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By jnavary, July 15, 2011

Oh, the trials and tribulations of having a dog! Do any of these sound familiar?

Scenario No. 1:  It’s 5:15 AM, you are sound asleep and content in the knowledge that you can sleep in this morning. Suddenly there’s a whimpering sound next to you. You roll over and try to ignore the sound but it continues, unabated. Suddenly, you are struck on the shoulder by a huge paw. You open your eyes and see your German Shepherd, Maxie, looking at you with her soulful eyes. Maxie needs to go out! You consider the options:

a.) get up and let her go outside  or
b.) hope that you only have to clean up the kitchen floor since it’s vinyl, not carpet.
You make your decision, stumble out of bed, stub your toe on the bedframe, hobble to the back door, open it, and Maxie finally gets her relief.

Scenario No. 2: You are watching the Big Game on TV when Maxie lets you know that she wants to go outside. You walk to the back door, let her out, close the door and return to the TV to find that you missed your team’s incredible rally to take the lead. You settle in, disappointed but still happy that the game is going well. Suddenly, Maxie is barking and scratching at the back door. She wants back in. You get up, go to the door, let her in and return to the TV. Guess what? Your team is now losing. You missed the big play that gave the other team the lead. You mutter under your breath, glare at Maxie, and notice that Maxie seems to be laughing at you.

Scenario No. 3: The final episode of your favorite TV series will be on tonight. You simply can’t miss even a second of the thrilling conclusion to the season. Remembering the problems you encountered trying to watch the Big Game, you decide to leave the back door open so that Maxie can come and go as she pleases. You happily watch your show, uninterrupted for the full hour.  When it’s over you head for the back door and – yikes!  - a cloud of mosquitos, moths, and other indescribable flying insects are swarming around the overhead light fixture. You look at Maxie and could swear that she’s laughing at you again.

Dog Doors Can Be Quite Handy

You’ve had enough and decide to look into the possibilities of installing a dog door.

The Benefits of a Dog Door
With the addition of a simple flap installed in your back door, your dog will be free to come and go from your house. You will no longer have to wake up before dawn to let your howling dog out. Whenever nature calls, your dog will be able to use your dog door to get to your backyard without having to interrupt you. And, although it is not a substitute for walks and games of fetch, allowing your dog to go outside when it wants to run around will help your dog get at least some exercise.

The Problem with Manual Dog Doors
Unfortunately, there can be problems with dog doors. A manual dog door, with a simple plastic flap installed in a wall or door at ground level, can result in a host of problems. Although your dog would have the freedom to come and go, the dog door could also be opening your house up to anything else that can fit through it. Stray dogs and cats have been known to wander into houses through the open flap. Also, if you have a large dog, the hole may be big enough for a burglar to use it to gain entry to your house.

Magnetic or Electronic Dog Doors
Getting a  magnetic or electronic dog door can resolve many of the problems you may encounter with a simple entry flap. With an electronic dog door, the door remains securely closed until an infrared key attached to your dog’s collar opens it. Likewise, a strong magnet attached to your dog’s collar can  unlatch a magnetic door. Although these advanced designs are more expensive, an electronic or magnetic dog door will help ensure that it is only your dog that is entering your home. Indeed, some electronic dog doors may even be connected to a home security system.

Before you Buy a Dog Door…
No matter what type of dog door you decide to install in your home, you should consider the following:
*  For security purposes, you should look for a dog door that can be securely locked. If you already have one that cannot be properly locked, you may be able purchase a solid pane that can drop into place over the hole when you and your dog are going to be away from home.
*  Also keep in mind your local climate and the potential exchange of cold and warm air through the hole in your door or wall. If you live in a moderate climate where you do not have to heat or cool your home often, then this will not be a major concern. Otherwise, you should ensure that your dog door is properly insulated. This requires buying a heavier duty dog door that is insulated and seals completely when closed.

A properly selected dog door won’t resolve all of your dog-related trials and tribulations. However, it will enable you to resign from your part-time job as a doorman. Loss of that job is no great loss since Maxie didn’t tip very well anyway.

