Does your Dog Have A Great Life?

What makes a dog happy and content? How do you know your dog LOVES his life?

Best way to know is to understand that dogs, as social-thinking animals, need to be kept active with both mind and body. They need stimulation of new situations, adventures, social interactions and activities.

Here is an example of a dogs perfect day:

Wake Up

Have Breakfast, enjoy scavenging his entire meal from a few activity feeders that dispense food a bit at a time. A fun tip is to hide these in the house! Meal time is no longer 30 seconds of scarfing his food, now its 30 to 60 minutes of pure bliss! Using his natural scavenging instincts.

Go for a walk with the family. New Routes are particularly enjoyable. Practice sits an downs at each stop.

Play with food stuffed toys whiles family is away during the day. Try a "bucket" filled with a few stuffed Kong's, a bully stick layered with several plush toys. This is a fun game in of itself... going thru all the items in the bucket (bucket is a new, clean container that has never been used for cleaning products)

Pre arranged play date, afternoon of doggie day care or trip to an acceptable dog park for some much needed social time. Dog need friends too! Someone they can have predictable interactions with. Dog parks can be tricky- as you never know who is going to be there (good or bad) so plan ahead, let other well manners pooch parents know when and where to meet up.

Enjoy another walk or maybe some back yard play time with the family. Spending at least 15 minutes practicing training or learning some new tricks.

Dinner: Enjoy scavenging meal from a different activity feeder.

Off to bed in a big, soft bed, especially for him.

Does that seem like your dogs typical day? It should be... bored dogs are frustrated dogs and we know that energy HAS TO come out some how. Are you planning how that energy is released thru planned activities or seeing the negative side effects with reactive barking, destruction of house items, digging and all around bad manners.

Take some time to think about what your dog wants the most. Fun ways to keep his mind and body entertained

Do our Dogs Need to Wear Coats?

We get this questions a lot... dogs have their own coats right? So why on earth do they need to wear a top coat?

The answer lies with you...Our dogs are indoor dogs. They sleep in our beds, sun bath on the kitchen floor and lay by the fire. Since we have acclimated our dogs to the indoor thermostat its fair to say they have lost some of their adaptability to the elements. By the time you need a hat and gloves its time for Fido to get a coat.

Now, what type of coat? Yes, my dogs are true fashion-istas but were are taking about practicality here, not fashion. The coat needs to be easy to get on and off, no leg holes please. Its needs to cover their chore/chest. It needs to fit snugly and be secured with clips or Velcro. The outer shell should be water proof with a fleece lining for comfort. It should be machine washable and have a bit of reflective aspect to it too.

Be aware there are boy coats and girl coats, for anatomical reasons... no one wants Buddy to put on a girl coat only to wee on the coat when he goes outside!

Where do you get a dog coat? Best is at a local store. Take your dog in with you, try it on. PetStop in Sehome Village and Bow Wow and Woofs in Blaine are my favorite. Good selection of top quality coats. Your dogs coat should last a lifetime, so expect to pay $40 to $80 for it, depending on their size. For jumbo dogs check out NeoDogWare.com a local company who caters to giant breeds.

So... remember when you find yourself reaching for a bit more than your own coat, Fido has needs too.

Role Reversal in Puppies, Appropriate Play

The most common behavioral questions we get, in regards to puppies, is about proper socialization. Why do some puppies grow up to love all dogs for thier whole life and some only until they reach around 9 to 10 months then far too often become a jerk to other dogs?

The answer lies in role reversal.

Puppies learn role reversal as soon as they begin to play, at about 2 to 3 weeks of age. They learn it with their brothers and sisters in their litter. They continue to learn it until well into their 7th to 8th month of adolescence. Role Reversal is the act of a puppy learning who they are in this big world. They learn sometimes they can be the boss of the other pups and sometimes the other pups are the boss of them. Sometimes pup #1 sits on pup#2 head and sometime its the other way around! You see, puppies do not know who they are yet, they do not know their role in the pack. They rely on other puppies to tell them. They try different roles out. With back and forth play they learn how to let the other dog gain the upper hand and allow themselves to be put in their place as well as learn what its like to be the more assertive one. This builds their confidence and they become very predictable dogs.
Without role reversal your pup never learns how to give and take when it comes to play.

