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Make A Commitment To Your Dog

August 31, 2009 By Leave a Comment

I was just thinking about the many abandoned dogs and cats. The homeless animals living in the shelters and streets. It made me think of this video I posted a while back on dog abandonment.

Before you decide to pick up that adorable kitten or cute cuddly puppy remember that you need to give that pet love and attention for it’s lifetime. If you’re getting a cat or dog this can easily be a 10+ year commitment (with my dogs I hope it’s much, much longer).  Make sure you think about that…”Where will I be in the next 10 years?”

Dog Abandonment

Photo by Aplomb

Give Your Dog Lots Of Love And Attention

We always had a family dog growing up.  Our dogs were outdoor dogs, but they were still a major part of the family.  As kids we tried to sneak our dogs into the house when my mom and dad weren’t looking.

Throughout my life I always wanted to have an indoor dog that could bond more closely with me and get showered with love and attention.  Five years ago I did just that when I brought Linus home from the Carson Animal Shelter  I wanted my dog to be an integral part of the family, not just a possession.  I made sure I took Linus to training including puppy kindergarten and three basic obedience classes to date.

When you take your dog to training class, work on his basic obedience, behavioral issues, and treat him like a member of your family you form a special bond.  Many dogs are turned over to shelters because of behavior problems that are manageable and could have been prevented with proper training.  Today I could not fathom ever abandoning my dogs or turning them into the local shelter.  They are family members.

The Importance Of Dog Training

I see many people falling in love with puppies because they are adorable, cute, and cuddly.  However, I also see them fall out of love with these same puppies as they grow up.  Why do so many people fall out of love with their puppies?  It’s my thought that by the time their puppies enter adolescence and adulthood they do not receive proper training and become unmanageable without basic obedience and also may manifest specific behavioral issues without early and ongoing training.

I think that dog training can be the simple fix to this problem.  Dog training can sometimes be as simple as getting the latest dog training book, DVD, or online training resource and applying the techniques to your dog on a consistent basis.  I’m also a major advocate of group dog training and believe that the socialization of your puppy is invaluable for teaching him about the world outside the home.  Private in house training is another great option for any behavioral issues you may be encountering and also gives a trainer the chance to see how your dog behaves at home.

I’m not too sure what today’s rant was all about, but I guess I just had some things I felt like expressing today.  After reading through my thoughts I guess the moral of today’s story is:

  • First think about the commitment your making when you get a dog and
  • Second if you do get a dog make sure you give him love, attention, and training.

What do you think?  How important is dog training for you and your dog?

Filed Under: Dog Adoptions Tagged With: , ,

Not Quite A Dog Bowl

August 28, 2009 By 1 Comment

Welcome to part 3 of our dog bowl series.  Today we cover two water dispensing devices.  Our third product actually is a dog bowl, but didn’t fit in our two original categories:

  • Slow down the fast dog eaters
  • Traveling dog bowls

However, instead our third dog product – the Chatter Bowl is meant to keep your dog company when your not home.  I picked up these dog products over the past few years and figured they fit in the category of dispensing food or water to your dog so we can consider some of these products in-place of dog bowls.

Just in case you found us and missed our first two overview articles on dog bowls then check out these links:

  • Dog Bowl Reviews – This article is an overview of dog bowls to slow your dogs eating and drinking.  Great bowls for fast eating Labrador Retrievers.
  • Dog Bowls For Traveling – This article covers not just dog bowls, but other dog products good for dispensing food and water while traveling.

Not Quite A Dog Bowl – Well One Is…

  • Lixit Dog Waterer L-100 – these little guys have been around for a while.  Just attach to your outdoor faucet and teach your dog to lick it.

dog waterer

water dog

  • Large Chatter Bowl – Does your dog miss you when your not home.  Try the chatter bowl.

chatter bowl

We are reviewing one bowl a week every Tuesday for the next few months.  If you are interested in any of these dog bowls or products then be sure to visit the Puppy In Training website every Tuesday for our weekly review.  You can also subscribe to our RSS feed to automatically receive all of the Puppy In Training posts.

