetic bone product in a range of shapes (and flavors).<br />
The original looks like a long, thin bone. Other shapes include a big "beef bone", a hallow stick, a wishbone, and dinosaurs (ha!).<br />
<br />
I've bought almost all these different-shaped Nylabones for my dogs over the years, but the story always ended the same. At some point, my dogs would chew the Nylabones down small enough that it could possibly be swallowed--once my dogs could get the whole thing in their mouth all at once, I'd throw the bone away and get a replacement. And even though the bones lasted a relatively long time, I still wished they would last longer.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TifCAa9y5q4/UuwxUHg2DwI/AAAAAAAADR0/B-w7J63AIrA/s1600/DSC_0979_crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TifCAa9y5q4/UuwxUHg2DwI/AAAAAAAADR0/B-w7J63AIrA/s1600/DSC_0979_crop.jpg" width="368" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Halo with her favorite Nylabone!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I was very pleased when I discovered that Nylabone also offers ring-shaped bones. The textured ring, in particular, seems to last for a very long time. I bought a textured Nylabone back in May. And even though Halo chews on it daily (and Leopold every now and again), the bone is nowhere near needing replacement, and I imagine it will not need replacing for a long time to come. The ring shape makes it near impossible for Halo to ever get the whole thing in her mouth, even when she's chewed it enough that its gotten thin.<br />
<br />
Want to get a Nylabone ring for your own dog? They're sold at most pet stores, or you can buy them from amazon.com here: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003SN5YKC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B003SN5YKC&linkCode=as2&tag=leopoldcrate-20&linkId=9e3268d19f091969584bc90a186dffff" target="_blank">Nylabone Dura Chew Large Textured Ring Bone Dog Chew Toy</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=leopoldcrate-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B003SN5YKC" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<br />
Don't know what a Nylabone is? Check out one of my <a href="http://leopolds-crate.blogspot.com/2012/05/nylabones-for-dogs-who-love-to-chew.html" target="_blank">previous posts</a>!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CZemKK0OxWk/UuwxL7pVfMI/AAAAAAAADRw/XtCBdEpvfjQ/s1600/DSC_0653_crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CZemKK0OxWk/UuwxL7pVfMI/AAAAAAAADRw/XtCBdEpvfjQ/s1600/DSC_0653_crop.jpg" width="452" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">nom nom nom</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Convenient Product Link:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=leopoldcrate-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B003SN5YKC&asins=B003SN5YKC&linkId=f05678627c77a8def1457d79a67c5628&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
</iframe></div>
Laura: of Paws and Tailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796206837313902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945235235412384665.post-82732571126149683862014-01-02T21:14:00.000-08:002014-01-04T13:21:13.750-08:00Reiterating the importance of supervising your dog and financially preparing for when they get sick or injured<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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I recently received a comment on my post “<a href="http://leopolds-crate.blogspot.com/2012/08/fun-dog-activity-for-dogs-who-like-to.html" target="_blank">Fun activity fordogs who like to ‘disembowel’ their stuffed animal toys</a>”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The commenter relayed their scary
experience:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>their dog ate 10 pieces of
rolled up fleece.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily, she was able
to get the vet in time to induce vomiting to bring up the pieces of fabric. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This person ended her comment by stating that she
had “no resources left financially” if there ends up being a blockage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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This comment has spurred me to reiterate and repost on some
topics I think are important for every dog owner to be aware of.</div>
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One.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is ALWAYS a
good idea to supervise your dog when they are playing with toys that they could
potentially swallow—whether on purpose or on accident.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I supervise Leopold every time I give him the
activity in the aforementioned post, even though I have never seen him eat
anything but food (and grass…..).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
commenter’s conclusion was that no one should roll up treats in the fleece for
this toy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My conclusion is that a dog
owner should always keep an eye on their dog when giving their dog activities
that involve anything that the dog could potentially swallow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you keep an eye on your dog, you can
correct the behavior and/or take away the toy right away and prevent your dog
from having, what we call at the clinic, a foreign body in its system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s even important to supervise your dog
while they’re chewing on bones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> As I've mentioned <a href="http://leopolds-crate.blogspot.com/2012/05/bone-chewing-remembing-why-its.html" target="_blank">in a previous post</a>, bones can crack and become potentially dangerous.</span></div>
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Two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Owning a dog is
not a cheap endeavor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taking care of
your dog properly costs money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems
like owning a dog can be a cheap when you think only of the food you have to buy
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But making sure your dog is healthy
can add up quick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dogs get sick, need