Far too common, we get the call " Well, no, my puppy did not play with other puppies his own age but we did take him to the dog park everyday and he played with tons of dogs"

The problem with this is that the pup never earned role reversal. Adult dogs already know who they are. Strong/assertive? Calm/Submissive? A bully? A cheerleader? A follower? A leader? and the pup was never allowed to find out who he was... since everyone else only told him who he was not!

When puppies primarily play with adult dogs who are secure in who they are, then the pup never gets the chance to try on "different hats" their hat is already chose for them by the adult dogs. This makes for a VERY low confident dog. And at 9 to 10 months that shows its ugly head as a bully. The call is all too common. "we used to go to the dog park all the time, but now he gets into scuffles with the other dogs. He is great with some dogs, but we never know when he will go off on another dog"

What to do?
If you have a pup less than 20 weeks of age, its an easy fix. Time consuming? yes... but simple. Your pup should be playing with only other pups ages 9 week to 6 months. At least 80% of the dogs in his life should be puppies. No exceptions. don't bother to tell me you don't know any other puppies, FIND THEM. Your pup is already developmentally behind, you need to find at least 5 new pups a week. Size means nothing, its all about age.
Trade numbers in your puppy kindergarten class, send an email to all your friends asking if they know anyone with a puppy.... this is your dogs life we are talking about. You need to take initiative.
*remember your pup CANNOT be exposed to other pups in which you don't know their health history. Since your pup is not fully vaccinated you need to ask about the other pups health history. Get proof they are as current as they can be on vaccines.

Is your dog older than 6 months but less than 10 months? Its gets more tricky now. Now you need to find pups ages 5 months to 8 months. A harder group to find, but still very doable. STOP going to the dog park where its any ones guess who will be showing up. Make sure the pups you set up play dates with are social dogs already going to obedience school in a reward based class. You do not want to make things worse by your dog learning bad behaviors from someone else.

Is your dog older than 10months? Best thing now is to realize your dogs personality is set, we have to respect who they are and a -happy go lucky to everyone kind of dog- is not it... Find dogs your dogs play really well with, set up play dates with those dogs. Trade dog care back and forth with those dogs. Have play dates at your house or theirs.
Stop putting your dog in a situations where they may show inappropriate behavior. Get into a reward based class to continue learning good manners. Your dog is still capable of learning how to behave, but not capable of changing their personality.

Know its all about prevention. You have the ability to make your dog a fabulous dog. But remember... good dogs do not happen by accident!

Winter Welcomes New Day Care Dogs

The chill is in the air... but for these pups who have been on our waiting list, we offer a warm welcome! We welcome some new canine buddies this Fall/winter, all of these dogs have successfully passed their temperament evaluation and we hope to see them often

Oliver W. A happy-go-lucky schnauzer
Otis J. Welcome back Buddy! We missed ya
Kayden H. Brace yourself...a whole lotta dog here
Monk R. Sweet and silly shepherd
Scooter E. Lovable and social Princess
Bella L. Miss Wiggle Doodle herself
Jane Fisher Bouncy does not begin to describe this Havanese
Tasha R Even for an aussie she has a lot of energy
Stella L So lovable and so smart
Ginger C Adorable beagle with energy to boot
Remy C an awesome Min Pin and good kisser
Daisy L Little Miss Chi finally was big enough
Bailey R Mr Fluffer Nutter himself
Chloe H Sweet Bichon who loves her brother
Summie A Fast and Friendly, this lab is great
Samson G A great new puppy who is all about the fun
Little Chef A Pom-Chi who can't wait to show us what he is all about

We can't wait to show them all why TAW is the best!

