Super Photo

What a cool app! I am obsessed with it apparently. IF you haven't already stumbled upon it, you should give it a try. I am still doing the free version. Some of these photos may end up on canvas. I have gotten lots of compliments on them when I post them on Facebook. I have it downloaded on my Note ll and my iPad. 

Here are a few SUPER PHOTO SHOTS:

 

Hot DIGgity Dog

Does your dog dig? Have you ever stopped to think why they dig diggin' so much? We see it as destructive behavior for the most part, especially when they are digging in our beautiful flowerbeds digging a hole in your carefully maintained lawn. But there are actually several good reasons for the digging (at least good reasons in their opinion)

1. To make a bed - especially in the hot weather days - it is much cooler to lay in the nice fresh dirt. 
2. To store food - literally - that is why dogs bury bones - they never forget where they bury it.
3.Territorial - digging a den to protect themselves or their babies, covering up their scent when they potty and scratching the ground will spread their scent.
4. Looking for prey - they want to root out den-dwelling animals such as badgers, moles and foxes. (these are the terrier type) 
5. Escape
6. Boredom - just plain ole boredom. It is a form of entertainment for them.
7. Breed specific trait

Some breeds are actually trained to dig. That is part of the work they do. For instance they will dig in an area when they are responding to an odor consistent with narcotic scent. 


So - how do you stop digging if it is unwanted - as in your beautiful landscaped yard?

First, look for signs of burrowing animals in your backyard and make sure that isn't a problem they are trying to help you with.

During hot weather - make sure they have plenty of shady areas to get out of the heat, especially if they are laying in the holes they did. If they are outside all the time then make sure they always have plenty of fresh water and perhaps a dog house to get out of the sun.

Make sure you have plenty of toys for them to entertain themselves with - but also play with them whenever you get the chance. Dogs should never be left outside alone for long periods of time. They get lonely, bored and depressed. Young dogs especially have to have an outlet for all the extra energy. 

If your dog is digging in order to escape - then the best solution is to make that impossible. Chicken wire around the base of the fence, railroad ties and rebar is another option, large rocks along the fence line is also workable.

DON'T punish them after the fact. You are wasting your breath. All you will do is make them fearful and anxious and could make the digging even worse. DON'T use any chemicals or other harmful agents in or around the hole. This could lead to a huge vet bill. 

Our American Bulldog, Opie, wanted to be a digger when we first got him and he was just a little pup. Fortunately we were always with him when we took him outside so we were able to correct him verbally and it worked for him. His digging was instinctive because it is a bulldog trait. But we take him to the dog park where they have a sandbox and he gets to dig til he can dig no more. He has learned that is the appropriate place for digging and he will usually head right to the sandbox for a little bit of play digging each time.

Tie A Yellow Ribbon

I learned something recently that is probably common knowledge to a lot of people but new to me. I am not even sure that I have seen one in real life as of yet, but if I do - I will know what it means.

A Dog with a YELLOW ribbon around his neck or tied to its collar. 

A friend and I were talking the other day about our dogs and she has 2 Rottweilers. I asked her if she would be interested in meeting at the dog park so we can let our furkids play. Well, her answer was no. The reason being - they are dog aggressive and they are people aggressive and that is what they have trained them to be. They are their guard dogs. So I asked her if they ever have the chance to get out of the backyard and walk or play and she told me yes, but she ties a yellow ribbon around their necks and she walks them during off peak hours so it is less likely they will run into other dog walkers. 

I had not heard of this. If it has been in my studies I must have missed it some how. Maybe I just haven't gotten to that part yet. I don't know.

Anyway  - I started reading up on the idea and it is a very common practice. Not only for dogs that may be aggressive, but for dogs that are not child friendly, may be hyperactive or anxious. They can be recovering from a surgery or have an injury. It is a way to identify that that dog should not be approached, especially by children. 

There is even a non-profit website dedicated to this practice called The Yellow Dog Project and it has some very good points that every dog owner should know as well as anyone with children who come in contact with dogs. It is a good read and I encourage you to check it out if you are like me and this is new news.

*Photo from The Yellow Dog Project.

By-Products - G R O S S

Do you know what "by-products" are? Really Really are? Whether it is in people food or pet food - you do NOT want to buy these products. For this post I am specifically talking about pet foods, dog food, to be exact.
Now, to be fair, some people think nothing of what goes into by-products. But then some people will feed their dogs anything. They think that since dogs originally came from the wild and ate like the wild then they can eat anything. Today's dogs are domesticated - it has been a few hundred years now since they were eating their kill on a daily basis. I don't understand how a person can treat their dog as  their "baby", buy them nice beds and cute toys but then feed them junk food on a daily basis unless they just don't know any better. Sure they can eat anything you put in front of them and do - but so can kids eat candy or chips every day and if that is all they eat, we know that isn't good for them. We want our dogs to live a long and healthy life, true?

So this is to educate those who do not know any better but do care.

So what are by-products? They are the leftovers of a slaughtered animal AFTER the edible parts have been removed. Whether it be beef, chicken, lamb, hog, or whatever. So think about it ---

the back, the feet, (including hooves) head, brains, stomach, intestines, kidneys, liver, lungs, spleen, eggs which have not developed, spine. Get the picture? Gross, right? Of course some people like to eat those body parts and they are even considered delicacies but, yea, whatever.

So - how do they get by with putting this stuff in our dog food? It is LEGAL! No matter how it is handled, refrigerated OR NOT - no matter how it is stored. It is LEGAL! It is PROFIT for the companies!
Then there are 2 kinds - NAMED by-product and GENERIC by-product.
Here are some of the common names you will find on the list of ingredients: which are obviously named by-products.
Chicken by-product
Beef by-product
Poultry by-product
Turkey by product
You find the above in lower to middle grade dog food.

