Treadmill Tips for Use
Treadmill Tips for Use
By now, most dog owners have heard about the efficiency of owning a treadmill for their dog but we thought we would list a few reasons where a treadmill would definitely come in handy đ
Okay, here is a list that we comprised where a treadmill could come in handy for your dog:
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- Before they go to see their doctor
- Before going to daycare or boarding facility
- When you canât walk them
- Extra exercise for high-energy or anxious pups
- Before a party youâre hosting starts
- To monitor limited, controlled exercise for pups with medical conditions
- Before fireworks start on the 4th of July and New Yearâs Eve (to name a couple of events)
- To socialize your dog with another dog (both walking on their own treadmills in the same room and under supervision of course)
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There are many treadmills to choose from treadmills designed solely for dogs to [human] treadmills that work, too. The dog treadmills are designed for dogâs safety in mind so theyâre definitely something to consider but if you canât afford an expensive treadmill, you can pick up a used one on Craigslist and never leave your dog unattended when he/she is on the treadmill.
Remember to make the treadmill exercise a positive, fun experience for your dog.
The Usefulness of Dog Backpacks
The use of a dog backpack is an awesome little tool for providing a harder workout in a much shorter amount of time. Plus, it gives your pup a job to do and they love that!
Using the Backpack for Workout Purposes
For high-energy dogs that come into our care for daycare or boarding, we increase their workouts by having them sport a backpack, if weâre taking them on a normal leash walk and provided they meet the health and physical requirements. The backpack is typically filled with either a) nothing, or b) items such as smaller water bottles. Just walking for 20 minutes with a backpack filled with two, small water bottles (one on each side), the dogs are very tired after the walk is over!
A Tired Bear
If youâre not sure how to get started for your pup, start by making sure that your pup is healthy enough to have increased workouts of this magnitude and doesnât sport any injuries by seeking your veterinarianâs advice.
Assuming your pup is healthy and able to wear the backpack, start first by getting him/her accustomed to it. You can do this by just having him/her wear an empty backpack around the house J When your pup is comfortable with it on, go for a short walk with your pup (just keep the backpack empty for your first walk). Depending on how well he/she does, you can increase or decrease the time, leave the backpack empty or add weight to it (again, itâs always best to consult your veterinarian on the limitations or restrictions that you need to be aware of for your pup if youâre unsure)!
Giving Your Pup a J-O-B!
Dogs love to have purpose! In fact, in a dog pack, everyone has a role to playâa purposeâso giving them a job is really something they would appreciate.
A job can consist of your pup carrying items around for you and bringing them to you command or simply having them wait or stay next to you until a project youâre working on is complete. Below are a couple of simple examples.
A. Letâs say you are in need of fixing a garden hose that has sprung a leak outside. Place a roll of duct tape in a pocket on one side of your dogâs backpack and a water bottle on the other side (you never know, you may get really thirsty for some reason). Have your pup follow you outside (always practice leadership) to where the infamous hose is, place your pup in a down/stay until you have fixed the evil leak. Just simply giving your pup a job to do even though it isnât physically exhausting will drain a lot of their mental energy because quite a few skills are being used just in this one simple exercise J
B. For this second example, letâs say that you have a lot of gardening to do (I guess I have gardening on the mind, which is funny because the âgreen thumbâ gene bypassed me!) and too many items to carry. While youâre carrying the garden tools (this goes without saying but sharp items should NOT be placed in your dogâs backpack for safety reasons), your pup could be carrying items such as gloves, water, collapsible dog bowl (so that your pup can be hydrated, too), seed packets, bags and things of this nature. As you work at weeding the garden and walking in between the garden rows, your pup will be following you. Or you can simply put your pup in a down/stay in a particular spot, and call your pup to you to bring you something when you need it. After he/she has completed the task, give them the command to go back to their spot and lay down/stay until the next time you call them. Hopefully, their spot will be a shady spot because wearing backpacks makes one hot. If you donât have a shady spot in your garden, or if youâre wanting your pup to follow you walking through the rows, then just make sure youâre only performing the activity for no more than 30 minutes (quite possibly even less than 30 minutes depending on the needs of your pup, weather, etc.). You can see the obvious skills that you will be using here in this exercise.
