Respect Thy Neighbor

Being a dog owner is not all that different than being a parent in many ways. One of those ways is seeing the faults in others parenting skills, while your children are perfect. I would have to admit to a little of this myself. My spoiled creatures are certainly allowed to get away with things in my home that other people find unacceptable. This can be difficult when asking others to accept your dog into their home whether it be during a visit while you are present or to watch your dogs while you are away. That is where good training can come into play. A dog that knows what “off” means, can be told not to get on the furniture in another home and usually will quickly learn the rules of that home. A dog that tends to bark when nervous can be taught new ways of coping with fear of strange places. Not only is this better for those around you, it is better for the dogs overall well being.

Too often, dog owners are not clued in to actions or behaviors that they may find perfectly acceptable (or cease to even realize are happening) while the behavior is unacceptable to others. Barking, for example, is a big one. I know a lot of dog owners who have simply tuned out the noise of their dog. They will carry on a conversation or about their business while their dog is barking incessantly in the background. Incessant barking is not really acceptable under any circumstance. A happy, content dog does not bark incessantly. Even if the dog is barking out of extreme happiness, it does not go on and on and on. Yet, many owners do not know how to handle the barking and simply choose to ignore it. If your dog barks constantly, chances are, someone else is hearing it too.

Another important behavior to watch out for is a dog approaching another dog. Not all dogs like to be approached by other dogs, even when neither dog is aggressive or means harm. Some dogs just like their space and will come toward the other dog when they are ready. As an owner of a dog who likes what I call a “controlled” introduction, I have to be on alert at all times that another dog is not invading Luey’s space before he is ready. Having the finicky dog, I accept this as part of taking him places and I am very aware, but I can get distracted. Often times, Luey is accepting of a new dog, but every now and then, Luey will need to tell the dog off and how the other dog and owner react is always a guess. I must take responsibility for my dog in these situations, but just as a child is taught to first ask permission to pet a dog, owners should follow this same advice when allowing their dog to approach and make contact with a new dog.

There are many other examples and I am sure those who know me and my dogs could say a thing or two about my habits, but that is not the point to all this. The point really is to try to be aware of how you and your dogs are affecting others. What might be okay to you, might not be to other people. Be aware of your surroundings and the people in them. When I am invited to someone’s house and they say I can bring my dogs, I fully disclose the personality of my dogs. Sometimes people are okay with it still, other times they change their minds about inviting the dogs. I respect that. I never want my dogs to be someone else’s problem. All I ask is the same respect in return.

Chew Treats

I am always on the search for a long lasting, healthy and safe chew toy. Neither of my dogs have ever been overly interested in Nylabones, though I do not know why. I think they are a great product and I have tried them all hoping to find "the one". Nothing against Nylabone, my dogs are just weird.

I felt especially challenged when Bailey, the puppy, was very young. He was having some digestive issues anyway, so I avoided anything that might upset his stomach. But he was also an aggressive chewer, so most chew treats safe for puppies lasted all of minutes. I finally tried hooves and they proved to be long lasting, did not splinter, did not upset any tummies and most importantly, my puppy loved them. Both of my dogs are chewing on hooves as I type this. My biggest problem with hooves is finding large ones. When I find them, I stock up. It helps that they are relatively inexpensive.

Now that Bailey is a little older, digestive issues solved, bully sticks are a favorite as well. These do tend to last if I buy the really long ones and limit their time with them. They are expensive, so they are more of a treat than something I keep around for daily chewing. The puppy will chew on a natural bone without the need for stuffing (most of the stuffing in those bones looks artificial and nasty) but the older dog, Luey, is not a fan. However, I have recently come across the stuffed natural bone by Red Barn. I love the Red Barn products already and now they have this great stuffed bone. It is an all natural bone stuffed with ground up bully stick. Both dogs are attracted to the bully filling. The filling is not easily removed, they have to work at it and with the larger size bone, they cannot lick it clean in one sitting. They are expensive, but last longer and hold their attention longer than any bone I have tried in Luey's 41/2 years of chewing.

Not that finishing anything in a sitting is much of a problem for my short attention span wild ones. We are apparently done with the hooves and now it is time to wrestle. This usually results in a game of tug of war with the nearest toy and ultimately, the death of the toy as its seams split and it is promptly de-stuffed.

Probably time for some intervention. So give the Red Barn bones or any other of their products a try and let me know what you think.

Are People Still Leaving Their Dogs In Cars On Hot Summer Days?

Unfortunately, the answer is Yes. A co-worker shared this story with me just this week that she heard from a mutual friend. Our friend went to a local (Tampa, FL ) restaurant for lunch with her friend and they spotted a dog in a car, a window slightly cracked. This is not the type of restaurant you go to for take out and being dog lovers, the women were very concerned. I should mention we are already experiencing a nice hot summer here in Florida and this was mid day, easily in the high 80's. Fortunately, one women's husband works with the police department and she made a call. Within minutes, an officer met them in the parking lot and immediately went in to find the owner of the dog. The women wandered into the restaurant and found the officer talking to two people at a table. They all went outside and a few minutes later, only one of them came back in, retrieved some to go boxes for their food and left.



This story has a happy ending. They do not all end well. According to mydogiscool.com,



- Even on seemingly mild days, an enclosed car can be deadly. In a Stanford University study, when it was 72 degrees outside, a car’s internal temperature climbed to 116 degrees within one hour.

- Enclosed cars heat up quickly. In a study by San Francisco State University, when it was 80 degrees outside, the temperature inside a car rose to 99 degrees in 10 minutes and 109 degrees in 20 minutes.



If you see a dog in a car you can call your local police department or animal control, especially if the animal looks distressed already. You may also be able to find the owner of the dog/vehicle in nearby businesses.



I am not in the habit of leaving my dogs in the car for any reason, so I am not sure what people are thinking when they do this. I also thought everyone was aware of the dangers, but apparently not. Please help educate the public on this often tragic practice by going to http://www.mydogiscool.com/ and learning more. There are even free downloadable posters you can print and distribute.

What is your dogism?

ism
Pronunciation: \ˈi-zəm\
Function: noun
Etymology: -ism
Date: 1680
1 : a distinctive doctrine, cause, or theory
2 : an oppressive and especially discriminatory attitude or belief

Concise definitions from Merriam-Webster, yet so open to interpretation and affected by personal experience. Focusing on definition # 1 (wishing to ignore definition #2, but knowing I will have to address it eventually) I asked others “What is your dogism”?

Having no idea what to expect and struggling with my own personal dogism, I was pleasantly surprised to see common underlying themes. Unconditional Love and Companionship. Maybe a little cliché, but so true. One dogism expressed “pure love… all the time” while another suggested that we humans could learn a thing or two from our dogs about the concept of unconditional love. Then there was the classic “I wish I was as wonderful as my dog thinks I am”.

One dog owner wrote “Dogs are the best foot warmers on a cold night, or any night for that matter!”. To me, that dog owner is not really looking for warmth, but the comfort a dog brings. Probably my favorite so far is “Have fun with your dog!”. It really can be as simple as that.

So What Is Your Dogism?

Please share with me here, or email sharewithus@yourdogism.com.
Check out all dogisms at www.dogism.com and click on Paw Pages for dogisms, photos and more!