regular checkups and vaccines, heartworm preventatives, flea/tick
preventatives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All these things cost
money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And a trip to the ER can diminish
your savings and/or force you to put your furry friend to sleep if there
is no financial alternative (I’ve seen this happen. It is incredibly sad.)</div>
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I highly recommend to all dog owners who do not have independent
financial security to get veterinary pet insurance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is an investment into your dog’s health
and life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pet insurance is affordable
for most, and there are more carriers available as it become more popular.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wrote <a href="http://leopolds-crate.blogspot.com/2012/05/pet-insurance-it-exists-and-can-be-life.html" target="_blank">a post on pet insurance</a> a while back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know that
since then, more well-known insurance companies like Nationwide now offer pet
insurance.</div>
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Three.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dogs can do
stupid things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They eat rank-smelling
items like dirty socks and dirty underwear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They chew at carpeting and unravel it right into their gullet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I once caught Halo eating dirt because some
crab juice had spilled on the spot—she was eating rotten crab dirt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also discovered one day that she has
somehow pushed past the fence around our compost and eaten some of the compost
(which ended in a trip to the ER).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dogs
lick antifreeze because it’s sweet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
eat turds and dead animals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have
learned that having a dog means expecting that they will sometimes do stupid
things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the most you can do is try
your best to prevent situations in which your dog will harm itself, and have
money in reserve or pet insurance to take them to the vet when they do get hurt
or sick. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have also learned that sharing
a life with dogs is a learning experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That is, after all, what this whole blog is about.</div>
Laura: of Paws and Tailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796206837313902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945235235412384665.post-88192729339325876362013-11-20T19:21:00.001-08:002014-03-10T19:54:26.946-07:00Leopold, the Gum, and the Peanut ButterI guess you could call this "Adventures on the Road, part III", as the beginning of this story takes place during the end of our road trip mentioned in the two previous posts.<br />
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As people are wont to do on a road trip, we stopped at many a service station on our day of driving home from Cape Cod. At each stop, we would assess the car's gas level, our hunger level, and how strongly we needed to visit a rest room. We would, also, put the dogs in their harnesses and let them hop out of the car to walk around for a bit in order to stretch their legs and take care of business. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0ZwjSkQthUI/Uo14Au9cnlI/AAAAAAAADLo/0rm94RpqvQo/s1600/IMG_1950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0ZwjSkQthUI/Uo14Au9cnlI/AAAAAAAADLo/0rm94RpqvQo/s400/IMG_1950.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leopold, you have gum on your paw!</td></tr>
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As you may know, service stations are not the cleanest places--inside and out. At one of these not-so-clean service stations, Leopold stepped in gum.<br />
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At the time of the gum adhesion, I actually thought the substance I saw on his foot was mud, and didn't worry too much about wiping it off. A little mud never hurt anyone.<br />
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The following day, however, we were out on our walk when I noticed that the "mud" was still on Leopold's foot. I stopped to investigate ("Why isn't this mud falling off?") only to discover it was actually a hard wad of gum. It had mushed right into his paw pad, up around his nail, and into his fur. <br />
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Once we got home, I looked up home remedies for curing "gum paw". Just like getting gum out of human hair, many people recommended peanut butter.<br />
So that's what I tried.<br />
I am pleased to report that peanut butter worked like a charm! I massaged the peanut butter onto the gum wad, and it almost immediately started to release from Leopold's fur, nail, and paw pad. Leopold's paw was gum-free in no time.<br />
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I was happy that the solution to this problem ended up being so easy.<br />
And Leopold was happy that his paw tasted like peanut butter afterwards. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A1WxtVpvwEI/Uo15IiIW2sI/AAAAAAAADL8/oYgVicHHGts/s1600/DSC_0741_crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A1WxtVpvwEI/Uo15IiIW2sI/AAAAAAAADL8/oYgVicHHGts/s400/DSC_0741_crop.jpg" height="317" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">massaging peanut butter onto the gum on Leopold's paw</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lljG1zW7SsQ/Uo15IUwNl3I/AAAAAAAADMA/1ApqsPQ52DA/s1600/DSC_0739_crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lljG1zW7SsQ/Uo15IUwNl3I/AAAAAAAADMA/1ApqsPQ52DA/s400/DSC_0739_crop.jpg" height="282" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the gum is starting to come off!</td></tr>
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On a side note, the experience of massaging gum with peanut butter was just down right gross. (someone had <i>chewed</i> that piece of gum! as in... it was in some stranger's mouth! uck!).
