New Puppies

Happy New Year!!!!!  Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. 

Did you get a new puppy for Christmas?   Is he  soooooo cute?  A puppy is great fun to play ball with cause he chases it and sometimes will even bring it back to you.   Follows you all over the place, don't even need a leash.  He is always kissing and loving on you.  Great fun having a new puppy.  Until the terrible three-month stage.

A Christmas puppy will reach this stage about the end of January, then the troubles begin.  He will start asserting some independence that may translate to growling if some one approaches the food bowl or  tries to take a stolen item from him.  By four months, he is darting out the doors, stealing snacks from tables or even from children.  By five months, he is large enough and strong enough to drag children and adults around when on leash.  By six months, he may have destroyed the furniture in a teething frenzy, eaten a dozen pairs of shoes, ruined carpets and drapes.   By this time he is wearing out his welcome, and he is not so cute anymore. 

Want to prevent all this.  Then do like my special person did.  Start teaching your new little friend from the moment he arrives home.  You see, us dogs don't know how to act like anything but a dog until you teach us the rules and good manners.  We are so happy then because no one is mad at us.  Teach us to understand your language (cause we don't know it).  Teach us what you like (cause we don't know what you like, cause we don't understand you).  We want to be loyal, affectionate, obedient and have a great relationship with our humans.

Lucky Dog Canine Training has a puppy kindergarten class for puppies 8 week to 16 weeks of age.

If your puppy is 16 weeks or older start him in the Basic Good Dog Manners Class.  My special person, Diann, sometimes lets me help with the Good Manners Class.  Cause, I am sooooooooooo good.

Christmas Safety Tips

Hello all my doggie friends; I want to tell you about some Christmas safety tips. Number one: Watch out for that Christmas Tree.  It is beautiful and looks good enough to eat, but those pine needles can get lodged in your esophagus, and really hurt.   Please don't drink the Christmas tree water cause it could cause  diarrhea.  What a mess.   Number two:  That mistletoe stuff humans always kiss under, well stay away from it.  Eating it could cause a drop in blood pressure, as wells as vomiting and swollen throat and mouth tissue.   Number three:  Watch out for the Holly and Poinsettias.  They are poison.  One mouthful could be deadly.   Have a Safe and Merry Christmas.   See you in 2008.   and the Gang.

Turkey Facts

Thanksgiving day......man what great smells in the kitchen.  All of us dogs are in the kitchen, watching, smelling, salivating, anticipating the great taste of turkey.

Here are the Turkey facts:

• Turkey skin is high in fat.  It is hard for your dog to digest; it could cause pancreatitis.
• Turkey bones when cooked are brittle and splinter easily. If ingested, they can lodge in the esophagus or cause stomach or intestinal irritation.

If you feel like you have to share your turkey with you dog, give him just a small piece of white meat.  By the way, Diann always makes us work for it.  No freebees in our house.

Have a great Thanksgiving.

Bufo marinus - A Frog That Can Kill Your Dog

Also known as 'The Giant Toad', Marine Toad, Cane Toad

Click Here to check out this frog; he is nothing to play around with.

Also listed on this page is a description of symptoms you would see in a dog if he came in contact with this frog. 

Doggie Ginger Cookies

I get a little nausea when I rides in a car.  Diann, she is my special person and trainer, gives me two Ginger Cookies to eat before we go for a ride.  Man.......what a life.....my ginger cookies and a ride in the car. Life can't get much better than that.

This is how she makes them.

Preheat oven to 350° and bake on a non-stick cookie sheet.

2 1/4 cups rice or rye flour                                                                                                                  

1/3 cup wheat germ

1 t baking soda

1 T powdered ginger

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg

3/4 cup applesauce

1/4 cup olive oil

Combine dry ingredients in large bowl.  Mix together egg, molasses, applesauce and oil in another bowl.  Combine with dry ingredients and mix well.  Drop by teaspoonful onto a baking sheet. Press cookies lightly with a fork and bake about 10 minutes.  Cool on rack and store in refrigerator in airtight container.

Replace Bad Behavior with Good Behavior

People are always telling their dog, "No, no, no." or "Stop that".  Well, what's a dog suppose to do?  The dog stops, and does something else; what happens, "No ,no, no".  What if when Rover is doing something we don't like, we just tell him what to do instead of what not to do. For example, Rover is running in the house knocking thing over. Say "Rover go to your bed and lie down", then give him a chew toy or it could be something like "Rover sit", as you give him a chew toy, "Rover, go to your bed". Replace the bad behavior with a good behavior.  Both of you will be happier for it.

Dogs do not misbehave to get back at you

Rover just chewed up your brand new shoes. Did he do this out of revenge for not taking him for his walk this morning? The answer is no.  He may have done it because he is board or they just smelled good, but not as a payback.  Only humans think this way not dogs.

Pet-friendly shelters in Polk County Florida

Good News, Polk County now has several pet-friendly shelters; they are as follow:

	Haines City  ------    Alta Vista Elementary;801 Scenic Highway
	Eagle Lake   ------    Lake Region High School; 1995 Thunder Road
	Lakeland     ------     Lime Street Elementary; 1225 East Lime St

Make plans now for you and your pet; hurricane season is here.  Don’t get caught at the last minute trying to put everything together.

Foods to avoid giving your dog.

According to The Whole Dog Journal there are foods we should not feed our dogs. 

They are as follow:

	Onions
	Macadamia nuts
	Chocolate
	Caffeine
	Xylitol
	Grapes
	Raisins

Help your dog by not giving these foods to him or by letting him help himself.  Use good management by keep these foods out of his reach.

Most dogs love to ride in the car, however, your car can become a death trap for your furry friend. On days of 85° the interior of your car can reach 102° in ten minutes with the windows down. Do not leave your dog in the car, not even for five minutes. Leave him at home. He will not understand why he can’t go, but you do.
 

 When do I start training my puppy?

Start your puppy's training as soon as you get him.  Puppies are most receptive to learning between the ages of 7 weeks and 12 weeks.  Set up good adult dog behavior before bad habits begin.   Join a puppy kindergarten class with out delay.