I’m sure there are many other dog food bowls and dog water bowls out there including a variety of other water and food devices.  If you’ve come across an interesting dog product you think we should review then please let us know in the comments section below.

Have you tried any of these products?  What did you think?

Filed Under: Dog Bowls, Dog Products Tagged With: , , ,

Dog Bowls For Traveling

August 27, 2009 By 3 Comments

As I mentioned in yesterdays post I’m not all that concerned with the aesthetics of a dog bowl, but instead I’m all about the functionality of a bowl.

Yesterday we covered dog bowls with a purpose – dog food and water bowls that help slow your dogs eating.  Of course over these next few days we are only putting together an overview of all our bowls.  In the coming weeks and months we’ll have an in-depth product review of each dog food bowl.

Each week for the next few months, Tuesday will officially be dog bowl product review day.  We will put together an in-depth review including video, image, and text.  So if you’re interested in one of these bowls be sure and visit the Puppy In Training website every Tuesday or subscribe to our RSS feed.

Dog Bowls For The Traveling Dog

It’s a lot of work being a guide dog puppy raiser.  We receive our puppies when they are 7 weeks old and train them in obedience and socialization until they are approximately 18 month old.  During that time we socialize our puppies in many ways including trips to the beach, movie theater, bus rides, train rides, restaurants, and practically anyplace the general public visits.  This is a big part of our guide dog puppy training.

Because we take our puppies almost everywhere with us we often times need a traveling food and water bowl.  Lucky for me I’ve had the opportunity to try many different dog bowls, bottles, and other products on my guide dog outings.  This is a list of the products I’ve tried over the past few years.  On any dog outings I usually grab my outdoor backpack and throw paper towels, bottles of water, dog food, poop bags, and a few of the items listed below on any dog outing.

Below is the one sentence review of each product.  As mentioned earlier check back on Tuesdays for our dog bowl reviews.

  • Tazlab Aqua-Fur Travel Bowl – This collapsible silicone dog bowl folds up making it easy for travel.  Also, available in an assortment of colors.

dog travel bowl

water-rover

collapsible dog bowl

  • Pet Watering Top -Fits on top of standard sized water bottles makes it easy to use with multiple water bottles when on the road.

pet-top

I’ve enjoyed using each of these dog bowls and products, but as to which one is the best?  Well…you’ll have to check back here at the Puppy In Training website for our full reviews in the coming weeks.

Make sure you check out our last article in the dog bowl overview series called Not Quite A Dog Bowl.

What do you think?  Have you used any of these dog products?  Is there a dog product out there you’d like us to review?  Let us know in the comment section below.

Filed Under: Dog Bowls Tagged With: , , ,

Dog Bowl Reviews

August 26, 2009 By 22 Comments

Some people are looking for a beautiful custom made ceramic dog bowl that matches the interior of their house like any other piece of art. Others however look for a functional dog bowl, one that gets a specific job done. A dog bowl for most people provides your dog’s meal and a place to drink water.

Do you think I’m looking for a dog bowl as a piece of art or for it’s functional purposes?  That’s right when I look for a dog bowl I try to find one with a purpose.  Take a look at the bowls we’ve collected and reviewed below:

Dog Bowls

That’s Linus, Derby, and Stetson trying to figure out which bowl will hold their next meal.  Not all the dog bowls reviewed are in this picture.

Be sure to check our website every Tuesday for the latest in-depth dog bowl review.  We will continue reviewing dog food and water bowls every Tuesday for the next few months.

Dog Bowls With A Purpose

As a Guide Dog Puppy Raiser and a Labrador Retriever owner we run into two problems quite often.  First of all, as a puppy raiser I take my dog everywhere and often times need a nice traveling dog bowl for both feeding and giving my puppies water.

Second, I have Labrador Retrievers and if you know Labs you’ll know they don’t eat food they gulp down food.  Early on I noticed this was a problem with Stetson.  As a puppy he would eat so fast he’d either start choking on his food or he would vomit shortly after eating.  This happened probably about every other meal.

