Dangerous Toy Alert!

Are you familiar with the rubber dimple ball with the jingle bell inside?

I was shown a recent blog about a Labrador Retriever named "Chai" who is now maimed for life because of this toy. The astronomical vet bills and life altering effects of his injury will shock you.. I encourage you to read the blog which I have linked to in my "Links of Interest" section.

Four Paws manufactured the one that caused this dogs injuries but there are numerous companies and styles of this same toy out there. Please be aware and don't buy these.

Bath Time

Have I mentioned I have a bad back? I do and so bathing time was very difficult for me as I had to bend awkwardly over a large garden tub to bath our dogs. Then it was pain killer and off my feet for the rest of the evening. Steve took over bathing... Did I mention he has a bad shoulder? NEEDLESS to say we had to find a better and less painful way to provide this basic need to our pups so I did what I do best and I googled "Doggie Bath Tubs" Found an awesome product that has made bathing time 98% less painful for me and Steve likes it too because I do the bathing now. It is called the Booster Bath and I added a link to their website on my Resource page as it is a product that I highly recommend.

My new Rattie Painting

Last weekend we attended the World Series of Dog Shows at the Reliant Center in Houston, Texas. Check out Animal Planet on October 4th and you can see the best of show and maybe even us walking amongst the crowds.

There where all things dog to be seen and bought. We watched confirmation for a while.. but Tylea wouldn't sit for long so we soon found ourselves watching Agility and then watching the Frisbee dogs and the Dancing dogs and ending the excitement with Flyball. Tylea LOVED Flyball and she really got a kick out of a itty bitty Chihuahua running agility. We couldn't end the fun without visiting the vendors who have everything to sell from poop bags and toys to Designer dog homes and Pet Jewelry.

We eventually came across a few artist booths too and one artist, Shann Comeaux caught my eye with her unique, colorful and expressive style. We spoke a bit and I decided to consign her to do a portrait of Bunny and Boogie. Well, the painting arrived today and I just had to share it here on the Blog.

I cannot tell you how pleased I am. There is already a spot picked out where it will be displayed. I decided to share her link too and you can find it and other great links on my resource page so I encourage you to visit her site, Art by Shann, and look at her unique paintings.
Thank you Shann!!

The importance of Crate Training

A well trained dog is an enjoyable asset to any family and a crate trained dog is a safe and secure dog...

I am a strong advocate of crate training. Crate training should start the very day you get your puppy home and this is where he should sleep the first night and there after. I have spoken to people who think crating is cruel and feel that sticking Fido into a "Cage" makes him somehow less of a family member. Thats not how it works here.

Crate training can offer your dog a sense of security and a safe quiet retreat. I never allow the dogs to be harassed in their kennels by children or use the kennels for punishment.. Crating can also be a wonderful tool to enhance other training needs such as house breaking or destructive behaviors. Your dog will come to feel that the crate is his den. He will feel safe in it and seek it out when he is ready for a good snooze. Half past 9:00 in our home the dogs stroll down the hall and get into their kennels for the night. I don't tell them to kennel they just prefer to go to bed.. the last one of us to bed closes the kennel doors.

Below is a link to a really nice write up on Crating that might give you an idea of what could occur if you do not crate train.

Crating: Training or Torture?

I do think that in some cases a dog can do just fine without crating... However.. with a breed such as the Rat Terrier you are dealing with an active, curious and intelligent dog that WILL entertain himself if left alone. Wouldn't you feel better knowing that while you run to the store that Fido is safely chewing on his treat ball in the kennel or would you rather wonder how many rolls of toilet Paper he will root out of the pantry and destroy?