Both examples also strengthen you and your pupâs bondâa beautiful thing!
Another way the backpack can come in handy is if youâre busy working with your pup on breed exercises or other types of training such as SAR (Search and Rescue). If itâs raining outside and you need something constructive to do with your pup indoors to help deplete his/her energy, you can put some items in the backpack and have your pup bring them to you. This not only puts weight on him/her while moving but also gives a nice refresher on skills training using the commands such as âcomeâ, âwaitâ or âstayâ, âdownâ and whatever other commands you have taught or are teaching your pup. Again, it also enhances your bond with your pup.
Bear ready to go
Reminder Tips:
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- You need to make sure they donât have any physical limitations
- You want to make sure to decrease the amount of time you normally walk them while theyâre wearing a backpack (if you walk them typically 45 minutes per walk, start off walking them for 15 minutes with a backpack and increase slowly if necessary)
- Take a collapsible water bowl with you on your walks to make sure that your pup is stays sufficiently hydrated
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Spotlight: K-9 Medicinals
In an effort to do everything we can for our little Roscoe and his battle against Lymphoma, we purchased a product from a family-run company called K-9 Medicinals located in Carson City, NV (a product made in America). The product we purchased to help Roscoe’s immune system is K-9 Immunity Support Plus and its purpose is to build-up a dogâs immune system while fighting cancer or other such serious illnesses. Itâs important to note that healthy dogs can benefit from this product as well.
As far as tasting good to dogs, I can say that Lanai LOVES this stuff (we tried it on her to see if she would eat it), and she is one picky eater! I have been giving her one as a daily supplement the past week (this was also done to help entice Ross to eat it). Because the prednisone has really changed Rossâs appetite (itâs made him very finicky!), he will only take the supplement ground-up fine and mixed with baby food (chicken, beef or ham). Heâs only been on it for a few days so we really canât report any significant findings at this time. Weâre hopeful, however, that it will work as well for him as it has for the many fur-kids that are noted on their Testimonials pageâand soon!
For dogs that are in need of a joint support supplement, K-9 Medicinals also sells K-9 FullFlex. This product uses a stated âthree-pronged approach for complete joint supportâ which is as follows:
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- Reduces inflammation
- Supports cell regeneration
- Improves mobility
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With Lanai and Roscoe at the 10+ year stage of their lives, they need a little more extra nutrition that goes beyond giving them a wholesome, nutritious diet. And with illnesses such as arthritis and lymphoma sneaking up them (Roscoe was recently diagnosed with Lymphoma as was briefly stated above and Lanai has arthritis), itâs important for them to receive the best food and supplement intake as possible to help them cruise through their older years with grace and happiness đ
We encourage you to check out K-9 Medicinals and consider their products (they have a few) for the well-being of your fur-kids. They back-up their products with a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee, too! How awesome is that?!
Addendum
This post was written prior to the passing of our beloved Roscoe. We never had the chance to publish it prior. Though our experience with Ross’s cancer was rarer than others that we could find (not quite the same variables), we still believe that this product may have aided him if variables weren’t what they were for him.
Currently, we are giving it to Lanai as a immune support supplement even though she is remarkably healthy.
“Napoleon Complex”
Have you noticed your dog having a âNapoleon Complexâ? âWhat is that?â you ask. A Napoleon Complex is just a loose term we use to oftentimes define a dog who is out of balance in his pack, has an overbearing, domineering presence (not at the stage of aggression yet but close), and clearly doesnât understand his or her place in the pack.
[pullquote_right]”What place should dogs have?” They should be submissive to their pack leader–you.[/pullquote_right]
Most dogs are born to be submissive followers and are not born with dominant personalities. Dogs still need a leader though. 
