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Puppy In Training TV – Ep5 – Halloween Dog Costumes And Dog Car Reviews

November 19, 2010 By 3 Comments

We know…Halloween is long gone and your mind is already focused on a Thanksgiving feast!  However, a few weeks ago we had great fun with our puppies and their Halloween Dog Costumes.  As you’ll learn in the video dog costumes and dress up can serve as an important part of our guide dog training.  On top of that Dublin and I also made a trip to the Orange County Auto Show.  We’ve gone to the Auto Show nearly every year for the past 10 years, but this is our first trip with a Guide Dog Puppy In Training.  Lucky for us we know this show inside and out and opening night, Thursday evening is not too crowded and great training for a young pup like Dublin.  Dublin also had the chance to review some of his favorite dog cars.

Episode 5 – Halloween Dog Costumes And Dog Car Reviews

Here’s this weeks episode of Puppy In Training TV.  If you’d like to sponsor an episode take a look at the Puppy In Training TV Sponsorship page.

Halloween Dog Costumes And Dog Car Reviews Transcription

Here’s this weeks transcription…Enjoy!

We’re here at the Anaheim Convention Center and we’re here to see the Orange County Auto Show.  This is Dublin and I’m Colby.  Welcome to episode 5 of Puppy In Training TV!

(Titles Roll): Puppy In Training TV Starring Dublin.  With Linus Aussie Mix Rescue.  Also Colby The Human.  And Stetson Career Changed Guide Dog.  Episode 5 – Halloween Dog Costumes And The OC Auto Show.

Happy Halloween everyone!  Dublin is here waiting in his lion dog costume to scare all the trick or treaters.  Welcome to Episode 5 of Puppy In Training TV.

We wanted talk a little bit about dressing up our puppies and what better way to start then with Halloween.  Dublin went as a lion and many of our other puppies in training dressed up for this past months meeting.  Our guide dog program encourages us to dress up our puppies for Halloween.  In puppy kindergarten we put clothes including socks, shorts, and shirts to let our puppies get used to handling their paws, ears, head, tail, and other body parts in different ways.  Dressing our puppies for Halloween serves the same purpose and most of the puppies seem to enjoy the added attention they receive when wearing their costume.

Not only did Dublin get the chance to wait at the front door and hand out candy to the trick or treaters, but we also recently visited the OC Auto Show.  If you’ve been following our blog at PuppyInTraining.com over the past few years then you’ll know we’ve been in search of the ideal dog car.  One of our favorites is the Honda Element.  Dublin likes the plastic and rubber interiors and I like how easy it is to clean out dog fur and keep out doggy odors.  There’s also a pet friendly version of the Element.

Toyota Venza is one of those vehicles that looks to be a cross between an SUV and a regular car.  We’ve heard about the Venza Pet Accessories, but the car we sat in seemed more like a luxury vehicle and less like a car suited for dogs.

Another SUV we’ve had our eye on is the Toyota FJ Cruiser.  Much like the Honda Element it had plastic floors and water and odor resistant seat materials.

Possibly our favorite car was the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited.  This is the foor door version of the classic Wrangler.  We like the fact that we could ride around with the top down.

Finally we didn’t want to leave out a green option…literally.  The Ford Escape is a hybrid vehicle and gets 30+ miles to the gallon.  The interior isn’t as well suited for dogs and you pay a premium for the hybrid model.

Of course the OC Auto Show was just as much about cars as Dublin’s Guide Dog Training.  We stepped outside for a little bit so Dublin could hear the skidding of a car at the test track.  However, he couldn’t seem to decide whether he was more interested in the skidding of the car or trash man to our right.

As I mentioned earlier the OC Auto Show was mostly about Dublin’s guide dog training.  Dublin picked up smells in the carpet and was able to spot little bits of paper and food from a mile away.  So we worked on “Leave It” and “No” and did our best to keep his nose off the floor.

Here’s Dublin taking a break and waiting to hand out some of the Lexus brochures.