Whatcom Humane Soceity Gala, Best Year Ever!

We had a spectacular time at the WHS Gala on Saturday. It was the most fun, best auction items, great food that there has ever been! Everyone raised over $105K for the animals. So happy to see the WHS staff there, and the organization of the event was impeccable. Kudos WHS for putting on a spectacular event. Lots of people wore costumes, which we love, of course.

Jason and I won some fabulous items in the silent and live auction. Lost horribly to Kim Barron (who won a painting fair and square)

Glad to see the community stepped up and supported WHS, with their leader Laura Clark, there is nothing they can't do!

Notorious Chunky B

As many of you know, Jason and I volunteer and foster dogs for Furbaby Rescue. FBR is a small rescue dedicated to rescuing, fostering and placing small breed dogs. Jason and I tend to care for the Chihuahua's that come into the organization. We have 4 Chi and I adore the breed overall. Last week we got a call from Laura Clark, she is the executive director for the Whatcom Humane Society. A morbidly obese Chihuahua came into the shelter, surrendered by his owner. Now, we are not talking chubby here.... we all agree he should weigh 5 to 6 lbs, but he weighs 12 lbs. He needs to loose more than half his body weight. He would be over 450 lbs if he were a man... He is so fat he has a triple chin. His liver enzymes were so high the shelter could not justify putting him up for adoption, as he would need extreme care to not only get the weight off but to take care of all his medical needs. His teeth were abscessed, and he had several large fistulas (oral abscesses leading up to his sinus') He had so much infection in his sinus that he could not pass air thru his nose. His tongue had blue tinge to it, due to the perpetual lack of oxygen. The shelter staff clearly adored this dog, they are such wonderful people but are limited in their resources and do the best they can. They called FBR, and we took him in.

Even though he must of felt horrible, he settled right into my clan. He happily slept in his crate, he used our doggie door after watching Percy use it. Never an accident in the house. He accepts my dogs and happily meets new people. He is a true joy.

He has now had 9 teeth pulled, his oral abscesses are healing and he is beginning to be able to breathe thru his nose again. He has lost a full pound. Our daily walks take us to Cornwall Park, my dogs leading the way, with Chunky B close behind. We bring a special doggie stroller for when he is too tired to walk back.

As I write this, he sits on my lap... grunting and snoring so loudly I have to set him down and go to the other room to answer the phone.

In a few weeks his mouth and sinus' will be healed, in a few months he will be a normal weight.

Neglect put this wonderful dog close to deaths door. Had WHS not seen his potential, seen thru the fat, the infection, the high risk medical issues or had he ended up at another shelter that was not full of the caring and loving people like those fill the Whatcom Humane Society, he may not be here today.

Thank you WHS. Thank you for all that you do. Knowing that all animals deserve people like you, and we are a far better community by having you in it.

Chunky B send his love... and grunts

Dog Days of Summer Festival 2009

If anyone made it thru the rain and wind to get to the Dogs Days of Summer Festival to benefit the Whatcom Humane Society this last Sunday... I commend you. We were there, wet, cold and my hair tied in knots from the wind. The Chihuahua's were moderately content, they had their sweaters, and big, fenced, outdoor area to run around in. Barking all day, as good Chihuahua's do!

We typically give away over 300 toys and prizes, but less than 100 found their way into happy puppy mouths, due to the low turnout. The weather was not on our side.

We had to pack it in early due to the wind, as tents were breaking and flying away. After a tent ended up in the lake and many lifted up off the ground, alas it was time to head home.

We did not get to show off at our Doggie Circus or Rally O show, but we hope to be able to next year.

Biggest disappointment was the lost revenue for the Whatcom Humane Society. Although not a big money maker, more of a community event, they still can make enough to keep the shelter animals happy if even for a short while.

I encourage you to send an extra monetary gift their way this month. On behalf of the Dogs Days of Summer...Toto needs it.