We tried several different dog bowl options and received many suggestions from our friends and family which led to our very first dog bowl review.  We picked up the Brake-Fast Dog Food Bowl from Linus’s trainer and it helped slow down the eating frenzy.

However, shortly after using the Brake-Fast Dog Food Bowl Stetson began breaking out all over his chin.  He had canine acne and our veterinarian told us the most likely cause was using a plastic bowl.  According to our vet the plastic bowls harbor more bacteria and end up causing canine acne in some dogs.  He suggested we switch back to a stainless steel dog bowl.

That’s where our dog bowl journey begins.  We didn’t totally rule out plastic bowls, but we did keep in mind that a plastic dog bowl might cause acne in our dogs.

Dog Bowls For Fast Eaters

  • Contech EatBetter Dog Bowl – Another dog food bowl with obstacles.  A slightly different configuration then the Brake-Fast Bowl.

contech eatbetter dog bowl

Dog Pause Food Bowl

metal brake fast dog bowl

Dog-Water-Bowl

Those are the contenders for dog bowls that will help slow down a fast eating dog.  I’m sure not everyone runs into the problems associated with a speed eater like my Labrador Retrievers.  We will continue our series on Dog Bowl Reviews over the next couple days.  Tomorrow we’ll cover Traveling Dog Bowls and Products and Friday we’ll check out the ever so popular category of Not Quite A Dog Bowl (most of these products are good for traveling with your dog).

This list may grow over time as I’ve already seen some other products I’m interested in reviewing so check back often to see if your favorite dog bowl is under review.

Are there any dog bowls you think I should add to this list?  What dog bowls have you used to slow down a fast eating dog?

Beginning next Tuesday (every Tuesday we will reveal a new dog bowl review) we will start releasing in-depth reviews of each dog bowl.  Some reviews will include exclusive video footage and all reviews will have great images and detailed reviews from our staff and our dogs.

Filed Under: Dog Bowls, Featured Tagged With: , , , ,

Is This The World’s Worst K9?

August 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Many of you have been following my blog for a while now and know that I’ve been raising guide dog puppies for the past three years.  Both Derby and Stetson were career changed (they were dropped from the guide dog program).  There are various reasons why a guide dog puppy gets dropped from the program.

We also enjoy following other working dog programs and in this case a working police dog or K9.  My boss at work told me that she has a friend who puppy raises K9′s.  I’m not too sure how the K9 program works or what the pass rate is for their puppies, but I assume it’s just as stringent as guide dog programs.

However, this video makes me wonder how this dog slipped through the program.  This K9 probably is due for a career change

World’s Worst K9

It looks like the suspect is out for a jog with his German Shepherd.  I hope you enjoyed the video of the world’s worst police dog(K9).

If you have seen any great dog video’s recently on YouTube we’d love to see them and possibly post to the Puppy In Training website.  Let us know about your videos in the comment section below.

Filed Under: Working Dog Tagged With: , ,

My Pension Vs Police Dog Pension

August 21, 2009 By 1 Comment

Well it’s not comparison since I won’t receive a pension if I continue my current day job.  I do save up for retirement and occassionally receive matching on my 401(K).  I really shouldn’t complain and should be happy to have a job through this economy.

I was pleased to read that even during these tough times that in some areas police dogs are getting improved benefits packages after retirement.  It does sound kind of funny…dogs receiving a pension, but these police dogs dilligently serve their community for seven to eight years and only usually have a couple years of retirement.

Police Dog Pensions

Police Dog Pensions

Photo by aresauburn

Here’s a little clip from the article Police Dog To Retire On Their Own Gold-Plated Pensions:

‘So we put together a package for the dogs. It covers the retired dog’s food, vaccinations and worming, vet bills, as well as complementary therapy.
‘They can also be kennelled back here when their handler’s on holiday.’