If there isnât a leader established in their pack (their pack consists of their human members, too), out of necessity, one will rise up to claim that position. Dominant personalities especially will riseâand quickly. Consequently, look out! This is where big problems happen fast. Examples of this type of behavior would be a dog that you initially adopted because it was calm and quiet (it doesnât matter puppy or adult). All of a sudden just a few months later, this dog is out of control telling you what to do! Just a few symptoms of such dominant behavior would be as follows, but aren’t limited, too:
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- âhuggingâ your leg (per their language, this does not mean a hug as humans would like to think)
- growling, snarling, biting or nipping at you when you get around it when itâs eating in an aggressive tone
- growling, snarling, biting or nipping when you reach to take their toy away in an aggressive tone
- lunging at other people or dogs when walking on-leash
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If this âcomplexâ is left unchecked, you could easily have a dog whose behavior has escalated to biting you, biting other dogs and/or biting other people. If so, your dog is now a liability, which could land you in court, your dog taken away from you and other horrible, expensive outcomes.
[pullquote_right]Remember, if your dog is displaying these signs listed above, heâs trying to tell you that his needs are not being met. And, heâs truly not a happy dog.[/pullquote_right]
What To Do
You want to make sure to establish yourself (and all other humans in your household) as the leader immediately. Why? Your dog only sees itself as the boss in your house and not the humans (if your dog is displaying just the small list of behaviors as listed above). All of the human members of your family should be leaders of the pack.
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- Give your dog a lot of exerciseâalways controlled by youâdonât neglect the leash walk as part of your consistent exercise routine. Why? Because a leashed walk done properly is always telling your dog you are the leader for starters.
- Establish clear, consistent boundaries (just like you have to do with kids)
- Never hit, yell or become frustrated with your dog (some of us may yell out of frustration but try not to; it only makes the situation worse because you are seen as out of control)!
- Remain calm at all times and focus on your objectiveâalways taking deep breaths if you need too and remain at peace. (Think of yourself as the quiet controller in emergency situations such as paramedics, physicians, etc. These people are confident, calm and in control. If they werenât, panic and chaos would be the words for the day! You are your dogâs strong, peaceful force, which gives him the security he needs.)
- Donât ignore bad behavior! This doesnât correct the problem but rather avoids it.
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All dogs are unique and one technique doesnât work for all. So, remain patient đ
*Seek a Dog Behaviorist or Trainer for help on showing you what you need to do to communicate effectively with your dog and establish yourself as the leader.*
Dogs are worth the effort! There will always be at least one issue your pup has that you have to contend with, but you can still have a balanced relationship even while working with your pup on his issues đ Â And, when you have a balanced relationship with your pup, your bond will be even more intense than you ever thought it could be.
Dog Owners: Getting Back to Basics
Have you ever noticed that once you get your petâs unwanted behavior fixed, it doesnât last that long? And, you canât figure out why? If youâre in this camp of people (weâve been there, too) scratching your heads trying to figure out why your dog went back to his old, bad habits, then we may have some tips to help you get him back on track.
1. Exercise: Exercise is the firstâand crucialâingredient of a healthy dog recipe that canât be overlooked and must be adjusted to accommodate your specific dogâs needs. All dogs are different on their exercise needs, and not all dogs have the same energy level. Therefore, if you have two dogs, one may be more energetic than the other requiring a different and/or stronger exercise routine. You may need to try a few things before you find out exactly what works for your dog, i.e., how long to walk them, if you need to not just walk but run them, if you need to bike them, etc.
A. Questions to ask yourself
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- Are you giving your dog daily, adequate exercise for his energy level?
- On top of daily walks, are you incorporating any breed exercises in his daily exercise routine?
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Ein and Roscoe, both herding dogs, love to play Fetch
Just a few examples of breed exercises are:
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- Australian Shepherds, Border Collies, Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Spaniels: Fetch in or out of the water; swimming. During the exercise of playing fetch, make sure that your dog brings you the toy, stick or whatever you threw for him. Have him sit calmly before you throw it again (no barking allowed as barking isnât a calm behavior). Why? Because youâre working on draining his mental energy as well.
- German Shepherds, Huskies, Malamutes: Have them wear a backpack bringing you something (they could be carrying water bottles in it, treats for them, etc.) every few minutes for a duration of whatever is appropriate for your particular dogâs energy level, age, health, etc. (after theyâve walked and/or ran). You can also harness them to a wagon for helping you with yard work by pulling the wagon filled with gardening tools and supplies.