I spotted little specs of paper on the floor and as you can see so did Dublin.  So we went ahead and walked by the little specs of paper and worked on Dublin’s “Leave It” command.  We saw many great cars at the OC Auto Show, unfortunately our favorites got horrible gas mileage.  Maybe we’ll have to wait until next year for our perfect dog car.

Well everyone Dublin had some great experiences these past few days.  Including wearing his lion doggy costume, meeting lots of strange ghouls and goblins for Halloween, and visiting the OC Auto Show.  Thanks for joining us and we’ll see you next time.

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A special thanks to Gerry Morita for shooting video at the OC Auto Show.

If you’d like to sponsor an episode of Puppy In Training TV visit PuppyInTraining.com

Dog Costumes and Dog Cars Final Thoughts

I hope you enjoyed seeing Dublin and the other puppies dressed up in their dog costumes as well as our reviews of the pet-friendly dog cars.  Let us know if there’s any place in particular you’d like to see Dublin and I visit next.  I hope everyone is having a good holiday season and please don’t forget to check out our Facebook Fanpage and our YouTube channel.

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Halloween Dog Costume Contest

November 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment

I know what your thinking: “Halloween was almost three weeks ago!  I’m already prepping my turkey and getting ready for Thanksgiving!”  I know, I know…but I just got an email about a Halloween dog costume contest and I’m sure plenty of you got some great photos of your puppies in costume this year.

Speaking of puppies in costume did I show you Stetson’s dog costume this year?

Stetson and I were lucky enough to get invited to the Orange County Guide Dog Halloween group meeting where the majority of the dogs were dressed up for Halloween.  Linus is not a big fan of dog costumes, so we didn’t dress him up this year.

Stetson’s Halloween Dog Costume

Dog Costume - Stetson the Angel Fan

Yep, that’s my boy.  We went eco-friendly this year and recycled some of our household items including a free Bobby Grich T-Shirt we received at the Angel game, a vintage 1980′s Angel baseball cap that we also received for free, and finally a rally monkey that we purchased at the Angel game several years ago.  Stetson and the other dogs thought the rally monkey was a dog toy, but had trouble finding the squeeker.

Back to the Halloween Contest I mentioned earlier.  Here’s the information:

We know that Halloween is over but we’re still reveling in leftover candy and photos of costumed pets.   Send us a photo of your pet dressed up for Halloween.  If we pick it as our favorite, we will send you a set of EatBetter and Drinkbetter bowls.  Hurry though, the contest closes November 30th.  Enter Contech’s November Photo Contest

We reviewed both the EatBetter and DrinkBetter Dog Bowls here on the Puppy In Training website.  If you want win your own set the rush over to the Contech’s November Photo Contest and submit your dog costume picture.

We’d love to see your Halloween dog costumes too.  Leave us a link in the comments section below or send me your images at ckmorita [at] puppyintraining [dot] com and I’ll put together a post with your Halloween dog costume.

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Hot Dog Halloween Costume Parade 2009

October 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment

I know, I know…I spelled it all wrong it’s not the Hot Dog Halloween Costume Parade. It’s actually the Haute Dog Howl’oween Parade.  Yep, a funny play on words, that can sometimes be difficult to spell when you’re trying to look up information on the internet.

Hot Dog Halloween Costume Parade 2009

What:
Haute Dog Howl’oween Parade

When:
Saturday, October 31st 2009 at 2:30pm

Where:
Livingston Park
4900 East Livingston Drive (@Park Ave in Belmont Shores)
Long Beach, CA 90803

This years Halloween Parade in Long Beach, CA falls on the perfect day: October 31st, 2009.  Well, maybe not so perfect if you have dogs you’d like to strut around at the dog costume parade and then later on need to get the kiddies dressed up for an evening of trick-or-treating.  It could be along day for some.

Lucky for me I have no kids and the Haute Dog Howl’oween Parade that seems to elude me every year will be on a date I can attend.  What does that mean for you?  More wonderful pictures on here at Puppy In Training.  Of course, I will do my best to get my mother the professional photographer to join me at the parade.  Unfortunately, neither Linus nor Stetson will be participating in this years parade.  Perhaps we will get them involved next year.