But for Leopold, I would touch a thousand pieces of service station gum
if it meant he was healthy and happy and gum-foot-freeLaura: of Paws and Tailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796206837313902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945235235412384665.post-89079663031495485872013-11-13T20:27:00.000-08:002013-11-14T09:06:07.789-08:00Adventures on the Road Part II: Wine Tasting with Dogs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stopping to enjoy the view while traveling the Cayuga Lake wine trail with our dogs.</td></tr>
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After discovering that we were not allowed to leave our dogs unattended in the cabin in which we were staying at Cayuga Lake State Park, Chris and I (especially I) felt defeated.<br />
Now what?<br />
It seemed like spending a day happily gallivanting down the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail had fallen off the table and onto the ground to rot like a forgotten grape: there's no way to get wine out of that.<br />
We had planned to "gallivant" in a car, safely driven by a hired wine trail guide (<a href="http://www.fingerlakeswinerytours.com/" target="_blank">Finger Lakes Winery Tours & Fitzgerald Brothers</a>). Chris called up the driver and explained the situation and ended with "We don't know what to do".<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the back seat of our winery-mobile with Halo and Leopold.</td></tr>
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....to which the driver responded "Bring them!"<br />
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!! <br />
A response we were not expecting! (but maybe hoping for deep deep down)<br />
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Our
driver showed up with a sedan, introduced himself as Dan, opened the back door and welcomed both our
dogs onto his leather seats without a second thought. He told us later in the day that ours were the first dogs he's ever driven around on a wine tour. I was impressed with how cool he was about having 125 lbs worth of dog in the back seat of his car. Halo and Leopold quickly decided that they liked Dan, their newest friend.<br />
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As it turns out, there are many wineries along Cayuga Lake that allow
dogs in their tasting rooms. In fact, we learned on the way that there are even some wineries that
have their own dogs (or cats!) in residence who lounge about in the tasting rooms. Dan explained that it was lucky we were already planning on checking out the Cayuga Lake wineries instead of the Seneca Lake wineries (which are not far away) because the Seneca Lake wineries tend not to be so dog-friendly.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leopold lays down on the floor of the <br />
Goose Watch Winery tasting room for a nap.</td></tr>
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It felt very strange at first walking into
a winery with dogs, and we did get some looks. Almost all of those looks were
friendly, however, and followed by sought permission to pet our incurably cute dogs. Leopold and Halo were the open windows through which strangers felt invited to chat with us; I don't think I've ever interacted with so many strangers while out wine tasting before.<br />
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I've always felt that having a dog is like being part of a club. As soon as another Dog Club member
sees you with your dog, they instantly get excited and want to tell you
about their own dog or their childhood dog or some dog they met here or there. We met many other members of the Dog Club while out wine tasting, and other non-members who were intrigued by the sight of the dressed-up couple with dogs hanging off their arms.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Halo was so sleepy at the end of the day that<br />
she laid on the floor and rest her head on<br />
the console in the winery-mobile.</td></tr>
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We visited six wineries in all: <a href="http://swedishhill.com/" target="_blank">Swedish Hill</a>, <a href="http://goosewatch.com/our-locations/goose-watch-winery/" target="_blank">Goose Watch</a>, <a href="http://buttonwoodgrove.com/" target="_blank">Buttonwood Grove</a>, <a href="http://www.knappwine.com/" target="_blank">Knapp</a>, <a href="http://www.knappwine.com/" target="_blank">Americana</a>, and <a href="http://www.sheldrakepoint.com/index.cfm" target="_blank">Sheldrake Point</a>. Along the way we gave treats to a highland cow named Melody, learned why the area is known for its Rieslings, and Leopold met a cat close up and personal (if you're curious, the cat hissed and Leopold spent the rest of our time at that winery with a watchful eye and a low woof for the cat). For lunch, we ate at a Bistro call the Thirsty Owl, that offered outdoor seating so that we could have our dogs with us. Dan the driver also brought us to a scenic overlook of the Taughannock Falls, which was absolutely amazing. By the end of the wine tour Chris and I were feeling light and happy, and the dogs were tuckered out from all their new experiences.<br />
