After my recent injury, long walks are difficult, I can’t quite bend over to pick up a toy, and my shoulder isn’t ready to throw a ball. So, Dash is bursting with unspent energy.
In desperation, I bought a Chuckit
As I write this, my tired dog is sleeping at my feet, rather than bouncing off the walls!
Do you have airline crates you’d like to mark with your name? I did. Rather than quickly handwrite my name with a marker, I wanted to make it look a little nicer. In an hour, I had two crates, neatly marked with my name and a graphic. Here’s how:
Supplies: craft knife, permanent marker (I used a chisel-point Sharpie), cutting board, tape, paper or transparent sheet, computer, and printer.
You’re all done!
Some friends of mine keep an attractive basket of neatly folded kitchen towels by the back door. They sit ready for muddy paws, grooming sessions, dog drool or accidents. The white towels are easily laundered, with bleach if necessary. Sensible and inexpensive, they are in constant use by this busy family.
The simplest ideas usually are the best!
It’s already dark when I get home from work, but Dash still goes right to the back door for a play session. I’ve taken a flashlight outside and thrown toys for him to retrieve, but that can be awkward. So, I dug around in the toy basket and found several glow-in-the-dark balls. After exposing them to the light for a few minutes, we’re ready to go.
Now that he can see the ball, we can play like we do in the daylight. I can toss the ball from hand to hand or throw it in an unexpected direction, and he doesn’t miss a beat.
I love watching Dash return to me with the ball in his mouth. All I see is this green orb, bouncing toward me out of the darkness. After a long day at work, that always makes me laugh!
Do you need to conquer the dark evenings with glow-in-the-dark toys? You can sometimes find flying discs that glow in toy departments or some sporting goods stores. Check at your local pet supply store, online, or in catalogs for glow-in-the-dark dog toys.
Most dog toys glow after a brief exposure to light. Others use a small battery, and generally flash or glow when bounced or shaken.
Caveats:
Enjoy those winter evenings!
Fall was in the air, and it was back-to-school for Dash. The dog bag was carefully packed, and inside, the longline was neatly hanked and tied. Even so, when I pulled it out in class, it tangled.
Sandy, our favorite clicker-friendly instructor, reminded me that I could both avoid a tangled longline and shorten my line for storage with one repetitive “weaving” motion. The instructions are below, for those who need a refresher (as I did) and for those who haven’t learned this handy trick. (The instructions are written for the right hand; please reverse if you’re a leftie.)
That’s it! Repeat this step until you get to the end of the longline.
Note: As you “weave” your longline, it will naturally make quarter-turns away from you.
To release the longline, just pull the last loop, and the line will easily unwind.
After you get the hang of the technique, you can make the “weave” tighter by just reaching through the handle with your left thumb and forefinger (rather than your entire hand). Grasp the longline closer to the loop and pull through enough to make a loop just big enough to reach through with your thumb and forefinger. You’ll use your right hand to help pull the loop over your left hand, as before.
If you want to make the final length even shorter, you can double your longline before you begin weaving it. Clip the leash onto the loop. You will “weave” your leash as above, but you’ll pull two thicknesses of longline through each loop. My 30 foot longline done this way becomes only 30 inches!
Dash and I were headed out for a walk yesterday, when I realized that I had no pockets for my key or even belt loops for a treat bag. My dog looked expectantly from me to the door, as I stood wondering where to put the potty bags, cell phone, key, etc.
So, I switched to an extendable leash and tied a plastic bag to the handle to hold the things we needed on our walk.
Later that night, I packed a small fanny pack for future walks. I included:
For the cooler weather, I’ll probably add:
All I have to do is add my cell phone and I’m ready to go. I’ll have to replenish the pick up bags and treats as they are used, but it’s nice to be ready for a walk at a moment’s notice, no matter what I’m wearing!
Try packing your own dog walk bag. Besides a fanny pack, you could use a drawstring dog treat bag or a rock climber’s chalk bag. Both would clip onto your clothing or dog’s leash. Minimalists could use a jogger’s wristband or bag that attaches to your shoe laces. If you’re the creative type, you could make your own custom dog walk bag!
The Gaitway Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club put this thoughtful little kit in the exhibitor bags at a recent specialty. Everything fit easily in a snack-sized zip lock bag that was small enough to slip in your pocket, but comprehensive enough to solve many ringside woes.
It contained:
What a great idea!
Americans spend billions of dollars on their pets every year. Toys are a major player in the pet market. There are some budget buys, though. How about browsing the dollar stores for inexpensive toys for your dog?
In the pet section, I found tennis balls in various sizes, and name brand chew ropes. There are also lightweight latex squeaky toys that would be suitable only for non-chewers. Be mindful of your dog’s habits and decide what would be a suitable toy.
In the children’s toy section, I found a funny-feeling porcupine ball that I selected as a supervised toy. I wanted Dash to experience that funny, tickly feeling of this toy. I bought some water toys…some “water bombs”, a package of foam rubber balls covered in fabric that soak up water. Dash loves these in his wading pool. They also had long, flexible foam “noodles” for the pool which would have many uses for fun games and training.
Petco had a the “Squirt Ball” in their clearance aisle this summer that was a big hit with Dash. It’s a flexible blue ball you fill with water. When the dog bites the filled ball, it squirts water through tiny holes. Fun!
You can make your own tug/chew toy with a length of rope you braid and twist and tie into just the right size for your dog. Cotton rope would be gentler to your dog’s mouth than polypropylene. Alternatively, you could use old, washed tee shirts or blue jeans if you’re not worried about the dog thinking your clothes are chew toys. Your choice.
Frozen water bottles are one way to help cool a dog crate. I’ve been using them this summer to further cool my dog’s crate in my (air-conditioned) car. Select heavy plastic drink bottles; one liter bottles are a good size. Fill the bottle nearly to the top and freeze solid. Tie these bottles securely to the back or sides of the crate, especially if the crate will be in your car. Left loose, they could seriously injure your dog if you stopped suddenly or had an accident.
I would stay away from the rectangular plastic “ice substitutes” that are meant to be frozen and then placed in a cooler to keep food cold. If your dog is a chewer, the shape and texture of these packs would probably be appealing. While they often say “non-toxic” on the label, I wouldn’t want my dog ingesting that undisclosed liquid.
As always, please consider your dog and the situation. Is your dog a dedicated chewer? Is he addicted to empty soda bottles? You may want to find another way to keep him cool, or use the frozen water bottles with close supervision.
Love them or hate them, Crocs
Throw them in the washing machine, or use the hose and a soft scrub brush, and they’re clean and ready to go. If you’ve been around a dog with a communicable disease, or if you have puppies at home, Crocs can be sterilized in 1 part chlorine bleach to 10 parts water.
Okay, so I would dig out my forgotten tennis shoes if I was running a dog in agility, but for Rally-O I have my eye on a relatively sedate pair of navy Crocs!
The best thing about Crocs may be that they bring out the playful side of people. Life is so busy and serious, and it seems we’ve forgotten how to have fun. You can’t help but smile when you’re wearing shoes that look like lime green Swiss cheese.
