4 Tips for Moving With Your Dogs

May 1, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Moving Day: Tips for Moving With Dogs

The big day is here: moving day! Personally, we’re right in the middle of moving. Having multiple strangers walk through your home and touching your belongings is uncomfortable and feels weird. If we’re stressed, I know my dogs are too and that’s why we prepared weeks in advance. Now, let’s discuss tips on surviving moving day with your dog.

Keep Dogs Busy

Even though your dogs are crated in a separate room with the door closed, offer food filled Kongs several times throughout the day to give them something else to do. I keep squeezable stuffing near their crates so nothing gets lost in the moving shuffle, and I can easily refill Kongs, as dogs return to their crates.

Leash Your Dogs During Potty Breaks

Moving day is stressful so don’t forget to potty your dogs every few hours. Set a timer on your phone as a reminder. Keep dogs on leash, as your house is probably in shambles, and walk dogs in a quiet part of your yard. Walk them for 10 minutes, if possible. This provides plenty of time to stretch their legs plus observe movers walking around from afar.

Even if your dogs are friendly with movers, I usually ask movers to ignore our dogs. Having larger breed dogs, most movers scoot right out of the way when we come downstairs anyways. 🙂 If your dogs bark at movers, walk them farther away, so your dogs are comfortable pottying. Once done, bring them back to their secure room, reload food into Kongs and crate your dogs.

Sweep Floors

It’s so tempting to release the hounds once movers leave. I mean, the house is completely empty, right? I’ve learned my lesson the hard way. Always take a moment and make sure nails, tape and especially staples are removed before letting dogs romp through an empty house. Remember, your dogs can easily slip, as area rugs have been removed from tile or hardwood. Lastly, close bedroom doors to keep dogs from investigating, and, if needed, place a baby gate to block access.

Now, you can release the hounds!

Close the Bedroom Door

If you’re staying overnight in an empty house, as we have done many times, I highly recommend closing the bedroom door or crating your dogs before bedtime. Once movers have left, we sweep floors and set up our sleeping area by blowing up air mattresses and moving suitcases around. Then, we move crates next to our air mattresses and set up for the night. We try and keep our dogs feeding and potty schedule the same to minimize potty accidents and keep stress to a minimum.

Oh, your dogs will be tired. They’ve been quiet, but they’ve been listening to everything going on and probably slept a little. Still, expect some nervousness. It’s weird walking through an empty house, and I’m sure your dog feels the same way.

You may also like: 4 Tips for Renting with Large Dogs

Feeding Multiple Dogs at Once

April 3, 2015 by Fanna Easter

How to Feed Multiple Dogs at Once

Keeping the Peace

Twenty percent of pet loving homes have more than one dog and, if you’re lucky, meals times are a breeze. To keep the peace or prevent resource guarding issues, follow these best practices. Also, these tips work great if your dog is dieting. They keep him from munching your other dog’s food!

Use Separate Bowls

Dogs should eat their meals from their own bowl. This prevents squabbles and ensures each dog is eating his food. Many times, when food bowl sharing happens, you’ll notice one dog becoming fluffy and the other looking thin so it’s important each dog has his measured food portion placed into his own bowl.

Add Canned Food or Yogurt

If this happens, simply pick up his bowl and place on counter or in refrigerator. If your dog is a picky or slow eater, try adding canned food or yogurt to his meal to encourage emptying his bowl completely.

Feed Dogs in Crates

For multiple dog households, this is an excellent best practice. For 24 years, my dogs have eaten in their crates or behind a gate. This prevents squabbling over food as well as bullying behavior (staring at the other dog until he moves away from his bowl), and I know if my dogs have eaten their meals. Dog obesity is on the rise, and I find dieters will go searching for any morsels they can find so keep your dog confined until all dogs have finished their meals.