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Our day ended up being fantastic. And what felt at first like a disaster, turned into a unique experience that I would recommend to those who like to find new activities in which to include their dogs.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A scenic overlook of the Taughannock Falls</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Halo waits in the car while we give Melody a treat. Halo does not like this.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Offering Melody a treat</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">waiting for lunch at the Thirsty Owl</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Halo and Leopold enjoy some cold water.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strolling by the grape vines</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Halo and Leopold look out over a vineyard.</td></tr>
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<br />Laura: of Paws and Tailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796206837313902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945235235412384665.post-65019357871024821282013-11-02T19:59:00.000-07:002013-11-22T20:40:06.869-08:00Adventures on the road Part I: Learning about Possible Campground Dog Rules<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T_7vRDYn0BY/UnW3L4w3eYI/AAAAAAAADIY/HwOLG6-_SZI/s1600/IMG_0154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T_7vRDYn0BY/UnW3L4w3eYI/AAAAAAAADIY/HwOLG6-_SZI/s320/IMG_0154.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Halo sticks her nose over the dog barrier we constructed in our car.</td></tr>
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Chris and I took somewhat of a road trip with the dogs as part of our honeymoon. The plan was to drive from Madison, Wisconsin to Cape Cod, Massachusetts. On the way we were going to stop in the Finger Lakes Region of New York, spend a day wine tasting, and then be on our way the next day.<br />
We reserved a cabin at Cayuga Lake State Park in Seneca Falls, NY because they fit our criteria: they allowed dogs. We planned on thoroughly wearing out the dogs in the morning before we left for wine tasting so that they wouldn't be restless in the cabin. We thought it was a good idea.<br />
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It was late at night when we arrived at the Camp Ground; the staff was gone for the day, but they had left us our key and some campground information. Upon reading through the park information, we discovered that rabies vaccination certificates were required for all dogs staying at the camp ground. I thought of the rabies certificates that I keep safely in my filing cabinet at home and wondered to myself who in the world carried around their dogs' rabies vaccination certification papers. The vet gives you a tag to hang on your dog's collar along with the certificate so that you don't have to do that. I wondered if this was a common requirement for doggy campground patrons. Regardless, we must have completely missed this piece of information when reserving our cabin online. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huddling with Halo and Leopold (there was a fridge, an oven,<br />
but no heat! Good thing we had warm blankets!)</td></tr>
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We settled in for the night (huddled together is more like it, because it was so cold!) deciding that the first thing we would try to do in the morning when registering is beg for mercy and see if they'd let us stay at the campground despite our certificate-less situation.<br />
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Luckily, they agreed to letting us and our dogs stay, stating that it was ok only because we were just staying two nights. Any longer and we'd HAVE to provide the certificates.<br />
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We took the dogs for a long walk and then headed back to the cabin to get clean and ready for our romantic day of wine tasting.<br />
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Back in the cabin, I took a moment to sit. My eyes wandered over the humble abode: concrete floor, four small beds, patrons' initials scratched into the log walls, cob-webbed windows, and the occasional laminated sign stating various park rules. Quiet time was after 10p. Check out was before 11a. No Smoking. Phone number for park police. And dogs are not allowed to be left in the cabins unattended.<br />
DAMMIT! The whole reason we chose this place was because they allowed dogs, meaning that we could keep the dogs there while we were out wine tasting. Again, we must have missed this piece of information when making our cabin reservation online. CRAP!<br />
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Upon later investigation, I discovered that we did, indeed, miss a small section about the
requirement for all pets to have proof of vaccination in the form of a
Veterinarian certificate and that pets must not be left unattended. I'm inclined to blame our error on the stress of planning a wedding. Yea, lets go with that. </div>
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But really, this experience taught me something important about traveling with dogs: make sure you carefully look at all campground rules pertaining to dogs before making a reservation and definitely <i>before</i> arriving. Chris and I also decided that it would be a good idea to put together a file folder of copies of our dogs' vaccination records to take with us whenever we travel with them again in the future. <br />
<br />Laura: of Paws and Tailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796206837313902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945235235412384665.post-48755249437786184932013-11-01T18:31:00.000-07:002013-11-12T20:15:32.611-08:00On October 5, 2013, I married my best friend--my best human friend, that is! ;-)I've been a bad blogger and have been neglecting Leopold's Crate. Sorry!<br />