The cost is only several hundred pounds a year per dog.  These dogs serve the force for several years and protect their handlers from possible injuries saving the force money in the long term.  I’d say they deserve a pension and I’m glad to see that the Cambrideshire Police Force is recognizing their work as Police Dogs.

What do you think?  Do you think these police dogs should receive benefits after retirement?

Filed Under: Working Dog Tagged With: , , ,

OCTA Offers Service Animal Training

August 20, 2009 By 3 Comments

Last year the Orange County Transportation Authority provided public transit orientation training to service animals and their handlers / trainers.  Myself and Derby were lucky enough to take part in this free program.  We shuttled around in the bus starting at the Fullerton Park and Ride and ended at Knott’s Berry Farm for lunch with several of our friends from Guide Dogs of America and Guide Dogs of the Desert.  If you haven’t seen the pictures from last year take a look at this post: Puppies on Buses. We’re in luck because once again this October OCTA is offering service animal training on their buses.

Service Animal Training With OCTA

Puppy In Bus

Here are the details on this event:

What: OCTA Public Transit Orientation for service animals and their trainers / handlers
When: Saturday, October 3rd, 2009, 8am – 12pm
Where: Fullerton Park and Ride, 3000 West Orangethorpe, Fullerton, California

Here’s the information I received from the Orange County Transportation Authority:

Service Animal Trainers / Handlers of Orange County

The Orange County Transportation Authority will once again be providing public transit orientation training to service animals and their handlers / trainers on Saturday, October 3, 2009 at the Fullerton Park and Ride, 3000 West Orangethorpe, Fullerton, California.

Buses will be departing every thirty minutes on the hour and half hour beginning at 8:00 am, with the last bus leaving at 1200 noon.

All service animals and handlers/trainers are encouraged to attend.

During this event, you will have the opportunity to apply for a No Fare Identification Card (this is not a requirement). The No Fare Identification Card identifies the animal as being in training and the handler/trainer is not required to pay a fare when boarding the bus. The fee for this identification is $2.00.

Please contact event coordinator, Pam Peters at 714-265-4387 or ppeters [at] octa [dot] net with any questions.

I look forward to seeing everyone at this event.

Pam Peters
714-265-4387
ppeters [at] octa [dot] net
Instructor, Operations Training
Orange County Transportation Authority

So not only is OCTA offering this great service to allow us to ride their buses with our animals for the day, but they are also giving us the opportunity to apply for a No Fare Identification Card.  That’s awesome!  I can’t wait for this years event.

Service Animal Training – Puppies On Buses

I rarely ride the bus or any form of public transportation.  The OCTA’s Service Animal Training program is a great opportunity for Guide Dog puppy raisers to introduce their puppies to the bus.  Last year was a lot of fun.  We got to experience the bus ride, walking around with other people training guide dogs, and walking around the outside of Knott’s Berry Farm.  Not only that, but we also got to meet many different people and dogs.  We saw dogs from several other groups including Guide Dogs of America, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Canine Companions for Independence, Guide Dogs of the Desert, Therapy Dogs International, and many other groups.  We even came across a man who was training his Vizsla to be a Cadaver Dog.  The OCTA training was a great experience for both me and my puppy Derby.

Unfortunately this years Service Animal Training coincides with the GDA Partners Awards Dinner.  Hopefully our friends at Guide Dogs of America will have time to attend both events this year.

If you have a service animal we’d love to see you at this years OCTA Service Animal Training.

Have you attended this event in the past?  How was your experience?

A final note, this event takes place the first Saturday in October in case you want to put it on the calendar for next year.

Filed Under: Dog Events, Featured Tagged With: , , ,

Is It Time For Pet Insurance?

August 19, 2009 By 3 Comments

If you know me on a personal level then you’ll know that I love to research products, services, including something like Pet Insurance before purchasing.  Most people would not even consider not having health insurance for themselves or their family.  My mother being one of those people has instilled in me the importance of health insurance and how you can never be over prepared for your next accident.  Health insurance is very important for me because I love to play sports like hockey, tennis, golf and love the active lifestyle.  This is very healthy as far as being well conditioned, but it also wears on your joints and there’s always a possibility of injury even more so as you get older.

