How to Eliminate Dog Odor From Your Home

May 13, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Removing Dog Odor From Your Home

You don’t have to live with dog odors anymore. It’s a new day with tons of products to choose from. Shoot, I remember when lighting a candle was our only choice, but not anymore! Check out my personal product review–this stuff really works!

Musky Dog Odors

Folks who share their homes with dogs notice a faint ole doggie odor when dogs have been playing outdoors. It’s almost a musky scent. Non-dog people refer to this aroma as wet dog smell. If your dog has chronic body odor issues (your relatives will tell you–that I can guarantee), seek veterinary advice. Regardless, life is too short to live with it so fill the room with freshness.

Natural Products That Really Work

If possible, I try to use natural home cleaning products as I have asthma. By far, essential oil diffusers work best. Just sprinkle a few drops of your favorite essential oil in water, turn on your diffuser and enjoy. Personally, I really like my Spa Vapor diffuser. It’s easy to use, looks great and diffuses scent throughout our home. Now, you can spend $100 or so on a diffuser. It’s your choice. However, I find our diffusor works just as well. My favorite essential oil is Peace & Calming by Young Living Essential Oils.

Now, diffusers won’t absorb unpleasant smells, but will certainly replace them with a pleasant scent. 🙂 It works for cooking smells too. I’m from South Louisiana and cook lots of roux. Our diffusers steps up to the challenge every time. Plus, essential oils are very calming for you and your dogs so they’re worth a try.

Maybe Not Natural, But This Product Really Gets The Job Done

Now, the mack daddy of odor eliminators is Febreze Set & Refresh air freshener. While this scent smells delicious, it absorbs odor instead of masking it. Place in a small room or on your AC unit for a continuous fresh scent.

Don’t Forgot

Bathe your dog weekly with an aromatherapy shampoo, and feed your dog a high quality diet. Yes, your dog’s diet can and will control your dog’s natural odors.

Urine Smell

If possible, remove stained carpet and area rugs. If this isn’t possible, clean carpets with an enzyme-based floor cleaner. Check out this article for recommendations, but do know, I’ve fallen in love with a new carpet cleaner and its name is Pet Trainer’s Choice Dog Odor & Stain Eliminator, which you can purchase at Amazon.com. Let me tell you, this stuff not only cleans new stains, it also removes old yellowed stains left behind by other cleaners plus it leaves an amazing scent behind. It’s amazing! Going forward, immediately clean potty accidents to keep odors at bay.

You may also like: How to Remove Dog Urine From Carpet

How Much Exercise Do Dogs Need?

May 7, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Dog Exercise: How Much Do Dogs Need?

We don’t have a canine surgeon general providing daily exercise requirements for dogs, but your dog requires some type of daily exercise. That’s for sure.

Dog Exercises

Walks

When we think of exercise, walking usually comes to mind. Usually two 30-minute walks daily provide plenty of physical exercise. Your dog is able to get fresh air and lots of mental stimulation for your dog (sniffing and exploring). Jogging is good too. However, veterinarians recommend jogging and running. After dogs turn two years old, their bone growth plates need to close before engaging in strenuous exercise.

Chase in the Yard

Play a game of chase, meaning your dog chases you instead of the other way around. Hide from your dog and call her name. When she finds you, celebrate! Not only is this great exercise, but it also serves as mental stimulation, builds a beautiful “come when called” cue and strengthens your bond.

Food Puzzles

Exercise your dog’s brain too! In a pinch, you can sneak in several food puzzle opportunities throughout the day. Feed meals using a Kong Wobbler and provide low calorie treats stuffed into Kongs.

Nose Work Dog Games

On rainy and cold days, hide bits of hot dogs instead of a box and mix the food box within other empty boxes. Your dog will use his nose to search and find the hidden hot dogs and have a blast doing it. Practice several times and end the game. It’s exhausting for your dog. It’s hard work using your nose. 🙂

Does Exercise Relieve Excess Energy in Dogs?

May 6, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Exercising Your Dog Doesn’t Always Relieve Excess Energy

Living with an easily excited Rottweiler and an always energetic Mini Bull Terrier, I pondered if exercising my dogs would really relieve their excess energy. Group class clients were asking me this exact question too. They would walk, jog or run their adolescent dogs for three to four hours per day (divided up) plus daily sessions at the dog park, yet their dogs still had tons of energy. Hum, what’s going on?

Provide Exercise and Mental Stimulation

Overexercising high-energy dogs can, at times, create a very fit high-energy dog who requires more exercise. With the increase in canine obesity, the pet industry is flooding pet parents with “a tired dog is a good dog” motto, which is a good thing, but this concept needs tweaking for some dogs. I’ve witnessed many pet parents go to extreme lengths to exercise their two-year-old or four-year-old Labs and they still bounced off the walls at home. However, you could bounce a quarter off their thighs–they were that fit!