If you’re looking for some pictures from last years parade then check out:

Haute Dog Howl’owen Parade 2008

If you need more inspiration for your latest and greatest dog costume then go to:

6 Great Dog Halloween Costumes

If you want to learn how I made Derby’s Lion’s Mane Costume then go to:

How To Make Your Own Dog Costume

Come join us for the fun and excitement at the Haute Dog Howl’oween Parade 2009.

Have you ever been to a Dog Halloween Costume Parade?  If so, I’d love to see pictures of your favorite dog costumes.

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Check Out These Awesome Halloween Dog Costumes!

October 27, 2008 By 10 Comments

Halloween dog costumes have become quite the rage for the enthusiastic dog owner. Just a few years ago I wouldn’t have dreamed of dressing my own dogs up, but since I started volunteering with Guide Dogs of America I’ve become more involved with my own dogs and learned that there are benefits to dressing up your dog besides just letting your dog ham it up or get a good laugh or scare from your friends and family.

Why Dress Up In Halloween Dog Costumes?

Dressing your dog in a Halloween costume allows you to handle many parts of your dog including head, feet, torso, tail in ways you may never have before. This is important as a blind handler will use his sense of touch to handle his dog in many different ways. As a guide dog puppy raiser it’s important to get your dog used to being handled in as many different ways as possible including having them dressed up in Halloween dog costumes. Halloween dog costumes allow you to pull legs through arm holes, pull a t-shirt over head, or put those silly socks on your dogs paws.

Haute Dog Howl’oween Parade 2008

A few weeks back I put up the post Halloween Dog Costume Parade Coming Soon!. I was very excited to go to this Halloween dog costume event in downtown Long Beach, but unfortunately I had a conflict in my schedule and instead I was part of charity event (we raised a little bit of money for Guide Dogs of America) all weekend. Fortunately for me I got our roving reporter to go to the event and snap some photos and write up a little report on the excitement yesterday at the Haute Dog Howl’oween Parade 2008.

Without further adieu here’s our report from the Haute Dog Howl’oween Parade 2008:

I attended the Haute Dog Howl’oween Parade in Belmont Shore (Long Beach) yesterday and had a great time! After reading on their website that over 600 dogs participated in the parade last year, I anticipated this year would be about the same. I didn’t actually count the number of costumed doggies but I think the parade lasted about two hours. That’s a lot of dogs!

After finally finding street parking, my friend, her little Westie and I got to Livingston Park around 2:15 p.m. The energy there was off the charts. There were many vendors, adoption booths, dogs, their owners, and numerous spectators. Because the parade was set to start at 2:30, we decided to head straight to the parade route and would have to come back to the park later.

The main part of the parade route was along the north and south sides of 2nd Street (between Roycroft Ave. and Granada Ave). Now if you’re familiar with 2nd Street then you know that it’s a congested street as it is, but add a special event and there’s not much walking space on the sidewalks. But I think all this only added to the excitement! We found ourselves sitting curbside on the south side of 2nd Street where it was shaded.

As dressed up dogs and their owners passed us, my friend and I found ourselves laughing, squealing, and in complete amazement. Dog owners truly showcased their artistic ability and creativity and their dogs showed great patience. With the heat from the sun, from wearing their costumes, and too much stimulation, many dogs grew tired along the parade route. Some owners opted to stop midway through the parade due to their dogs’ exhaustion.

Here are some of my favorite costumes:

  • Surfing pugs on a wave float – my brother would have liked this one – Colby

  • Bulldog pilot – It looks like the bulldog Red Baron…where’s Snoopy? – Colby

  • Evel Knievel Chihuahua – looks like fun…is he riding on a backpack roller? – Colby

  • Princess Leia schnauzer – How can you not like a star wars costume – Colby

My most favorite costume of all: Flasher pug! – I like the little pug arms! – Colby

Once the parade was over, we headed back to Livingston Park to see what the vendors and adoption booths had to offer. There were various vendors selling doggie clothing, doggie costumes, leashes and collars, and treats. I was hoping to buy some doggie toys but was disappointed that none could be found. We missed the bulldog kissing booth that was held before the parade, but the Bobbing for Howl’oweenies booth was still open. Here Yuki, my friend’s Westie, took a look in the containers but wasn’t sure what to do.

