• One thing you want to make sure about is that your dog or cat are wearing ID tags and that the besgt and safest place for them is indoors.
• Don’t leave your dog or cat out in the yard – there are plenty of stories of vicious pranksters who have harmed pets on Halloween – especially black cats.
• Candies are definitely not good for your pets – both cats and dogs. Chocolate is poisonous and tin foil and cellophane wrappers can be hazardous if swallowed.
• If you are putting a costume on your dog, make sure that it isn’t constricting or unsafe. Be careful not to obstruct the pet’s vision. Even the friendliest and sweetest dog can get snappy when he doesn’t see what is going on around him.
• It is not a good idea to let the family dog accompany your children on their trick-or-treat mission without the company of an adult. Children may a have difficult time handling the pet with so many others around.
• Keep decoration that your pet could chew on – like streamers, spider webs, wires and cords – out of reach.
• Place live flame decoration like candles and jack- o’-lanterns out of your pet’s reach. Curious critters risk being burned by the flame – and they could easily knock over a candle or pumpkin and cause a fire.
• It is a good idea to keep your pet in a quiet place, away form trick-or-treaters and other Halloween activities. Dogs and cats are creatures of habit and could easily become frightened or agitated by the strange sights and sounds of costumed visitors.
• And once more – make sure your pets is wearing ID tags – all it takes is an opened door and attention to elsewhere to find yourself searching for your pet.
• And if you cat or dog will be outside, make sure that they are visible to others – reflective or flashing collar or a tag will fo the trick.

Have a happy and safe Halloween and remember that your comments are always welcomed here!

Good dog parenting is all about:

1. Health and Safety
2. Setting realistic goals
3. Being consistent
4. Using non-violent discipline
5. Stimulating mental and physical growth with play and exercise
6. Making sure your dog has has quiet time and a place to get away from it all

Health and Safety:

Successful training does depend on you and your dog’s development skills – but his health must always be first. Making an appointment with your veterinarian and having regular check ups is the key here.

Setting realistic Goals:

Older or larger dogs can;’t always do what younger of smaller dogs can do and visa-versa. Train at your dog’s individual learning rate and take his physical and emotional abilities into consideration.

Being Consistent:

A dog’s temperament and his ability to handle stress are directly related to his ability "predict the future". If you feed your dog at set times, play and walk at set times, groom and massage at set times, he will learn to relax and remain calm at other times. This doesn’t mean you should become a prisoner to a schedule ot that spontaneity is lost; dogs have to learn to roll with life’s ups and downs. It simply means that doing some things routinely through the day can dramatically improve his stress management skills.

Using Non-violent Discipline:

Some people think that using restrain and confinement is cruel and inhuman. Since positive training is all about flow, rather than physically competing with the dog, they question how restraint and confinement could even be considered. Restraining mean putting a dog on a leash. Confining means putting him behind a barrier such as a gate, exercise pen, fence or dog run. Think of a parent holding a child by the hand. Until the child becomes responsible, he or she must be protected. Similarly, until your dog is reliable and no longer running into the street. chewing up everything in the house or eliminating on floors or carpets, management is needed.

You can follow a step-by-step procedure of positive training for tethering that will not traumatize the dog in a least. Successful tethering eliminates the need for corrections because because the dog can’t get into trouble and it keeps everyone safe:

• Tie the dog’s leash to something so that it is flat on the ground
• Stand in the front of your dog and give him high valued treats so that being restrained is associated with something wonderful
• Progress to asking him to lie down (relaxed position) and the give him treats
• Gradually increase your distance and the duration before giving him treats

It would be abusive to tie a dog to something and allow him to exhaust or hurt himself trying to get free. That is why it is important to acclimatize your dog gradually and never leave him tethered if you are not in the same place.

Stimulating mental and physical growth with play and exercise:

Having fun and playing with your dog are the cornerstones of having the happiest, healthiest relationship with your dog. All training is a game and behaviors are tricks. If it’s not fun for you, it’s not fun for your dog.

Discipline means setting boundaries and enforcing rules. It does not mean enforcing physical punishment. The answer lies in learning the difference between correcting the behavior and correcting the dog. The deal you make with your dog includes no hitting, kicking, shocking, pinning or jerking. However, the dog must earn everything he wants. So rewards such as affection, tug games, fetch, going for a walk, getting on the furniture and so on, are given in abundance. Teach your dog to sit, lie down or stay or walk by your side, and if he does these things, he gets everything he wants. This is all done incrementally, beginning at kindergarten level and progressing to PhD.

Making sure your dog has has quiet time and a place to get away from it all:

Imagine having your senses constantly with the sounds, sights, touches and smells of the world!If you didn’t have the opportunity get away form it all once in a while, it could make you stressed and grumpy. It is important to keep training sessions short and play time structured for duration and intensity.

Final note:

Dogs are supposed to relieve stress, not increase it. Incorporating a practicing the above4 suggestions will help you achieve a safe and happy lifelong relationship of peace with your number one fan – your dog!

Finding Your Lost Pet

During the dog days of summer, many of us visit family, travel to the cottage or hike in the wilds – and we often bring family pet along for the fun. Unfortunately, sometimes the family pets take a vacation solo. An indoor cat may slip outside while the screen door is opened or the dog may dash out of the car at stopover.

Here are some tried-and-true ways – and some technological ideas – to help bring them home again.