Why Pet Insurance?

Now that I’ve discussed health insurance for people why not Pet Insurance for your dog, cat, or other favorite pet.  Many pets are just as active and susceptible to injuries as humans.  Pets will also succumb to certain health issues as they become older.  And if any of you have visited the veterinarian recently you’ll know that vet bills are almost if not just as expensive as your regular doctor.

I guess your probably wondering why are we talking about Pet Insurance today.  Well, Stetson has had a skin irritation for a while now.  He’s been treated three times over the past year and his rash/skin allergy comes and goes.  We decided to visit a different vet to see if we could nip this little allergy in the bud.  While we received good news, medication and information on how to control Stetson’s allergy our 30 minute visit to the vet cost us nearly $200…and that was for something I’d consider very minor.  Just think if we had a major incident…surgery for elbow or hip dysplasia, broken bones, torn ligaments…the list can go on and on.

So now we’re researching Pet Insurance.  And what better place to start then a post to the blog.  We’d like to hear what you think about pet insurance.  Do you have Pet Insurance?   Who’s your provider?  Why did you choose them?  Let us know in the comments section below.

Filed Under: Dog Medical And Safety Tagged With: , ,

Puppy In Training Blog Carnival #12

August 18, 2009 By 1 Comment

Welcome to the 12th edition of the puppy in training carnival.  There are quite a few posts in this edition of the blog carnival.  We tried to separate into categories to hopefully help you find the links your looking for.  Thanks everyone for the submissions and remember that only one submission per carnival per blog.  Thanks!

Canines

Jake presents The All-Natural Diet for Dogs: Three Questions and Answers posted at Dog Training Pet.  Great article on dog food.  By the way, I feed my dogs Natural Balance and my pups are gaining weight.  Anyone else notice this with their dogs?

Robin presents Professional Dog Walkers posted at Your Dog Supply Blog.  Some good reasons why you should walk your dog and why you might need a professional dog walker.

Marina presents Loving Standard Poodles posted at Dogs Info Planet.  We have a few standard poodles in the guide dog program.  They are very intelligent dogs.

Debbie Foster presents Why Spay and Neuter posted at Pet Prattle and Products.  Check out the statistics posted about spay and neuter and how quickly dogs and cats can reproduce.  A real eye opener.

swapnil warang presents switch2life: Funny Animals………..Part 3 posted at switch2life.

John Phillips presents Uno, Westminster Kennel Club, and Animal Employment Protection Act | The Word posted at The Word, saying, “Are you aware of Animal Employment Protection Act?”  Check out the youtube clip on the Animal Employment Protection Act.

Sue Vinsant presents Dog and Man…A Brief Look Back « posted at A Dog Lover’s Blog.  Check out A Dog Lover’s Blog to find information on the history of dog and man.

Dog Training

00FF00 presents Basic Pet Care – DOGS posted at ooffoo, saying, “A member of the ooffoo community and ex-animal-shelter-worker has created an extensive guide to dog health, care and training.”

Pet Products

Jeffrey F presents Best Rated Vacuum for Pets Hair Miele, Not Dyson | Who Moved My Bone? posted at Who Moved My Bone?.  Hmmm…this could be my next vacuum as I know a Bernese Mountain Dog can put any suction device to the test.  I currently have an 8 month old Dyson that is still going strong, but maybe I’ll try the Miele if the Dyson cuts out.

Puppy Training

Jake presents How to Stop a Puppy from “Nipping” posted at Dog Training Pet.  Nipping can be a real problem with puppies.  Check out this article for some information on how to remedy puppy nipping.

Valerie Mills presents Are YOU Training Your Dog or Is HE Training You (1 of 6)? posted at Designer Puppys, saying, “This is 1 of 6 blogs about training dogs using my puppy Alvin as an example.”  A great question as I’ve seen most dog owners are being trained by their dogs. This is part 1 of 6 in the series.

