Dog Game for the Whole Family

September 23, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Puppy Ping-Pong Brings the Dog and Family Together

Dog Game — Wavebreakmedia/Deposit Photos

A great way to work on the “come” cue at home is playing a game that is fun for the whole family. The game is called Puppy Ping-Pong. I learned this fun game while I was in school to become a dog trainer and have used it ever since. By incorporating games into obedience training, you make the experience fun for everyone.

What is the Purpose of Puppy Ping-Pong?

As a professional dog trainer, I used to teach the “come” cue on-leash in group classes for safety reasons. However, most people will need their dog to come on cue when off-leash, so this is a great way to begin off-leash work in a controlled environment.

You want to work on as much dog training as possible in real-life situations, such as your home and backyard. When working on the “come” cue, it’s important to keep things very positive to ensure your puppy always wants to approach you. I mean, who would want to come over to you when he knows he’s going to get in trouble?

What You’ll Need

Find a safe environment. Gather at least three family members and your dog to participate in the dog game. Each person should be equipped with a handful of tasty treats or a chew toy hidden behind his back. The best time to play Puppy Ping-Pong is when your puppy is hungry and full of energy like before dinner time when everyone has arrived home for the day. You will need a large enough area where everyone can spread out and form a circle.

How to Play Puppy Ping-Pong

Have someone encourage your puppy to approach him by making kissy noises and saying your puppy’s name. Be sure not to use the word “come” when encouraging your puppy to approach you. Once your pup is right in front of you, give the “come” cue followed by the word “good” and a treat or quick game of tug!

Now have the person on the opposite side of the circle do the same thing. Your puppy might be a little hesitant to leave the person she just received the reward from because she knows positive things come from him. Have that person ignore the puppy while the next person is coaxing your puppy his way. Once you get the hang of this, your puppy will begin pinging back and forth to all your family members.

Be Consistent

With any dog behavior, it’s important to be consistent when teaching your puppy to play ping-pong. As the old saying goes, “practice makes perfect.” As time goes on and everyone gets better at playing it, make the game more challenging by forming a bigger circle. Get creative with it. Most of all, make the experience enjoyable for everyone involved. Have fun!

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Sharing a Bed With Your Dog

September 22, 2015 by Fanna Easter

How to Share a Bed With Your Dog

Sharing Bed With Dog — WebSubstance/iStock

“Should I share my bed with my dog?” is a common question. I truly giggle when dog owners bashfully ask if it’s OK to invite their dogs into their beds. It’s almost like they’re asking me for permission. Dogs can most certainly sleep in our beds. Both my dogs do and it’s a huge reason why we bought a king-sized bed. 🙂 Remember, all that dominance, alpha and pack leadership is pure nonsense. Don’t buy into that outdated information.

Now, there are other options if your dog causes sleepless nights either because she pushes you off your pillow or insists on sleeping right on top of your head. Just make a few changes, so you both sleep peacefully while keeping your dog close to you at night.

Designate a Spot

Both our dogs have their own spot on the bed. We taught them to toss, turn and sprawl out in their designated locations. Stella (Miniature Bull Terrier) sleeps in the space between mine and my hubby’s pillow. Sobek (Rottweiler) sleeps at the foot of the bed on my side because I’m short, so there’s extra room. 🙂

We started by clicking and treating our dogs for staying in their spot on the bed–almost like teaching “stay.” If one of our dogs migrates upwards during the night, we’ll ask him or her to wiggle back to his or her spot. Also, you can teach your dog to lie on a specific blanket or quilt first, then add his or her blanket on the bed.

Build a Bed

The first time I saw an adjoining dog bed, I was a little girl and my Grandmother had one made for her beloved T-Boy (Rat Terrier). Pop (my grandfather) not only made a platform next to my grandmother’s side of the bed, but he also built stairs so T-Boy could climb up at night. Plus, Mom Mom (my grandmother) bought him a small mattress and sewed a comforter that matched her bedding, so everything looked neat and tidy. Yes, he even had tiny throw pillows to match!

If your bed is tiny, think about adding an adjoining bed. Sobek is a massive Rottie and had cruciate ligament repair about 10 months ago, so jumping onto our bed is a bit tough now. For his birthday this year, we bought him a single bed that connects to the front of our bed. We intentionally shopped for a lower single bed frame (about 12 inches high), so he could slide right on (no jumping up). If he wanted to sleep with us, he could use it as a step stool. I must say though, he loves his new bed and snores like a freight train.

Dog Doesn’t Like Sharing Your Bed?

