Moving Up and Out

Woah. How is it 2013? I swear, I can’t even tell you where time has gone.

Well a new year means new starts and we’ve had quite a few. In September, we moved. It was an awesome process and Shami and I made Mom and Dad proud by handling everything really well. We were really fortunate that we had time on our side with our move, but everyone had patience and we all worked together. Here are our tips for a smooth and easy move!

1. Visit the new neighborhood before moving, if possible. Luckily, we were not moving out of state and we were able to use the time that the banks were processing things to drive over to the new neighborhood and go for long walks. Getting to explore the neighborhood, smell the new smells (and leave some of ours behind), and get used to these surroundings was really beneficial.

2. Packing. Moving is stressful for humans. Things must be sorted, packed, donated, or trashed, and this can be emotional. Dogs don’t think of things this way. We aren’t watching you clean out the closet thinking “but that is a lovely sweater you were wearing when we went to the park!” We pick up on your emotions. Try to stay calm and organized, and if you feel stressed, take a break (we are great at helping with breaks). Our biggest tip here is that you pack up our toys/bed/crate last so that we have some place to go hang out while you are busy.

3. The big day. Dogs do not need to be underfoot while movers (or friends) are hauling furniture. If possible, send us to another friends’ house or a dog daycare. We will be less stressed to be out of the way than if we were getting hollered at. Plus, with doors being left open, you don’t want to risk us making a break for it. Keep us securely away until the furniture and boxes are in the new place (if possible).

4. Arriving at our destination. When we first come to the new home, take us for a walk. If we have been lucky enough to come to the neighborhood in advance, we won’t think it is weird to be in this new place. If this is the first time, be patient as we sniff and mark and get our bearings. The longer we get to walk, the more relaxed our brains become and he more likely we will be to come into the new house calm and ready for a nap.

5. Moving in. This is like packing in reverse. Give us our crate/bed/toys first so we have a place to go that smells like us. Then you can work on your stuff. Again, stay calm, take breaks.

6. Patience. Over the first week, we may or may not react to the new house with behaviors we never showed before. If you won’t be home with us, know that you have options. There is nothing wrong with crating a dog. If you are really worried about accidents in the house or you know your dog has a destructive streak, you can crate them until you feel they are used to the new surroundings. Be sure that your crate is large enough for your dog to stand up and turn around comfortably. Be sure they have access to water (food is based on your feeding schedule). If you don’t plan to crate your dog and you want to give them free reign of the new house, consider starting slow by blocking off some rooms. We never have access to bedrooms when we are home alone. Be prepared to find an accident or something chewed up. Even the best behaved dogs need adjustment time. If you prepare yourself that your dog may stumble, you will be very happy if they don’t!

Following these tips, you will hopefully have as smooth of a transition as we did! We love our new neighborhood, they are even having a Bark in the Park event on January 26th where they will turn the main park into a dog park for the day! How fun.

We moved into our new house!

I love watching out the front window.

Shami loves the new parks where she can play fetch.

Our other big news, we’re going to have a little brother!

One Year Older, One Year Bloggier!

One year ago, for my fifth birthday, I started this blog. My initial goals was to post once a month and to hopefully have some loyal followers. Nothing too big, but I wanted to connect with other dogs and owners and share some of our family’s life philosophies. I think I have done this (although I did miss a month or so I still posted 22 times).

For this coming year, I hope to post more than once a month and to really grow some fans. I have a lot of Facebook friends and even Twitter followers who will hopefully read, comment and share! For today though, I am celebrating!

Mom made me brownies!

Ok, they are carob brownies, but they are delicious! These brownies, made with yogurt, are helpful to the digestive and immune system. The probiotics, protein, and calcium are all good without the excess milk sugars that cause lactose-intolerance. Again, the recipe is from the Bubba Rose Organic Dog Biscuit Cookbook.

• 2 cups oat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 5 tbsp carob powder – NEVER substitute cocoa
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup safflower oil (mom substituted extra virgin olive oil)
• 1/2 cup non-fat vanilla yogurt (mom substituted fat free plain Greek yogurt and 1 tsp vanilla)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a square 9 X 9 pan. Mix all of these ingredients together until smooth (or smoothish like ours). Spread into the pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

Cool in the pan. Cut and serve in sizes appropriate for your pooch. Store remaining in an airtight container in the fridge.

In the Cookbook, they suggested a cream cheese and carob frosting to serve with these. We didn’t make it that far, but it would certainly give them a little something extra!

Enjoy, and here’s to another year!

Adventure Dogs

We went hiking this weekend.

It was a lot of fun to break out of our standard routine and go explore a new world, but it is important that we were prepared and alert during the whole outing. Your dogs, no matter their breed or size, will enjoy adventures as long as you take the time to do it right. Follow some simple adventure rules to ensure success!

Rule 1: Know your destination. No matter if you are planning to go on a walk through a new park or a hike that will challenge you and your dog, do a little research before you go. Be sure to check that parks and trails are dog friendly, but also know the terrain. If your dog is not used to activity, they might not be up to a four mile hike up a steep mountain; you must make the judgment call for what your dog can handle.

Within the confines of knowing your destination, I want to include knowing the weather. This weekend, temperatures were supposed to break the 100 mark- an afternoon adventure was absolutely out of the question. When we were leaving our trail, we saw people trying to take dogs and small children onto it. Many returned before we had even left the park because it was too hot by 9AM. Take the two minutes to check the weather the day before to be prepared. Heat is dangerous (as is freezing cold). Rain isn’t going to hurt, but if you don’t want a muddy wet dog, don’t go out. A simple check avoids any mishaps.