Track Down Your Lost Pet:

• Check with everyone in your household. If no one has the pet, start looking. Search your home – room by room, checking in closets and closing each and every door after you, then thoroughly check the yard.
• Ask your neighbours to check in their houses, garages and decks. Ask for help to search the neighbourhood. Have everyone carry a cellphone and make sure that someone is at home to answer the house phone. Cats don’t usually roam too far so concentrate on a search nearby. Dogs often follow family routes so check these first.
• Call local veterinary clinics, shelters, rescue groups and pet-grooming shops.
• Run an ad in your local paper for several days and check founds pet ads as well.
• Ask the local radio station and TV station for help as well
• Make a poster, post it in your neighbourhood and fax or email  it to shelters,vet clinics, groomers and pet stores.
• If you don;t find your pet within 24 hours, visit local animal shelters and impoundment facilities. Phoning is not enough, you need to see for yourself. Bring photos and proof of ownership with you and visit every other day for at least two weeks.
• Don”t give up hope after a few days – many lost pets are found weeks, even months later. To keep your pet file active at most animal shelters, you should call back every week

Keeping Tabs on the Road:

• Make sure your pet is wearing identification tag with your phone number or the number of someone who can reach you.
• Pack colour photos of your pet, his medical and vaccination history, copies of any prescriptions and registration papers if your pet is a purebred.
• List your pets statistics: ÍD numbers, breed of animal, age, sex, weight, shoulder height, eye and nose colours, type of ear, tail and collar, any distinctive marks or scars; coat length, type and colour.
• Seal your paperwork in a plastic bag and put it in a glove compartment of your vehicle. And make sure everyone on the trip knows where it is.

Helpful safety information:

1.Tags:

Most municipalities have mandatory dog licencing. Attach the licence tag, the annual rabies tag and tag with your phone number to teh dog’s collar. And always keep the collar on.

2. Permanent Markers:

In co-operation with animal shelters and veterinarians, some communities have pet tattoo ID programs for dogs, cats and rabbits. Check your local area businesses for this relative low cost safety feature.

3. Microchips:

Your vet can inject a small, computer coded microchip (about the size of a grain of rice) under the loose skin of your pet’s neck. Animal shelters and most North American veterinary hospitals have scanners that can read almost all manufacturer’s microchips, whether you are at home or across the continent. Ask your vet to check if the chip is readable during regular visits.

4. A Very Wide Net:

Internet based program operates in partnership with the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies and is designed to augment – not replace – other ID. For a low one time fee, owners can register pets on http://www.petlynx.net. Anyone can place a found pet ad – that is always free or lost pet ad. The program will search files for match. Some Canadian shelter will register all incoming found animals on regular basis.

I do hope you will not loose your pet this summer – or in the future. But if you do, following these tips will definitiely be of help!

Here are a few basic First Aid Tips:

• Cut or Wound:

Symptoms: Broken skin and/or bleeding

What to do: Flush with tap or bottled water to clean and apply pressure until bleeding stops

• Broken Bone:

Symptoms: Exposed bone and/or limping

What to do: Do not apply pressure to the affected area, transport to the vet in a carrier

• Heatstroke:

Symptoms: Panting, Unconsciousness, Hot to the touch, Loose bowels, Seizures

What to do: Apply or drape with cool, damp towel, encourage pet to drink cool (not cold) water, use a fan to help cool the pet, transport to the vet ASAP

• Insect bite or bee sting:

Symptoms: Swelling, Itching or scratching, Facial or eyelid swelling, hives

What to do: If irritation doesn not stop within couple of hours, take to the vet to have your pet checked for allergic reaction

• Burns:

Symptoms: Missing hair, weeping sore, licking or worrying

What to do: Do not touch affected area, take to the vet immediately for treatment and pain control

• Porcupine quills:

What to do: Do not attempt to remove quills, take to teh vet immediately

• Poisoning:

Symptoms: Vomitting, Diarrhea, Lethargy, Unconsciousness

What to do: Take to the vet immediately with a sample of ingested substance if possible

• Skunk spray:

What to do: Unless the pet shows allergic reaction, wash with pet shampoo or commercial skunk spray removal solution, rinse thoroughly

These are just a few tips -I will welcome any additional ones you may have – please share your experiences!

My baby

I love animals! Personally, I have a dog – little black toy poodle, named Mickey. And yes – if you guessed it – he is named after Mickey Mouse (but that’s another story) Mickey is now almost 13 years old, but acts like a puppy and it is true what they say about poodles: they are very smart and will quickly learn how to get you do exactly what they want you to do.

Mickey was a gift to me from my husband David – I used to have a cat named Cookie who quite unexpectedly had to be put to sleep because of kidney illness. I was more than upset by this – didn’t realize until then just how hard it was to give up an animal that was around for 16 years. David called his friend who was breeding poodles and we couldn’t believe what he told us. The day Cookie was put to sleep, one lonely little puppy was born to a poodle named Cuddles who wasn’t going to be bred anymore. To make it even more interesting, this little puppy had exactly same colourings as one David got for his mom from the same breeder 5 years earlier! They named that one Cuddles after her mother and unfortunately, this Cuddles passed away just a few weeks ago.

So we went to visit David’s friend 3 weeks later and there was no way I was going to go home without this tiny, tiny creature who has just started walking that day! He was so little, he sat comfortably in my pocket! He has been with us ever since and without a doubt is the best ever dog you could have around. And I did say he was smart- to give you an example – I thought him a grand total of 4 tricks: sit pretty, lay down, speak and dance. To get a treat, I would ask him to do his tricks in random order. Didn’t take him long to figure out how to get his treat faster – one day, I pulled out his treat form the back, he quickly ran up to me, sat down, then immediately laid all the way down, then barked and then he spun around few times. Ended it with sitting down with head to the side, looking at me as if to say : “there you go – now hand it over!”

I will have more stories and more pictures about my best buddy – and I would love to hear other stories about your pets – if you have a poodle as well – please confirm that they are the smartest and best ones!