Some dog owners become concerned when their dogs decide to sleep on the floor rather than their bed. If your dog likes sleeping on the floor, that’s fine. It’s where she’s most comfortable. For years, we had Bouviers (big hairy dogs) that weren’t comfortable sleeping in the bed with us. They were just too hot or uncomfortable for other reasons. They would usually snore in their orthopedic beds, which were nestled in a corner of our bedroom. During warm months, they sprawled out on the cool tile in our bathroom.

Snuggle with your dogs. It lowers your blood pressure and it’s just heartwarming!

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Easiest Way to Clean Your Dog’s Teeth

September 21, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Use DentAcetic Wipes for Easy Dog Teeth Cleaning

Dog kisses are the best! However, stinky breath dog kisses that could curl your lashes from the horrible smell are not so good. We all know that smelly dog breath stems from tartar buildup, but dogs hate tooth brushing. Insert DentAcetic Wipes.

How Do DentAcetic Wipes Work?

Like most dog owners, I’ve tried hundreds of dog dental products. Some worked, but a majority of them did not. Brushing my dog’s teeth works–I’ve taught my dogs to enjoy the process–but there was still a lingering foul smell coming from Stella’s mouth (Bull Terrier). Her teeth were noticeably free of tartar, so what was the cause? Upon further inspection, I noticed a fine line of redness along her gum line where teeth and gum met.

After a quick vet visit, Stella was sent home with DentAcetic Dental Wipes. I decided to research this stuff before sticking it in her mouth.The main ingredients were 1 percent acetic acid and sodium hexametaphosphate. Yes, I cringed too while I was trying to pronounce these massive words. Time to research!

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What are in DentAcetic Wipes?

Acetic Acid

Vinegar is watered down acetic acid and it’s used in just about everything from condiments to household cleaning supplies. Also, acetic acid inhibits bacteria and fungus growth and is used in many medications.

Sodium Hexametaphosphate

Sodium hexametaphosphate is used as an emulsifier and thickening agent in many foods, such as canned milk, artificial cheeses, roast beef, ice cream and even beer. Containing sodium and phosphorus, it’s found in just about everything, including pet food. Interestingly, it’s also used in many teeth whitening products because it not only removes stains, but it also prevents future stains and calculus (tartar).

The Verdict

Feeling a bit better about the ingredients, it was time to try them out. Each container contains 25 round thin wipes that can be easily folded into quarters around your finger. Before use, I squeezed each wipe to remove excess liquid to prevent any product from dripping down Stella’s throat. These wipes do have an odor, but it smells like cloves with a hint of vinegar mixed in. My dogs didn’t seem to mind them at all.

After using these wipes for one week (three times per week), Stella’s breath was odorless. There was no longer a sour smell present and her teeth were noticeably whiter too. And that tiny red line along her gum line was gone. To keep Stella’s breath odorless and her teeth free of tartar, I use these wipes twice a week. And yes, I still brush her teeth too, but only a couple of times per week.

It’s worth a try! I would love to hear what you think about DentAcetic Wipes!

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What to Do When Your Dog Bites

September 17, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Dog Bites: If You’ve Been Bit, It Was Your Fault

Trust me, I’m doing my very best to control my personal feelings pertaining to dog bites, but it’s incredibly hard lately. Here’s the real deal. Being bitten is not part of the job when working alongside or sharing your home with dogs. It should never happen. Yes, never.

If a dog trainer or groomer brags about her previous dog bites, she’s basically telling you she’ll force your dog to comply. It also implies she’s willing to use so much force your dog will be forced to bite her to make him stop. Now, remember, millions of dogs are euthanized for biting humans every year. This is not a behavior you want your dog to learn. Trust me. When someone brags about how many times she was bitten, run away!

Dog Bites are Not a Badge of Honor

When I hear dog trainers, groomers and rescue volunteers boast about numerous dog bites like it’s a badge of honor, I become incensed. Witnessing newbie dog enthusiasts bragging about numerous dog bites in an attempt to convince dog owners of their extraordinary dog experience makes me sick. Oh, but seasoned dog professionals do the same thing, showing off their battle scars to further prove themselves as qualified professionals. Nooo!

Why Dogs Bite

Dogs bite for a reason.When they bite, it’s because they were forced to. Ninety percent of all dogs have high tolerance levels for human nonsense and will calmly try to disengage. Dogs will tell you you’ve crossed the line. If you keep pushing, you will be bitten.

Let’s think about it in a different way. Do you walk around punching people in the face whenever they cut in line at the grocery store? How about when someone steps on your foot or cracks an inappropriate joke? I would hope not. Instead, you roll your eyes and walk away. Disengaging is best, as violence is used as a last resort. If all parties are allowed to disengage, everyone walks away unharmed. Now, you’ve learned (and practiced) how to successfully and calmly walk away from conflict.