Overall, the Haute Dog Howl’oween Parade was well organized and a very successful event. If you love dogs in costume, I highly recommend you attend next year.

I’m so sad that I missed the Haute Dog Howl’oween Parade 2008 :( but glad that some of my friends and family were there

Hopefully I can make it to the 2009 Halloween Dog Costume parade! Until then I’ll just have to live vicariously through pictures, friends, and family (my mom and sister were there too!).

Did you attend or participate in the parade? Your thoughts?

If you’d like to see more Halloween dog costumes check out some of my favorite costumes at: The 6 Best Dog Costumes On The Internet.

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The 6 Best Dog Costumes On The Internet

February 8, 2008 By 51 Comments

I know what you’re thinking…The Best Dog Halloween Costumes? In the middle of February? It’s not even close to Halloween! This is true, but I’ve been hording several dog costume images over the past couple years that I’ve been itching to get up on this site. If you’ve been reading my blog then you saw that Stetson was a Bumble Bee for Halloween. I also wore my Bumble Bee outfit on Halloween making us a swarm of bees. While I must admit, Stetson was an adorable bumble bee it pales in comparison to the originality of these costumes.

So here we are with the 6 Best Dog Costumes circulating on the internet. You can click on the pictures for a larger image (some are already at maximum resolution).

Number 6 – Spider Pug

Spider Pug

Spider Pug…Spider Pug…Does whatever a Spider Pug can do…Have you seen the The Simpsons Movie yet? For some reason I’m drawn to Spider Pug. I know…it’s not too original…and you might say “I’ve seen better”, but for some reason the right color coupled with perfect length spider legs makes me love this costume.

Number 5 – The Golden Lion

 

The Golden Lion

He could be Azlan from The Chronicles of Narnia…or he could be the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz. If you take a closer look he is part of our guide dogs of america group. You can see one of our guide dog puppy jackets on the left side of the picture. Bonus points for being a guide dog in training.  Inspired by this costume we took a shot at building our own lion mane dog costume for Derby.

Number 4 – Mini Knight And His Loyal Steed

 

Mini Knight And His Loyal Steed

This little guy reminds me of King Arthur, Excalibur, and the knights of the round table. I wish I could get my father’s cairn terrier into a similar costume, but unfortunately I don’t think the knight would survive the day.

Number 3 – Fluffy The Three-Headed Dog

 

Fluffy the Three-Headed Dog

If you’ve seen or read the first Harry Potter Book then you know all about Fluffy the Three-Headed Dog. Or maybe you’ve seen the Harry Potter Movies. Anyways, I’m sure the little boy in the picture got plenty of attention with his three-headed dog.

Number 2 – The Dog Legend Of Sleepy Hollow

 

The Dog Legend of Sleepy Hollow

How can this one be number 2. What a brilliant costume! It should be number 1. The Headless Horseman rides again…brings back memories of the recent Tim Burton movie The Legend of Sleepy Hollow with Johnny Depp as the odd Ichabod Crane and Christopher Walken as the Headless Horseman.  The headless horseman dog costume is definitely one of our favorites and I even see they have the costume listed on Amazon.com for purchase (however, not nearly as cool as the one in hits picture).

Number 1 – Snoopy! Watch Out For The Gator!

 

Dog Eaten By A Gator

I don’t really know if his name is Snoopy, but he is a Beagle. Why did I choose this one as the number 1 dog costume? It’s original, it’s humorous, it’s great!!! and it makes me laugh…An adorable Beagle getting eaten by an alligator.  This alligator dog costume would have gone great with Derby’s lion costume.  They do have some Alligator Infant/Toddler Costume
listed on Amazon, but I bet you could use your imagination and somehow make a similar dog alligator costume.