I have a good reason though: I was preparing for my wedding (making a wedding dress can take a while!)! I'm happy to say the wedding went well, and now life can get back to normal. :-) <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b4uVREWfUo4/UnRUY9l0kzI/AAAAAAAADH0/yuM_ml6g4sY/s1600/IMG_2217_crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="600" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b4uVREWfUo4/UnRUY9l0kzI/AAAAAAAADH0/yuM_ml6g4sY/s640/IMG_2217_crop.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Halo and Leopold dressed in their best for our big day!</td></tr>
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<br />Laura: of Paws and Tailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796206837313902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945235235412384665.post-76530924801079295752013-06-23T20:06:00.000-07:002013-07-02T07:50:36.323-07:00So my dog ruined his sweater...<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UL-0wqaXjvc/Uce0RPp0CXI/AAAAAAAADDs/ioblZhMrAxw/s1600/DSC_0926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UL-0wqaXjvc/Uce0RPp0CXI/AAAAAAAADDs/ioblZhMrAxw/s320/DSC_0926.JPG" width="212" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qux24RY8SzI/UcezIhvEp7I/AAAAAAAADC8/XCwXAs8Fv-k/s1600/DSC_0926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>I mentioned in the last post that one of the only things Leopold has every really destroyed was his sweater. I bought it for him because he doesn't have enough fur to be outside long in winter; I never thought I'd be the type of person to dress my dog in a sweater, but a girls got to do what a girls got to do to keep her dog warm. I decided to buy him a sock-monkey sweater because, well, he just looked so darn cute in it. It was a little pricey for my wallet, but cuteness triumphed.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-95vG16OnpbY/Uce0I8mstpI/AAAAAAAADDk/wheVNjLLRe4/s1600/DSC_1182_color_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-95vG16OnpbY/Uce0I8mstpI/AAAAAAAADDk/wheVNjLLRe4/s320/DSC_1182_color_.jpg" width="228" /></a><br />
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And... then I accidentally left it down too low, went out for a bit, and returned home to find that Leopold had torn off all the "cute" parts of the sweater (ears, monkey face.... all gone). I was sad, and angry at myself for leaving the sweater down where Leopold could get at it. What a waste of money! I couldn't bring myself to throw the sweater out, so I decided to "fix" it.<br />
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I replaced the lost monkey ears with monster horns, and filled in the missing monkey face with a monkey skull. <br />
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The end result was a unique, punk sweater that passers-by get a kick out of. I think it suits Leopold's personality better, anyway. (He can be such a little punk!) :-)<br />
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One punk monkey sweater is born.<br />
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Leopold is usually pretty good about not ruining my (or his) stuff, but every dog has his day. and I've learned that living with dogs means that you've got to accept that sometimes stuff gets ruined because there is only so much you can do to prevent it from happening.<br />
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I'm happy that I was able to turn this particular ruined garment into something functional and funky.<br />
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<br />Laura: of Paws and Tailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796206837313902865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945235235412384665.post-2953205791983289352013-06-23T19:30:00.000-07:002013-11-02T20:14:51.784-07:00The Woes of Leopold, a cautionary tale: One Dog's Fear of Inanimate ObjectsThis blog is about the trials, troubles, and triumphs I've had as a dog owner. Its about the things that I've learned work; and... the things that I've learned do not. This post, in particular, is the story of a hard-learned lesson on a bad way to train a puppy not to chew my stuff.<br />
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Leopold is the first dog I ever owned on my own. He was also the first puppy that I raised on my own. As a first time puppy-raiser, I was nervous about making sure I raised him right and spent much time researching how I should do one thing or another. One issue that I knew a lot of dog owners had problems with was chewing--and I wanted to nip that problem in the bud, before I ever lost any personal items that I would be very sad about losing. <br />
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So I looked online and I read books and I talked to people, and discovered a lot of suggestions for "training" a puppy not to chew on your stuff. Many methods involved scaring the puppy when it started mouthing something it shouldn't. "Fill a soda can with change and shake it when the puppy messes with the TV remote". Or "drop some books near the puppy (not on!) to startle it when it starts to chew on your favorite shoes" (I'm paraphrasing). Etc....<br />
This made sense to me. If a dog associates putting its mouth on the TV
remote with scary things, then its not going to want to put its mouth on
the remote.<br />
So this is the tactic I chose. <br />