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What happens when you’re unable to disengage from an encounter? What if someone grabs your arm and pulls you out of bed, pushes you onto the ground, forces your mouth to open, pulls your hair, snatches your arm as you’re trying to disengage or forces you to interact with something that scares you? Yeah, you would probably punch (in a dog’s case, bite) someone too. If this happens often, you’ll learn to punch someone’s lights out within seconds because this stops the conflict quickly.

If dogs are forced to bite someone, they will learn biting stops scary things from happening and bite more. Instead, listen to your dog. If he’s scared, leave him alone.

What to Do When Your Dog Bites

Listen to your dog when he tries to disengage during a stressful encounter. When dogs have had enough, they should be allowed to walk away and remove themselves from the situation. Believe it or not, choosing to engage or disengage is very rewarding for dogs–it’s just as rewarding as food treats.

Never reach in and pull a dog out from a kennel. Instead, make a trail of sprinkled treats outside the kennel and voila! When grooming dogs, give them plenty of breaks. Rather than restraining dogs during baths and nail trims, offer peanut butter stuffed toys tied to your grooming arm, so dogs will voluntarily stand still. Human hands should be for petting dogs and never for forcing, pulling, tugging or punishing.

Please never teach a dog it’s okay to bite.

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Dyeing Your Dog’s Hair

September 16, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Dyeing Dog Hair Tips

Dyeing dog hair is a hot new trend in the grooming world and it’s spreading fast! You’ve seen them–pink Poodles parading down the sidewalk or multi-colored dogs riding in the passenger seat of cars. Should you dye your dog’s hair? And if so, which hair dye products work?

Is It Safe to Dye Your Dog’s Hair?

Yes, it’s safe to dye your dog’s hair. Most dog hair colors are very safe and wash out between four to six washes. When trends become popular, many manufactures and pet supermarket chains jump on board and offer different safe options, which is always a good and safe thing.

Of course, we should use common sense. If your dog has sensitive skin, then I would skip hair color, as it will only increase skin inflammation. If you do dye your dog’s hair, always protect your dog’s eyes and ears when applying or, better yet, ask a professional dog groomer to add a bit of color during your dog’s next groom. Lastly, only use hair colors that are designed for dogs. They have a unique skin pH, which is very different than ours, so keep human hair color on your hair and not on your dog.

Dog Hair Dye Products

Luckily, there are a ton of options out there when it comes to dyeing dog hair and caulks are pretty user-friendly even for first-time dog hair colorists. Now, you’re not necessarily rubbing caulk into your dog’s hair, but rather blowing it into her strands. Yes, you read that right, blowing. 🙂

Blow Pens

Blow pens contain colored chalk powder inside of a pen-shaped applicator. Simply uncap and lightly blow caulk on your dog’s hair. Until you’re comfortable using blow pens, start lightly and layer to control color saturation (i.e. pastel versus intense color).

Paints

Painting your dog’s coat with ultra safe hair color made for dogs is another option. I recommend professionals use this method, as you’re painting (or spraying) and then drying your dog’s hair. Never use heat (your hair dryer) when drying your dog’s hair, as it’s so easy to burn her sensitive skin. Painting hair is messy. I’m sure you’re having flashbacks from coloring your own hair (hello stained foreheads, counters and floors).

Stencils

If you’re looking for a hint of color, try stenciling. You can choose from stars, hearts, paw prints and polka dots to glam your dog up for holidays. If you’re really into adding pizzazz, you can stencil cheetah, zebra and tiger stripes! Stenciling hair color works best on short-coated dogs, such as Bully breeds (Bull Terriers, Pit Bull Terriers, some Labs, Boston Terriers, French Bulldogs, Bulldogs and any short-coated mixes in between).

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For Best Results

Before painting or blowing color onto your dog’s coat, have a plan of action first. If you mix too many colors, you’ll end up with a muddy-colored mess. Also, color looks best on white coats because you’re able to see a truer color (just like pink looks better on our blonde hair).

Tan and beige coated dogs can rock hair color too, but understand it will not be as vibrant. I’m not saying dark-colored dogs can’t participate in all the fun. Just choose a color that stands out on their dark coats, such as neon green, hot pink, day glow yellow and lighter pastel colors.

If you’re a beginner, start with stenciling and then work your way up to blow pens (chalk application). Don’t expect your dog to stand still for 15 minutes while you’re applying color (trust me, time flies when you’re applying). Give your dog frequent breaks in between color applications and ask a friend to hold a peanut butter stuffed toy in front of your dog, so she can happily lick away while you’re creating a masterpiece.

Hair color is fun, so go for it! Be prepared to turn heads and answer many questions!

Dog Game for the Whole Family

Puppy Ping-Pong Brings the Dog and Family Together

What is the Purpose of Puppy Ping-Pong?

What You’ll Need