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2. Rules and Boundaries: This is an important step that often gets overlooked. In everything we do as dog owners, we must always be their calm, supportive leader. And, as their leader, we need to always be consistent in teaching and enforcing the rules and limitations.
Dogs size us up literally in seconds. They know–fast–whether or not youâre a leader or a follower. If youâre currently a follower and your dog is dominant over you, this is something you can (and should) rectify. No worries!
Just remember that a dog feels at peace when all of his needs are met (not just the love and attention that we humans love to give our animals).
3. Affection: This is the ingredient, in our dog care recipe, that is often out of place. Make sure that youâre only rewarding (this is what affection is to a dog–a reward) your dog for good behavior and when theyâre in a calm state. Whatever actions they are displaying at the time youâre giving them affection will only exacerbate whatever theyâre displaying the moment before you gave them the affection. Hence, if youâre petting your dog when he/she is scared, you are only telling them that itâs okay to feel that way, which will make their fear grow stronger instead of dissipate (also, try to not say “it’s okay” when they’re scared).
Kit, a great dog teacher
[pullquote_right]A dog’s language is still the same no matter if theyâre running with a human pack or in the wild as dogs.[/pullquote_right]
Important to note, if you maintain a consistent, daily routine with your dogs, more often than not, the basics alone will solve most behavioral issues.
Material Suggestion: Print out a weekly calendar to log how much exercise you gave your dog each day. You can also journal changes in their behavior and the steps youâre doing to correct bad behavior.
Happy journey with your pup!
Job-Sharing with Others
Our In-Home Visit service is widely used for its benefit of keeping animals in their own homes and on their same routine in the absence of their owners. For long vacation trips, the money can really add up so owners typically hire us for a portion of the time and get a friend to handle the remainder of the time. This is what pet sitters call âjob sharingâ, and quite a few pet sitters will not accept these kinds of jobs because of potential problems working with the owners friend.  We have no problem job sharing providing the following is adhered to:
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- We need to be notified upon job-hire if other people will be responsible for caring for your pets
- We need the contact information for said people who will be caring for the pets (and they need ours) to make sure that is no lapse in animal care when one personâs time ends and the other begins
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We experienced a situation a little while back where we hadnât been told that a family friend would also be taking care of the pets. Hence, since we didnât hear from the owners alerting us to their safe arrival home, an emergency drop-by visit was done, which shed the light on pets that had not been cared for since our last scheduled visit due to the family friend never having showed upâscary stuff for the poor owners, us and, of course, the pets!
Go Yuma!
Somewhat along these same lines are situations involving house guests. Especially during the summer while owners are traveling, they lend their house out to friends who need a place to crash while they too are traveling. House guests are completely good with us provided you follow the criteria below:
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- Alert us upon job-hire that you will have house guests in your absence
- Alert your house guests that you have a pet sitter taking care of your pets so they donât inadvertently take it upon themselves to care for your pets
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You may be wondering why this is such a big deal so weâll give you a real-life example.
Take a house that has a dog on medication or a very strict diet. A house guest is staying at your house but you forget to tell her that you have a pet sitter come by to care for your pets. So, your house guest sees the pills for Rover, the food laying out and assumes itâs her duty to give Rover his medication and feed him. What she doesnât know is that the pet sitter already came by and gave Rover his medication for that day along with food and water.
Bottom line:Â Rover received too much medication, which depending on the medication, could be an emergency trip to the vet clinic.
Teaching Dogs Commands That Don’t Know English
Sometimes we get dogs in our care that have come from a home that speaks a different primary language other than English. The language barrier isnât too much of a problem if the dog knows hand signals for commands, but even if they donât, âet-etâ works well as a corrective tone to a bad behavior.
Pecos Bill
To communicate commands to non-English speaking dogs, as well as boost their training skills, use a dog that already knows the commands in English. This dog, in effect, becomes your translator. For example, take two dogs (one who knows English and the other who doesnât). Put them together and give the command âSitâ (hand signals in correlation with the verbal command is always a good idea). Praise both dogs when they perform correctly.