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But then, when Leopold was about six months old, I came home from work one day and my roommate says "Laura, watch this". She grabs her gigantic stuffed penguin from her room and shows it to Leopold. Leopold's eyes go wide and dilated, he crouches low and backs into a corner, shaking from snout to tail... My roommate seemed amused. I was not. <br />
That was the beginning of Leopold's fears. After that, he was afraid of ANY stuffed animal (except a few that he had had since day one). And then it was any large object that a person was carrying around--grocery bags, boxes, etc. And then large objects that were sitting on the ground. And then it was any inanimate object that moved, from wind or gravity or from a human touching it. Branches that blew in the wind. Manhole covers or any other metal thing imbedded in the street or sidewalk. P<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">illows, wet puddles, ice puddles, swaying
trees, the ocean, cars, children’s scooters and toys, our awning, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">doors, trash cans, recycling bins, ski poles</span>.</span><br />
At one point Leopold was afraid of the ceiling. He would get low to the ground, continuously glancing up at the ceiling (especially when our housemate was walking around upstairs) and scurry around trying to get away from the scary thing. Unfortunately the ceiling was everywhere. <br />
The list of things he was afraid of grew very long. It was concerning. The only thing he didn't seem to be afraid of was people and other animals. (At least I did a good job socializing him...).<br />
And I didn't know how to reverse all his fears. I still don't. Currently, I just manage his fears. (But I'll save that for another post).<br />
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I was perplexed for a long time as to the cause of Leopold's fears. They really did get out of hand. But I've since come to the conclusion that it must have stemmed from the very beginning, when he was a puppy and I purposefully scared him away from my stuff (my inanimate objects) with other stuff (other inanimate objects). <br />
That was probably the worst thing I ever did for Leopold. Its true, Leopold has destroyed very, very few of my personal items. He once chewed up his own sweater, but it was my fault for leaving the sweater low enough that he could get at it. And I've had a couple of pieces of paper torn up, but that's about it. He's very good about not touching things that aren't his. So I guess you could say the tactic was successful; but it came at such an awful price. <br />
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While I think that maybe Leopold was predisposed to having a bad reaction to the "training" method I used (all dogs are different), this experience has me determined to avoid using the scare tactic in the future.Laura: of Paws and Tailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796206837313902865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945235235412384665.post-27290490443019828382013-05-28T21:31:00.001-07:002014-02-08T05:00:49.861-08:00"roundy beds": an afordable, washable alternative to store-bought dog beds<br />
Here's an idea I got from the clinic I work at......<br />
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I've noticed that my dogs like to have soft things to curl up against and put their heads on when they're laying down and sleeping. I often find Leopold bundling up a sweatshirt or jacket that I've left on the floor to make a nice pile to sleep on. He has fluffy blankets and a foam-mattress bed to sleep on too, but something about a bundle of fabric is really appealing to him. <br />
And for that reason I've spent many a long minute staring at the big, squishy beds at pet stores. You know, the kind that have a thick, fluffy edge all the way around. "Wow, my dogs would love that", I think to myself. And then I imagine what a pain in the butt it would be to wash that bed. It won't really fit in the washing machine, and what a mess it would be to de-stuff in order to make it fit. Not practical at all. And then one look at the price tag helps speed up the decision-making process, and I walk away. Expensive! I've thought about making my own, but that still leaves the washability problem.<br />
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The solution I've come up with turned out to be quite simple.<br />
At work, we have only blankets to create beds for our patients. We often make what has been dubbed "roundy beds" out of the blankets to put in the cages so the animals have something more than a cage wall to lean against.<br />
I've been making roundy beds for Leopold and Halo at home, and they have seemed delighted!<br />
I'm happy they like the beds, and am pleased at how easy they are to wash since they're just made up of blankets. <br />
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Here's how to make a roundy bed:<br />
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1. gather materials: all you need is a couple of blankets (I have pictured a queen-sized fleece, and a smaller, throw fleece)<br />
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2. roll up the large blanket and form it into a circle on the floor or on top of your dog's pillow/foam bed<br />
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3. put the other blanket over top and tuck in the edges-- it helps to keep the circle from unraveling<br />
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Simple, washable, and inexpensive!<br />
<b>And</b>, dog-approved:<br />
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<br />Laura: of Paws and Tailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796206837313902865noreply@blogger.com1