RELATED: How to Stop Bullying Behavior

Store Cat Food Away From Your Dog

Dogs love cat food and they’ll invent clever antics to get to it. Place cat food in a high place, such as a washer or dryer. If your dog can still reach it, place a tall baby gate with a small cat door opening in your laundry room. Now, your cat can eat in peace.

You may also like: Preventing Dogs From Fence Fighting

Teaching Your Dog to Wear a Cone

February 26, 2015 by Fanna Easter

How to Make Wearing a Cone Comfortable for Your Dog

All dogs, during their lifetimes, will need to wear a cone to protect a healing surgical site or wound. A cone, also known as an Elizabethan collar, keeps your dog from licking or gnawing a specific area. Don’t forget: healing wounds itch so who wouldn’t want to scratch it, right? So instead of wearing a cone of shame, make it into a party hat!

Make the Cone a Party Hat

Most dogs wake up after surgery wearing a plastic cone and do really well wearing it. Now, there are some dogs who hate it and even freak out while wearing it. So teach your dog that wearing his party hat is fun!

Practice each step several times a day. Move onto the next one once your dog performs the behavior 4 out of 5 times during a training session.

Step 1

Show your dog a plastic cone and click/treat when he looks or touches it. Practice 5 times and end training session.

Step 2

Lure your dog’s muzzle through the cone neck hole and click/treat. Practice 5 times and end training session. You’re not asking him to put his head through it yet. Move in baby steps. You can substitute a verbal “yes” in place of the click, as both hands are busy holding a cone and lure. 🙂

RELATED: Clicker Training for Dogs

Step 3

Lure your dog’s head through the cone and click/treat. Take off cone and practice 5 more times.

Step 4

While your dog is wearing his cone, click and treat every few seconds. You’re teaching him that wearing the cone makes treats happen.

Step 5

Always reward your dog with a yummy treat when putting on the cone. Once the cone is on, I provide a large food stuffed toy for him to lick. Place the toy in a corner so it’ll hold it in place. Remember, he can’t use his paws to hold it due to the cone so secure the food stuffed toy for him.

VIDEO: Teaching Your Dog to Wear a Cone

READ ALSO: My Dog Refuses to Move

Dog Paw Protection

December 5, 2014 by Fanna Easter

Cold Weather Tips

Brr. Old man winter sneaked this year. Well, there’s still time to prepare so get your snow boots out. Don’t forgot to follow up on cold weather dog tips and protect your dog’s paws!

Trim Between Pads

Prevent snowball feet! Trim hair between your dog’s paw pads. This prevents balls of snow and ice from sticking between his pads. Not sure what to trim? Flip your dog’s paw over so you can get a good look. See those loose sprigs of hair poking out between the pads? That’s the culprit. Using blunt nose scissors, trim the hair even with the pad. Better yet, ask your groomer to shave between his pads!

Best Paw Protectant Ever

Just like our skin, a dog’s pads will become dry and cracked mostly due to direct contact with winter elements. There is a new product out there and it’s fabulous. The Blissful Dog’s Paw Butter is made from organic ingredients. It’s safe if a dog licks his feet after application and it softens cracked paws in nanominutes. In addition, prices are extremely reasonable (starting at $5) Plus all products are handmade! I stumbled across this product when searching for effective products to soothe dry elbows for Sobek, my Rottie. I was blown away. His elbows were back to normal within a few days.

Winter Dog Booties

When bringing dogs out for short or long winter walks, invest in winter dog booties. Muttluks Dog Boots are still the best out there! Why? They come in many different sizes (which fit even the tiniest dog), are easy to put on and take off, are machine-washable and waterproof and stay on. Yes, they actually stay on your dog’s feet!

Introduce dog booties slowly. This takes 2-3 minutes per day. Expect 3-4 days for most dogs to comfortably walk around while wearing booties.

Click and treat when dog touches booties.
Touch your dog’s paw with a bootie. Click/treat.
Pick up a dog paw and touch toes with bootie. Click/treat.
Place one paw in bootie. Click/treat and remove bootie.
Put bootie on one foot. Click/treat while wearing it for one second.
Keep practicing until dog wears all four booties comfortably, meaning he’s ignoring them.