[pullquote_right]Hands-down, dogs are the BEST teachers, for other dogs; they know their language better than we do![/pullquote_right]
There is just no greater way to reach a dog (that may be looking at you funny when you start to speak) than by using another dog to convey your message đ
Cheers!
Pet Sitting Checklist for Shy Kitties
If you have a shy kitty on medication and are looking to have a pet sitter come take care of her when youâre gone, youâre going to want to make sure to do the following:
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- Make sure that all interior doors are closed and your kitty has no access into side rooms
- Have all the kitty toys, treats, food, water and litter box in the room where your kitty will be
- Try and block off any access where the kitty can go underneath furniture
- Ask the pet sitter to come by and meet your kitty while youâre home (a Meet and Greet Interview is good for meeting the pets)
- Ask your pet sitter if he/she can take some extra time during the visits to bond with your kitty. It will make a world of difference if a bond can be established.
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We take care of kitties that were once feral, and more often than not, they are always going to be shy around new people. They can come around, however, to a new person if the person is willing to be patient đ
Pet Maintenance
We all know about the need for maintenance, right? Thereâs maintenance needed for your car, for your house, for any and all electronics and toys you own to even your own body! So, while youâre getting everything checked out and on-track for this year, make sure to allot some time and energy into your petâs maintenance needs. Some suggestions that just may prove beneficial are the following:
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- Vaccinations–Make sure that your petâs vaccinations are up-to-date. If you board your dog, make sure that he/she is also getting their Bordatella vaccination. Though it isnât 100% effective, it is effective enough to prevent your dog from obtaining Kennel Cough, in most cases
- Blood Work and Pet Scans–Oftentimes, life has a way of throwing curve balls at us when we least expect it and quite often, weâre found unprepared. Add to your list of New Yearsâ Resolutions an item that will find you prepared should something unexpectedly show-up with regards to your petâs health. And, that is obtaining an annual exam complete with blood-work and possibly a scan or x-ray. Why? To create a baseline of what ânormalâ is for your pets so when your pet develops a possible serious condition or some pretty weird symptoms all of a sudden, your veterinarian will have a great comparison from which to draw from. Hopefully, the information obtained when your pet was healthy could get your pet a faster, more efficient diagnosis and quicker peace of mind for you as well. Consult with your veterinarian on what he/she recommends to establish a baseline or what normal is for your pet
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Why? Because age happens to us all đ
DIY Dog Beds
If youâre like me, you have one to a few pups (or kitties for that matter) who love to sleep on comfy, cushy beds but thatâs only AFTER theyâve pawed and kneaded it to their liking to make it that just-right bed theyâre wanting at that moment. All of that kneading and pawing, however, makes the beds wear out so much faster and dog beds are expensive! The cheapest I have ever found was at Costco (maybe Big Lots, too, if theyâre having a great sale on them at the time). Costcoâs beds at $20 a bed isnât a bad price (especially for the large beds) but when you board dogs, you have a tendency to go through beds faster than the average dog owner =/ Because I am in no way a crafty, domestic diva, I was searching for DIY (do-it-yourself) version (preferably with no sewing involved) of making cheap dog beds. And, I found it! Woot hoot!
Most of us have some relatively tired pillows lying around the house. Some of our pillows are so old that we oughta just give âem a name and adopt âem into the family by now BUT now thereâs a way to save them and allow them to have one more usual application before they go into pillow heaven.
You can also have so much fun dressing them up, too, with photos of your fur-kids scanned on to the fleece (a little more expensive mind you but they would make cute Christmas gifts for your friends that have fur-kids)! The types of bed and decorating ideas are endless as well. You can create a dog bed for every season, waterproof interior lining (sewing is probably required here) for making waterproof beds, Holiday decorated beds with little balls toys tied into the fringe (cats would LOVE these!), etc. There are so many possibilities!
Check out the following blog from The Undomesticated Wife for a DIY dog bed that doesnât require sewing!
Link in case the one above doesn’t work:Â http://theundomesticatedwife.blogspot.com/2009/07/recycle-old-pillows-no-sew-dog-bed-or.html