Rule 2: Always be prepared. My mama said this is the Boy Scout motto, but I think I everyone should adopt it! For us, preparedness includes ample amounts of water, cookies for a snack, map, cell phone, and camera. Luckily I have a backpack that holds most of this and mom or dad carries the water.

Rule 3: Pay attention. Every day is different. You can plan and prep, but you must be paying attention to be sure that your adventure is a success. I’ve stepped on burrs, and thankfully, my mama always notices if I limp or hold my foot up for even a short moment. Shami is smaller than I am so dad will lift her over a large rock to be sure that she doesn’t hurt herself trying to jump. Their vigilance ensures that we don’t suffer a serious injury. This holds true for even walks in an unfamiliar neighborhood. Being alert and paying attention means that you are never surprised by an off-leash dog, plants with thorns, or a car whipping around a turn.

Follow these basic rules and you will be able to enjoy your adventures and build up to being a weekend warrior!

Enjoy some pictures from our hike!

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Safety First

There are a lot of holidays that require Mom and Dad to go away out instead of being home with us. We don’t mind though because they always take care of our needs before they leave.

First, Mom believes that tired pups will most likely sleep and relax while alone in the house. On days like today (New Year’s Eve) we go on a big adventure. This involves more than just walking around the neighborhood like we do every day. Today we went to a hiking trail and spent an hour and a half climbing 412′ in elevation. This doesn’t just tire us out, we are wiped. Feed us our dinner and we will sleep through anything. This strategy of Mom’s works for them too because when they come home, we are ready to go to bed and not ramped up wanting another walk. You know your pooch’s activity level; so you are the best judge of how much extra activity to push for.

Second, Dad leaves music on. I know it sounds silly and cliche, but on a holiday like New Year’s Eve in a state where fireworks are legal, there is bound to be some ruckus in the street. If there is some music on, it creates a bit of a white noise effect and we aren’t so startled when the fireworks go off. We don’t have a dog door in our home, but if you do, consider closing it for the night. When you hear of dogs running away on holidays like this, the problem is that the dog could get out not that the dog was skiddish. If your dog tends to be more nervous to sounds like firecrackers, they are more apt to look for safety when things start popping.

Have a safe and happy New Year’s Eve and we will see you all in 2012!

More Than Bath Time

In our house we have a pretty strict bath routine. Sticking to this routine is not just about keeping us clean, but it helps to establish bonds and keep our bath time behavior in check. After all of these years, we are really good at baths!

There are a lot of opinions on bathing a dog, but there isn’t a real set rule. Generally, bath frequency depends on two things:

1. Breed: A dog with long hair or an oily coat will need more work to be groomed than a short haired dog; it’s just the facts. Check out the AKC website or the different breed club websites for information and recommendations. It may surprise some people that, on average, dogs can be bathed once a month or less. Over bathing a dog can actually cause skin irritations in some cases. Be conscientious of your dog’s skin and coat. A dog who is itchy or has dry skin made need more gentle shampoo while a dog with a long coat might need a shampoo with de-tangling help. Also, you shouldn’t use human shampoo on your dog because it is not pH balanced the same as a dog shampoo, and keep in mind that your dog will at some point lick or chew a little on their coat. If you are in a pinch, baby shampoo has a much lower pH level and you could get away with a little of that, but make the effort to find a good dog shampoo.
2. Lifestyle: The second major factor to bath frequency is how active a dog is. In our house, we go for an hour long walk every day, rain or shine (the only exception is a lightning storm). Part of our walk is a stop at a large park in our neighborhood where we get to run free and do our thing (marking things, kicking up turf, rolling in grass, etc). We also live in the desert and there is a LOT of dirt and dust. Brushing out our coats between baths helps knock some of the dirt out, but we definitely need more frequent baths than a mostly indoor dog. Similarly, we swim in the summer months and the chlorine in the pool needs to be rinsed out. On the other hand, a dog who spends it’s time indoors might not need a bath for months.

Once you’ve evaluated those two aspects of your dog’s life, make a routine of the bath. Mom keeps our dog towels in a special spot so when we see her get them out, we get excited. Then she goes in the bathroom and rearranges things so that we can get in and out of the tub (we stand in the hall and watch). Then she calls me in. Mom has spent time training us to come into the bathroom on our own and get near the tub. Chasing terriers around the house to get them in the tub is not good plan.

Once in the tub, we know to stand and stay fairly still. Because Shami is smaller, she actually stands with her front paws up on the edge of the tub so Mom doesn’t need to bend over so much. During the actual bath, we use a shower hose because it is much more convenient (and it saves a lot more water) than using a cup. Because we are bathed more frequently than many dogs, we use a pretty mild shampoo, and a small amount is all we usually need. We know not to shake off while we are in the tub and Mom and Dad actually talk to us a lot. Part of the grooming and bathing process is a step in establishing dominance in the house and talking to your dog in a calm and level tone is a lot more soothing than squeaking “what a cuuuuuuuutie wittle puppy wuppy”.

The best part of bath time is the drying off portion. We hop out of the tub, we get to shake off, and then we get wrapped up in towels. Always try to dry your dog thoroughly or they will be tempted to dry themselves- which generally will entail rolling in grass or on a rug the first chance we get.

Don’t think of bath time as a dreaded chore! Consider this special time with your dog to be part of the bonding process.