Dog-Friendly Ice Melter

Traditional deicers are loaded with nasty chemicals that have burned pets’ paws and killed fragile wildlife due to sewer runoff. Plus, dogs absorb chemicals through their paws so keep them, your family and the environment safe this winter by using eco-friendly ice melters. Safe Paws and Melt are made from safe ingredients that will not harm wildlife, vegetation, pets, metals, wood or cement.

Keep warm this winter and check your dog’s paws often. How do you plan to spend your winter?

Holiday Food Safety for Pets

November 20, 2014 by Fanna Easter

Holiday Safety Tips

While we’re enjoying luscious holiday meals with family, it’s not worth letting your dog indulge too. Learn holiday food pet safety tips before guests arrive.

Toxic Foods

We’re all aware that chocolate, onions, xylitol (artificial sweetener) and grapes are toxic for dogs, but so are fatty foods! We’re indulging, so why can’t dogs partake in the enjoyment too? Fatty foods can cause painful and deadly pancreatitis, meaning fatty foods cause inflammation of the pancreas. Fatty foods include gravy, buttered veggies, desserts, dark meat turkey, ham (even the bone!), casseroles (even a spoonful), buttered rolls and so on.

But can they have a little bit?

What is a “little bit”? It depends on your dog, and this is probably not the time to experiment. When I worked as a vet tech, a sweet Chihuahua passed away from pancreatitis after eating one slice of veggie pizza.

Instead of sneaking tidbits under the table, give your dog a holiday stuffed Kong in his crate. He’ll happily munch along with everyone else and remain safe at the same time.

Pumpkin Spice Food Stuffing

1 can of 100% pumpkin (not pie filling, way too much sugar and other stuff)
2 teaspoons blackstrap molasses
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Will fill 2 medium Kongs or 1 large Kong

In a medium bowl, add pumpkin and cinnamon. Drizzle molasses over mixture and stir slightly. Using a butter knife, push ingredients into toy until completely filled. To avoid pumpkin mixture from oozing out, cover holes with peanut butter.

If your dog empties his food stuffed toys easily, freeze for 4 hours.

Filling variations:

Add ½ coarsely chopped apples at the bottom of the Kong and spoon Bark-kin Spice Filling until filled.
Substitute canned yams in place of pumpkin.
Use 100% maple syrup instead of blackstrap molasses.
Add chunks of baked turkey or chicken at the bottom and spoon Bark-in Spice Filling until filled.

Prevention

Before guest arrive, ask them to not feed the dogs, not even a tidbit. Some people don’t know and fall for those pitiful begging eyes.

Discard scrapes (turkey carcass, ham bones, etc.) in a trash can outside, placed outside of your dog’s fenced-in yard. Make sure your dog can not knock over the trash can, as this is a common “holiday scavenger meal,” which sends many dogs to the ER.

It’s worth repeating: Confine your dog away from the holiday table with a wonderful food stuffed Kong. I promise he’s having fun too!

Medicine for Stomach Pain

If your dog ate something poisonous:

Contact the Poison Control Hotline ASAP at (888) 426-4435 while rushing your dog to the nearest veterinary emergency center.
If you’re traveling, I highly recommend downloading a Pet First Aid app, which locates a vet hospital closest to you.

If it’s a minor upset tummy, meaning your dog is eating, drinking and acting normal, but has loose stool, then feed a bland diet for a few days.

Bland Diet

Baked boneless chicken breast (skin removed)
Canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling because this has way too much sugar and other stuff)

Mix equal parts. Once your dog feels better, feed 75% bland diet to 25% regular diet. Slowly add more of your dog’s regular diet to the bland diet. It usually takes 7 days to fully transition him over. If your dog worsens, refuses to eat, vomits or diarrhea worsens, get to your vet ASAP.

Happy Holidays!