Then with generic by-products - guess what?  they do not have to specifically disclose what source they come from. It gets worse - it can be any of the following:
dead animals - from the zoo, ranch, roadkill, euthanized pets unclaimed - see what I am saying? When chickens arrive -many do not make it and they are tossed in for this purpose.
These are dogfoods that no one should be feeding their dogs. Yet, they are out there on the shelves and sold daily. The very cheap nasty stuff.

So the smart way to buy dogfood? RESEARCH - the first 5 ingredients are important. You can go to   The DogFoodAdvisor - very smart site.
You will find 5 Star Dog Food all the way down to 1 Star and they give the entire list of dogfoods, recalls, lots of good facts. In fact, a lot of my information on this post came from there. I did a lot of research in dogfoods before deciding what dogfood was best for Opie. Actually we went through 4 top brands that The Dog Food Advisor listed but the one that worked best for Opie was Victor Grain Free for Puppies

Now - that is my rant for doggy foods - don't get me started on people food. BOLOGNA, HOT DOGS...oh my!

Inclement Weather Exercise

If it is raining, snowing or just plain ole too hot or too cold - what do you do to keep your dog busy? If a tired dog is a happy dog - then he still has to have that energy release even when the weather outside is not cooperating. 

Here are a few things that I have found that completely wears my guy out and will send him snoozing in no time. 

Laser play - we have a little laser on a key chain that Opie loves. He will chase that little red dot until he can chase no more. We have the most fun just watching him go after the laser and it doesn't matter if it is up the wall, ceiling, under furniture - he is going to try his best to get to it. 
You can find these in the cat aisle at Petco and Petsmart and I am sure just about any store like Walmart or Target carries them. Cheap and fun!

Remote Control Toy - we bought a remote control toy at the Dollar General for $10! What a bargain! Opie just goes nuts. Of course a little barking comes with the play so if you don't mind that - it is a great tool to wear their little bodies out on an indoor kind of day. You can get all kinds. Robots, cars, trucks, etc. The one we bought turns flips and adjusts itself if it runs into furniture, so that helps.

Treadmill - now this is the biggy. We lucked out and bought a really nice used one for $100. If you don't have one - you can scan Craigslist - they are on there all the time. We have yet to master this one, tho. It is still in the works. We will get there, tho.

So - there you have 3 ideas to keep your dog busy enough to spend a little energy when a walk or the park is not an option. It won't cost you but a few dollars and it takes very little energy on your part. I mean - sitting in the recliner while he does all the work chasing these toys around - come on. Can't get much easier than that!

Like they say - A tired dog is a happy dog!

Don't Bully the Breed

I know exactly what Pit Bull owners have been upset about for years. Frankly, I was one of those people who stayed away and was afraid of pit bulls. Even tho my brother in law has 2 pit bulls and his daughter has one - I was still very cautious around them and I still wouldn't let Opie be around them because  although they are friendly dogs and have been socialized around people they have not been socialized around other dogs. They have grown up with each other and so other dogs haven't really been introduced too much. They are responsible owners and they keep them put up if anyone comes to visit that have pets. 



 We are going through all levels of training classes - we are taking him to Petsmart and Petco to just walk around and be with people. We are taking him to the dog park. We are doing everything we know to do to make sure he will be a well behaved, socialized dog. The problem is - it still won't change anything for some people and some places. He will always be considered a "bully" based on misconceptions and fear society has placed on dogs that comes from pet owners who have raised dogs with the intentions to hurt others. It ruins it for the sweet natured "bullies" out there that responsible owners know will never hurt another.


In the wrong hands, any and all breed types can be dangerous. It shouldn't be breed specific. 
As they say Ban the Deed - Not the Breed.

Be respectful of those who are working twice as hard to train our dogs to be model canine citizens. Please and Thank You!

How sweet is this face?

Exercising the (Dog) Brain

We all know that it is important for a dog to get exercise. Every.Single.Day.
Did you know it is just as important for them to get brain exercise?  Challenging the brain is very important. If your dog is destructive, chances are they are bored both physically and mentally. 
There are a lot of ways to stimulate the brain but I am going to tell you about one that I just found out about myself and it is GREAT! There are quite a few articles online so I can't take credit for this. 

Here is what you do:

You make a mixture of moist treats - what works best are treats that they are not used to or they don't get on a daily basis. Don't make this while they are in the room with you. You want them to completely be unaware of what you are doing. The mixture I put together was packaged (cooked) salmon and a small handful of Bil Jac treats that were given to me as a sample, so he had not tasted them yet.  

You will need to make sure you use an area that is nice and clean - grassy - not a lot of weeds or debris. You take the mixture and you spread it out over a large area. Not close together and not a lot in one spot. What you want to do is stimulate the brain by having the dog follow his nose. Dogs are sniffers by nature and most domesticated house dogs don't have the chance to use their noses like their ancestors did. Once you are done with the spreading of the mixture - get your dog and take them to the area but don't take them too close to where the mixture is. Let them get a hint of the scent and go to work on their own. Trust me, it won't take long! 

The first time I did this with Opie - he looked like a bloodhound! His whole body was pulling in the scent as hard as he could. He was running in circles and trying to figure out which way to go next. So not only was he working his brain/nose but he was getting physical exercise as well. 

Needless to say, he always wants a nap after he is done "working" his way around the backyard finding all the little tidbits he can. 


It is a great exercise - easy to do - and you can be as creative as you want to be.