Petsmart has a variety of different styles of dog doors. Please click here to check them out.

RadioFence.com also has a nice selection of quality dog doors. Please click here to see their offerings. 

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By jnavary, July 1, 2011

House training is one of the areas of dog ownership that’s most subject to misunderstanding, confusion, and just plain dread!

Today’s post deals with one of the most common problems surrounding the issue of house training: submissive/excited urination

What is it?

A ‘submissive urinator’ is a dog that urinates on the floor and himself (and sometimes on you and any guests you may have!) in situations of extreme excitement or stress – like when you return home at the end of the day, or when he’s being told off.

Why does it happen?

Puppies are the usual candidates for submissive/excited urination, but it’s not uncommon to see adult dogs with the problem as well: usually, these are highly sensitive and timid dogs, and/or ones from a shelter/with a history of abuse (often these last two go hand-in-hand.)

When does it happen?

Wet Puppies Are Still Fun!

Situations when an excited/fearful dog is likely to urinate:
- Greeting time after a prolonged absence- Play time
- The arrival of guests
- Stressful situations at home, eg arguments
- During a correction (you’re telling him off)
- Sudden loud noises (thunder, fireworks)

What can I do about it?

Fortunately, it’s not difficult to “cure” your dog of his submissive/excited urination.

First of all, you should take him to the vet to make sure there’s no medical reason for the issue (like diabetes or a bladder infection.)

Next, it’s time to take control of the problem:

- Limit his intake of water to help him control his bladder more effectively. Don’t restrict his water intake over a prolonged period of time, but if you know there’s a situation coming which would normally result in urination – for example, you have guests coming over, or are planning on a play session soon – take his water bowl away for a period of time (maybe half an hour to an hour) before the event.

- When greeting your dog, keep it calm and mellow. The more excited he is, the harder it is for him to control his bladder, so don’t encourage him to get worked up: ignore him for the first few moments, or give him a neutral “hello”, a quick pat, and then go about making yourself at home.

- It’s important that you DO NOT punish or harshly correct your dog for this behavior. It’s not something that he can easily control, and he’s certainly not doing it on purpose. When you catch him in the act, you can interrupt him (a firm “No!” followed by praise when he stops should suffice) but don’t punish him. Keep your cool, and try to be sympathetic: he doesn’t mean to do it, after all!

- If he urinates out of fear (submissiveness) when scolding him for another offense, try to take the stress levels down a notch by keeping a firm, authoritative, but not angry tone. Remember, you’re dealing with a sensitive, highly-strung dog: if you get angry or worry him further, the problem will worsen.

For more information on how to successfully house train your dog (as well as a whole bunch of in-depth information on house training troubleshooting and related issues) you’ll probably want to check out The Ultimate House Training Guide.

It’s the complete dog-house-training guide. The Ultimate House Training Guide and comes highly recommended.

You can visit the The Ultimate House Training Guide site by clicking this link:

http://bit.ly/dogburg

TOMORROW: Common House Training Problems – Part Two

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By Cari Haus, June 1, 2011

I always thought it would be hard when something happened to Zack, our 9-year-old Golden Retriever. He was well-mannered, loving, gorgeous, and truly a “member” of our family. What I didn’t anticipate was how soon something would happen, or just how hard it would be.

Although my parents had Collies as pets, dogs were never allowed in the house. Things were different for Zack and my own family, however. We not only let him in, we took him with us on rides, hikes, school picnics, church programs, and just about anywhere else a dog was allowed. Although rather rambunctious as a puppy, Zack eventually settled down and matured into what my husband called the “Elder Statesman”. With his graying muzzle and friendly ways, Zack found his way into the hearts of just about everyone he met.

I remember the day Zack disappeared as though it was yesterday. He went for a little tromp in the woods with our other dog, and simply didn’t come back. We live in the country, and there is a stream not too far from our house where the dogs loved to wade. There were also deer to chase, and a small pond nearby where, if the dogs were lucky, they could scare up a Canada goose. Sometimes I wish we had put up a fence for the dogs, but they loved to run and we hadn’t had any problems.