Thank you everyone for submitting your articles.  Please keep in mind to only submit one article per blog per blog carnival.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of puppy in training carnival using our Blog Carnival submission page.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our

blog carnival index page.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Dog Tagged With: , , , ,

Dog Skin Allergies – My Itchy Dog

August 17, 2009 By 16 Comments

Have you had to deal with Dog Skin Allergies?  This is my first dog that I know of with dog allergies.  I’m sure our past dogs may have had minor allergies that went unnoticed.  However, Stetson’s dog skin allergies are very irritating for him and definitely require the attention of a vet.

Stetson and Linus are so different in many ways.  People often say they look like brother’s, but if you look closely or are accustomed to distinguishing the differences in two breeds you’ll know they do not have the same momma or papa.

Stetson is a pure-bred Black Labrador Retriever bred for the Guide Dog program and career changed just over a year ago.  Linus is from the shelter and is presumed to be an Australian Shepherd mixed with possibly a Chow, maybe some Lab, possibly some Husky…we really don’t know.  He may be a good candidate for one of those breed identification tests.

There are many other differences, but today I wanted to talk about the difference in their health and visits to the vet.

Linus The Aussie Mix

When we first picked up Linus from the shelter he was very sickly and tired.  He was covered in fleas, anemic, had a stomach infection, worms, and basically didn’t want to move his first couple days home.  We cleaned him up, got him meds from the vet, and ever since he has been a very healthy dog.

Stetson the Labrador Retriever

Stetson came from a sterile environment and was perfectly healthy when we picked him up.  He did require the regular vaccinations (Linus went through the same series of vaccinations), but that’s where similarities ended.  Stetson has had at least four trips to the vet for ear infections, four trips to the vet for his dog skin problems, and two trips to the vet for injuring his foot.  While I don’t consider this a lot of visits it’s a steep contrast compared to Linus’s yearly checkups.

Dog Skin Allergies

That brings us to our visit with the veterinarian the other day for Stetson’s latest run in with his dog skin allergy.  As I mentioned earlier Stetson has already been to the vet several times for this dog skin condition.  In response we changed his food to Natural Balance Duck and Potato Allergy Formula. We thought that helped, but later this summer realized Stetson’s skin was red and irritated again…thus our latest visit to the vet.

Here’s what we were told about Dog Skin Allergies and Stetson’s condition.

  • No ear infections which commonly occurs from allergies – good news!
  • Red irritated skin and scabs are a result of allergies and bacteria setting in as a result of allergic reaction
  • Could be mites – Derby had Demodex also known as mange not long ago which was very nasty.  After looking under the microscope the vet said she didn’t see any mites, but they could still be causing the allergies
  • It’s probably not from his food since we have him on Natural Balance Duck and Potato Allergy Formula
  • The most likely culprit is fleas.  We’re not diligent about giving Stetson flea medication only applying his Frontline plus during the hot months.
  • She said it could be, but most likely wasn’t ring worms.  She checked under a black light and didn’t see ring worms.

She concluded that the skin allergies were most likely caused by fleas and recommended we keep Stetson on a strict flea prevention schedule.  She started us out with a flea and mite medication just in case the mites were causing Stetson’s allergies.

We went home with a topical medication called ProMeris and antibiotics called Cephalexin to clear up Stetson’s skins.  She Stetson should be clear of his allergies within a couple weeks and if not we have to head back to the vet.

Eeeeekkk…and the vet bill was almost $200…lucky for us a couple months ago we won a $200 gift certificate to our vet at the Orange County Super Pet Adoption at the Irvine Animal Care Center, but it really got us to thinking is it time to go Pet Insurance for Stetson and Linus?

Are you dealing with dog skin allergies?  If so, how do you treat it?  I’ve also actually heard that my aunt treats her dogs with simply a mixture of vinegar and water.  I’ll have to check in with her and find out how that works and report back.

Filed Under: Dog Medical And Safety Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
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