I hope you enjoyed the list. If you have any great dog costume photos please send them to me and I’ll try to post them on my next “Top List“. What do you think? Are these great costumes? Have you seen better?

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What’s Going On At This Puppy Training Blog?

October 17, 2007 By Leave a Comment

This is a Puppy Training blog about our journey as guide dog puppy raisers.  Most of the time we like to keep you posted about the latest puppy training tips, dog events, animal shelter and rescue information, puppy videos and pictures, dog toys and product reviews, and many other goings on in the wonderful world of puppies and dogs.  However, from time to time we may get a little personal…sorry for that.  Here’s a bit of information that’s going on in our life right now.

You may be wondering…”where have you been?” I haven’t written a post on this blog for over two months. I apologize. I ‘ll try to be more diligent with my posts to this site. Lets start off with Halloween which is right around the corner. Our last Guide Dogs of America (GDA) meeting was our annual Halloween meeting. Most of our dogs were dressed in costumes. It’s a good idea to dress your dog up for several reasons…first, your dog will be more tolerant to wearing different kinds of outfits on their head, feet, bodies (good for guide dogs because they will be wearing a jacket or harness for a good part of their lives)…and second, your dogs gets used to being handled by you.

Great Halloween Dog Costumes

Stetson the Bumble Bee

Anyways, here is a picture of Stetson in his bumble bee outfit. The other guide dogs in training should have their pictures posted on our local Orange County GDA website at http://www.ocgda.com. Our group did just recently purchase the domain name ocgda.com, so feel free to check out all of the latest Orange County Guide Dog information at our new ocgda website.

By the way, if you want to see some great dog halloween costumes check out The 6 Best Dog Costumes On The Internet.

Puppy Training Jobs

Who is Canine Companions for Independence. Taken straight from their website: “Canine Companions for Independence is a national non-profit organization that enhances the lives of children and adults with disabilities by providing highly-trained assistance dogs and ongoing support to ensure a quality partnership.” I heard about CCI about 6 months ago and read through most of the pages on their website and browsed several of their monthly newsletters. About two months ago I noticed the job description for Puppy Program Manager listed on their website. They actually had two Puppy Program Manager positions open up one in the Southwest (Oceanside, CA) and one in the Northeast (Farmingdale, NY).

I thought what a great position…managing volunteers who do the same thing I’m currently doing with Stetson. I live about 45 minutes from Oceanside and emailed my resume for that position. I do have management and volunteer experience, however I was not hopeful because I do not have volunteer management experience. Anyways, several weeks passed and I received a call from CCI requesting an interview.

Needless to say I was very excited. I prepped for my interview by reading through the entire CCI website and also going over my interview preparation books. I put on my suit and headed out to Oceanside. I was excited just to see the CCI facility let alone interview for a job. When I arrived they had me fill out an application and I interviewed with two of the program managers. They were very pleasant and easy to talk to. I would say I did okay in my interview, but nothing fantastic. There were several dogs walking around the office. I assume they were Puppies in Training like Stetson. After the interview I got home wrote a couple of Thank you notes and sent them back to CCI.

It’s been about 2 1/2 weeks since my interview and just yesterday I received a letter from CCI (a bad sign). It was a standard rejection letter thanking me for interviewing and giving me the good news (you have some great skills) bad news (however we are looking for someone who better fits the position). Unfortunately, not a happy ending for me this time…oh well, I was just thrilled to have the opportunity to interview for the position. I’m not sure if they are still accepting resumes, but if you are interested you can go straight to their jobs link on the CCI website at http://www.cci.org/national/jobads/jobs_at_cci.html.

Good luck to anyone who applies for a job and good luck to whoever the next Puppy Program Manager is for CCI’s Southwest office.

So that’s what’s going on in the life of a Guide Dog Puppy Raiser.  What about you?  How’s your life going?  Are you raising a puppy or working for one of the wonderful service or guide dog organizations across the country?  We’d love to hear what people are up to in the comment section below.

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