It was late in the day when I got home from work and found out that Zack was gone. My husband had to leave for work, so I sent my two teenage boys through the woods in a circle, calling in vain for Zack. But our beloved retriever, aka Zackie, Sad Zack, and a zillion other fond little names, never came home. We posted pictures all over, offered a reward, combed through the woods, banged on doors and called every vet and animal shelter in the area not once but many times—but never did find our “puppy”.

It’s been 8 months now since we lost Zack, and our family has learned a lot from the experience. We all grieved in different ways. I cried for what seemed like a whole week. My husband felt like a black cloud was hanging over our house. My sons didn’t shed any tears that I saw, yet I caught them tromping aimlessly through the woods more than once, and both were willing participants in the many rides we took looking for Zack. Through it all, I feel like I learned some very interesting things.

Lesson #1: Others Could Share Our Pain

Through this experience, I have learned that there are an awful let of dog lovers out there. People I don’t even know share my pain, for many of them, like me, have lost a beloved pet. I have been a dog lover for as long as I can remember. As a child, when I was in trouble with the rest of the world, I would often literally go into the “doghouse” with our Collie. He was always glad to see me, and no matter how unloved I might have felt at the moment, he never seemed to care. I always knew that I loved dogs, and that others did too. But I was amazed at the depth of emotion people showed when I told them about Zack. As much as losing him hurt, it helped to know that others cared and connected with what we were going through.

Lesson #2: It’s Amazing What You Will Do for Your Dog!

I hate knocking on doors. I hate meeting people I don’t know, and I certainly don’t like sharing my emotional pain with a stranger. Yet this is exactly what I had to do while looking for Zack. If somebody reported a dog that might have been Zack, I hurried over to the neighborhood with flyers and made the rounds. I was completely out of my comfort zone, but at that point, really didn’t care.

Lesson #3: This Could Be Much Worse!

I would never minimize the pain of losing a pet. Yet one night as we were talking about Zack and how much we missed him, my husband said something that really struck home.

“Losing a dog is so terrible—but think how people must feel when their child is missing!” We just heard on the news about those poor parents whose girl disappeared on her senior class trip. We were starting to understand what it meant to have lack of closure, to accept that we might never know what happened. This seemed like a very difficult thing for us—and yet, as sad as we were over Zack, it would be so much worse in the case of a missing child. And I really began to feel empathy for others who had a loss with no closure in ways I could never have fathomed before.

Lesson #4: You Never Stop Looking

Just this week, a friend told me she saw a dog running by the side of the road about 5 miles from here—a dog that looked just like Zack. He was an older Golden Retriever, male, with graying muzzle. I wish with all my heart she would have stopped and picked him up, but she said she couldn’t—she was taking her Dad to the doctor and just couldn’t do it.

So today I found myself in a nearby post office, posting a flyer about Zack once again, and explaining the situation to yet one more sympathetic postmaster. In the health food store, I met a lady who once again shared my pain. She had lost a pet monkey in Brazil. She said they traced him for blocks and blocks—but the trail finally left off at a bus stop and they never saw him again.

It seems like a slim chance that we will ever find Zack. My husband has given up, so I’m the only one looking. Yet when I called once acquaintance who lives where the golden was sighted, she confirmed that there had indeed been an older male Golden Retriever in their yard just a few weeks month ago. He was a large male, with a graying muzzle–a very nice dog, she said. I don’t know if that dog, or the other ones like him that I have missed by just a few hours, are Zack. In some ways, life has got to go on.

We have a new dog now, a gorgeous stray Golden Retriever / Saint Bernard mix that somebody thought might be Zack. The people who found him said he was too nice to take to the pound, but they already had three dogs. We fell in love with him right away, and he’s now an important part of our family. But somewhere, deep in my heart, there’s a special place that only one grand “Elder Statesman” can fill. Which is why, when someone nearby says they saw a gorgeous older male golden wandering around, I still go looking for Zack.

Cari Haus, CPA and entrepreneur, sells log furniture on her website, http://www.logcabinrustics.com