RELATED: Thundershirt for Dogs

Exercise is good. We know it’s essential so I’m not saying to put away the leash and turn on the TV. 🙂 Instead of jogging your dog for an hour, take a leisurely walk in a new location and allow your dog to sniff to his heart’s content. Providing mental stimulation (sniffing, puzzle solving or playing games) is mentally and physically exhausting. Allow your dog to walk over, sniff and explore certain spots. It’s almost like your dog is posting on his Facebook page. I know it sounds absurd, but it’s true. Sniffing resembles “reading FB posts,” and some dogs decide to post back by “marking.” Instead of hurrying him along, give him plenty of time to “read and answer” back. 🙂

Teach Self-Settling

High-energy dogs thrive moving at breakneck speeds and can literally go from 0 – 100mph in a nanosecond. This is the essence of the AKC sporting group. They were bred for speed and endurance. Convincing your Labrador or Goldendoodle your living room is not a retrieving field can be quite challenging so teach your young or active dog to self-settle. It may seem challenging in the beginning, but ,trust me, every minute you spend teaching this valuable skill is money in the bank. Your dog will soon be able to walk into the living room, plop down on the floor and nap. Ah, wouldn’t this be awesome?

You may also like: Understanding Dog Nutrition

Ask the Dog Trainer: How to Find an Excellent Dog Training Blog

May 5, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Finding a Dog Training Blog

Blogs are a great thing. Who doesn’t enjoy the convenience of Googling an answer to your question? I don’t know how we lived without this option, honestly. But finding an excellent dog training blog can be challenging so follow these simple tips to keep you and your dog safe.

Everyone Thinks She’s a Dog Trainer–Yikes!

Before diving knee-deep into a dog training blog, take a moment and research blog contributors. Are they dog trainers? If so, have they taught? Do they still teach group classes? Have they earned advanced dog training certifications? Earning advanced certifications is vital. This is the only way to differentiate between beginners/dabblers and dog trainers with proven knowledge of training all different types of dogs. Be careful about titles. Anyone can call herself a dog trainer or animal behaviorist, but unless it’s earned through testing councils, I would be very leery.

Take it a step further. Now, search the Internet to find more information about a dog trainer blog contributor. While doing a search, her advanced dog training certification should pop up along with any professional dog training memberships and maybe other blogs or videos.

RELATED: Dog Trainer Fanna Easter

Never Follow Harmful Training Methods

The most important tip is blog contributors should never recommend harmful training methods. I can’t say this enough. It’s much easier missing a “click and treat” opportunity than punishing your dog. If you’re not sure what you’re doing, you can certainly cause further frustration and possibly damage your relationship with your dog. Reading and watching videos are helpful, but nothing takes the place of having an expert watch and provide feedback while practicing.

Lastly, follow blogs with current and updated training methods, such as training principles founded by science. If someone recommends alpha or dominance training, run. This myth was dispelled over a decade ago. Check out my reasoning on why these methods don’t work.

Trust Your Gut

If something, or someone, sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Dogs aren’t like cars. You can’t fix them or guarantee results so ignore those promising too much. Trust your gut and do no harm. 🙂 When in doubt, find a professional and certified dog trainer in your area for best results.

Help Your Dogs Adjust to Your New Home

May 4, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Adjusting to Your New Home

You’ve made it safely to your new home. Congratulations! Before unleashing the hounds, take a few days and introduce your dogs slowly and carefully to your new home.

Many times, new homeowners or renters contact me within a week of moving into their new home. Most complaints include dogs making potty training mistakes, being nervous and escaping their yard. Here’s what’s worked for us in the past.

First 24 Hours

Maintain your dogs’ eating, sleeping and potty schedules when moving in your new home. Routine means predictability, meaning less stress for both you and your dogs.

Set up your sleeping area until movers deliver your furniture. I highly recommend crating your dogs next to your bedding overnight. This keeps them safe and secured instead of exploring or escaping. Set up soothing music before bedtime and toss in food stuffed Kongs in crates. This keeps dogs busy until they fall asleep.

RELATED: Calming Music for Dogs

For homes with a backyard, I highly recommend bringing your dog potty on leash until you can fully inspect the fence for holes, loose boards, protruding nails and escape routes. On leash walks inside your yard, provide plenty of sniffing opportunities, but slowly introduce your dogs to their new surroundings. Many times, unfamiliar sounds can startle dogs, sending them straight to any and all escape routes–yikes! Keep them on leash at least for the first 24-48 hours.

Keep bed and bathroom doors closed to prevent dogs from sneaking off, pottying on, or chewing new items. If needed, you can section off an area with baby gates.

Week One

Your furniture should have arrived by now. It’s amazing to see the difference in dogs once they smell their own stuff. Most will snuggle right in their favorite chair or snooze on their comfy rug. By now, your dog is romping through his new yard unleashed, but stay close just in case.

Week Two

Everything should be pretty normal by now. Both you and your dogs are familiar with new sounds and surroundings. If your dog should have a few potty accidents, I recommend starting back at square one with potty training. Usually, this issue will be resolved within a few days.

If something should crop up, take a few steps back and follow the tips for the first 24 hours for a few days. This usually resolves most issues. If not, I highly recommend seeking a professional dog trainer in your area to provide suggestions and answer any questions.

Enjoy your new home!

You may also like: 4 Tips for Moving With Your Dogs

How to Eliminate Dog Odor From Your Home

Removing Dog Odor From Your Home

Musky Dog Odors

Natural Products That Really Work