Archive for the ‘recommended products’ Category
Advice on problem dog behavior
I got a request for “advice’ recently that I wanted to post. It is important to always remember that this sort of advice can not be as thorough as that given by someone directly involved with the family or the dog. This advice should also not be used in place of veterinary care or professional dog training.
Hi Kristin,
We adopted Jessa three months ago…she was a stray wandering the streets of Aurora. We don’t think she was a stray for very long, as she didn’t really have any physical or emotional scars. She’s incredibly friendly to all people and other dogs. She loves kids. She’s a very happy and lovely dog. The vet says she’s about a year old, give or take a month or two.
Update on Kong toys – 3 of 3 give paws up
Since writing the Basket of dog toys from Kong post, there has been a development…
Bella just gave Hermes the fierce mama growl and snatched her Kong back!! I guess it is 3 out of 3 prefer Kong!!
(one hour later…)
Bella is STILL chewing on the kong. Hermes gave up long ago and is sleeping next to his with his head under the couch.
Basket of dog & puppy toys from Kong
I am done!! All my foster dogs are out to their new families!! Hooray!
I can’t describe the level of contentment that swept over me after last Friday when all the puppies and Willow moved to their new homes. The past week has been a breeze with just my dogs and Chloe. Unfortunately, Chloe still hasn’t found her forever home but she has fully recovered from her last experience. She is back to her sweet, very smart self. Today she left for her permanent foster home. I’ll still see her at The Water Bowl when I work there. I’m 
planning on doing some training with her and working with her shyness around some men. It will be good to have contact with her. And it is VERY good to have her out of my house.
Tonight we received a box full of samples from Kong. We tried some of their toys I’ve never used before! I’ve talked about how much I love their products before but now I can describe how my dogs liked them:
We took a large bone and filled the ends with treats and Kong Stuff’n and gave it to Lollie. She immediately became VERY possessive of it and is still chewing it. We had to put her upstairs so 
the other dogs could enjoy their treats. If you have a dog who is at all dog aggressive or toy possessive, this treat will set them off…it is that good.
Hermes got the regular sized Kong bone, also filled with treats and stuffing. He is still working on his. He has also confiscated Bella‘s stuffed large sized puppy Kong and is currently chewing on that one while his lies nearby. Unfortunately, Bella preferred the cattle bones we have lying around, but hey, two out of three ain’t bad.
Lollie guards her kong
Benjamin Moore paint stands up to puppy grime
I have done the final cleaning of the puppy room. I used WAY too much bleach in the water and my poor hands (and sinuses and eyes) paid the price. I tried to ventilate but I really did use more than I should have. I really wanted to clean that room out good. Having two litters, back to back, made me concerned about transmitting illnesses. In fact, it seems we have a case of coccidia at our house. I hope my dogs won’t get it. I think most healthy adult dogs can clear it on their own but clearly we’ve got it. I think it came with Chloe‘s group but it could have been here from last summer from all I know (we had a dog with it last summer, that’s the only one who tested positive). These illnesses can last for a long time on surfaces and in the lawn….crazy, that.
Anyway, back to the bleach and the cleaning. So, the walls were gross. You may have noticed in some of the videos the film of dirt on the lower part of the white walls. You may have asked yourself, “why did she paint the walls there white?!” Well, I did it so I could see just how dirty it really was. I like white and light colored things for that reason – cuz when they are dirty you know it. But you also know when it is clean!! Anyway, I used a very heavy, wet rag and just soaked the walls with bleach water. I let the water sit on the walls for about 5 minutes and then scrubbed them hard. And I noticed what a great product Benjamin Moore makes…I always use Benjamin Moore paint because I like how thick it is, I like how it goes on, and I like how it holds up. But I did not expect it to hold up as well as it did! Not a bit of paint came off after all that soaking and scrubbing. And now my walls and nice and white again! Yeah.
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 walls after |
So, the door is closed to the puppy room and after I do some research on coccidea and how long it lasts in lawns I’ll let you know. That will determine when our next litter can come, that and my need for peace and quiet. But that only lasts about 4 months…usually.
What to feed puppies
Ash likes water
The puppy appointments went well today! I really liked all the people I met (thank goodness!) and feel good about them. The puppies had a full day of outside time meeting everyone. I also introduced them to water (a small pool) and no one was very interested in it…except Ash. He sort of took to it. If someone out there is interested in a water loving dog, he’d be the best shot in this group…and what a sweetie. Anyone??
Here’s a question I got from one of my new families and my response:
1. I’m reading so many different things about what to feed puppies and I wanted to get your opinion. Soft, hard, mixed? what brand?
In terms of feeding – I like feeding dry (hard) food as it is the most cost effective and it helps clean the teeth better than wet food. I am also a big fan of brushing your dog’s teeth (with dog toothpaste only, but a human tooth brush is fine – get an “enzymatic” toothpaste either from a pet superstore or the vet.) Brands vary so educate yourself…stay away from “by products” or “animal fat”…if you don’t know what it is you shouldn’t be feeding it to your dog!
I feed my dogs Canidae and if I didn’t feed that I’d feed Natural Balance – both good foods. Nutro makes a good brand, but one of my dog’s has an allergic (skin) reaction to it. Stay away from “puppy chow”” or anything you can buy in the grocery store…unfortunately. You will pay more for the good stuff but you will feed smaller portions (compare feeding portions – they vary wildly…a poor quality food will require up to 7 cups to get the same nutritional value as 2 cups of a high quality food.) In addition, feeding smaller portions means a smaller stool size – something to really shoot for with the big dogs!
Canidae All Life Stages Dry Dog Food 35 lb. Bag
Natural Balance Potato & Duck Dog Food Allergy Formula 17 lb. Bag
Craig’s List a good resource
I just posted a used dog door on craig’s list…I love craigs list! And saw a lot of dog items for sale. If you are in need of a dog crate, that’s the first place I’d look. I saw lots of nice ones for much less than the original price. Also, if you’re in need of a bike trailer…
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