Break Through

Today at the Griffith dog park we had a break through with Jack. It took a while, but he had a normal, polite interaction with another dog. We kept him on leash and focused until he was polite. He had to sit or lay down any time he showed any anxiety or bad behavior. After a while he mellowed out and was able to run and play nicely with the other dog. It was awesome to see him enjoy playing with another dog instead of just freaking out! Baby steps.

In that vein, tomorrow is the Nuts for Mutts show. Monte has entered in a few classes. I was going to take Jack for the socializing and experience, but I feel like it might be too much for him. Overwhelming him will only set us back in the progress. The new plan is to take Patrick! Patrick is pretty easy going and taking him places is easy... often when I can only take one dog I take Jack because he "needs" it. I need to make sure to take Patrick also or he will lose his nice guy attitude.

I'll be sure to take lots of pictures tomorrow. It should be a fun day!

Photo of Jack (still on leash, but being mellow), Patrick and their new friend at the park. The new puppy was a Chihuahua/Terrier Cross and was amazing. So well natured and tonnes of fun. Her and Patrick ran and ran and ran. It was awesome to see

Patrick - CSI Dog

Well, Patrick is a magnet for for trouble. Today he and Jack were playing and next thing I know Patrick is rubbing at his eye and looking at me like a one eyed pirate. I called the vet and off we went. She did a Fluorescein stain which identifies abrasions, scratches, ulcerations and lacerations present in the cornea on the surface of the eye. The put in the stain and then turn on a black light and his eyes glow like crazy. It is similar to on CSI when they use the light to see all the dried substances no one wants to know about. ANYWAYS - sure enough he has two big old scratches down his eye (thanks Jack). He gets ointment in his eye 4x a day and goes back to the vet on Thursday.

The vet also set me at ease, because I tend to over-react when it comes to the dogs. She said there are three things that should never wait to call the vet. If your animal is hit by a car, if they can't pee and if something happens to the eyes. It definitely made me feel a bit better because she even stayed a bit late to see us.

Patrick was very well behaved at the vets. He was quiet and polite and minded his manners. He weighed a whopping 3lbs9oz.

Nuts for Mutts

"Nuts for Mutts is an annual dog show and pet fair celebrating the best of the mutt. It's just like the Westminster Dog show... okay, not really. In this show, mixed breed dogs compete in categories such as "Best Kisser," "Fastest Eater," "Most Vocal," "Mystery Mutt" and more. It's a day of fun and a way for people to show off their mutts, so nothing is taken too seriously (well, that may not always be true for all contestants).

This year the show is on June 1 in Woodland Hills (Los Angeles area). The idea originated from Bobby Dorafshar, founder of New Leash On Life Animal Rescue, a local non-profit organization that rescues and rehabilitates homeless pets.

There are special categories for purebred rescues as well.

Tickets prices are Adults are $10, Kids 12 - 3 are $5, Kids under 3 are free and Dogs are $5. You can bring your dog to watch even if he is not showing as long as you buy him a ticket.

I think maybe we will go check it out. It looks like fun! I'm a bit sad the boys can't enter because Jack has some SERIOUS ears and Patrick is the biggest kisser ever.

Book Review - It's Me or the Dog

I recently ordered a few books from Amazon. I had to get one for work, so I got some dog ones also - it allowed me to qualify for super saving shipping. Ironically, they are being shipped separately. Today I received "IT'S ME OR THE DOG: HOW TO HAVE THE PERFECT PET" by Victoria Stilwell. I really enjoy her show so I thought I would check out the book. It was quick and easy to read. A lot of the content was stuff we are already doing, but it is good to have reinforcement in our methods. I also found the section on dog body language very interesting and helpful. It is very pretty with nice pictures and easy to read text. Even Jared has started reading it! It is a good book that covers the basics of obedience, dog psychology, diet, potty training and fun! I am glad that I read it for sure.

In other news it was a lovely day for a walk today and the boys agreed. Both of them were exceptionally well behaved while we were out today. It makes life so much more enjoyable to walk a polite dog!

Puppy Love - Pt.2

Here are some more pictures of puppy love.

Long Weekend Round Up

How was everyone's long weekend? Ours was uneventful in that we didn't go anywhere - but still busy. Monte was over which makes everything a bit more difficult for various reasons. Either way, we spent some quality time at the Griffith Dog Park blowing off some of his beagle steam. Here he is hiding his face - perhaps he was in trouble?My friend from school was visiting on his way to Australia for the weekend as well. It made the apartment super cramped. Monte has his own cage because he jumps out of Jack and Patrick's, plus luggage and another person, plus Jared and I, plus our two pups in a one bedroom apartment with no balcony or patio = THE PITS. Lesson learned!

That's about how the weekend went. Cleaning up after, entertaining, exercising, feeding three pups and a guest. I'm not going to lie, I'll be glad tomorrow when Monte goes home and life goes back to normal (ish) for a while.

Now and Then - Growing Puppies

Sunday Morning

It's a lazy day in the apartment.

Famous Dogs!

Create Fake Magazine Covers with your own picture at MagMyPic.com

Long Weekend Low-Down

Monte is staying with us for the long weekend, along with a friend of mine from school. Needless to say, it's a packed house! We took advantage of the brief sunshine today and headed to the Griffith Dog Park and then the boys basked in the (chilly) sun.

Cesar Milan

Jack is watching the dog whisperer with me - he barks at all the bad dogs. I know it is bad of him, but I find it kind of funny actually.

It's Raining Outside

So everyone is being pretty lazy in the house today...

Puppy Love

Jack LOVES to give Patrick kisses. I'm not sure that Patrick enjoys is as much - he puts up with it for a while.

In regards to the sweater...Patrick was legitimately cold! As you can see the boys have their favourite toys out with them. Their Zanie's Tug a Bloom (round 2... I had to replace their first one after the shredded it)

Socializing My Puppy

Jim recommended that we take Jack out and about more. We are to have him sit quietly and patiently while people and other things pass him. When he gets more confident with that we can move on to getting people to approach us and pet him. So far we have had great success at Starbucks and the patio at a nearby sandwich shop. Today I took him to Petco. It was awesome because I could walk him all over the store to loosen him up and then ask him to do the sit stay. We sat by the entrance and he was great! He sat politely well men, women, children, big dogs and little dogs passed us! I couldn't be more thrilled. He even let a man pet him (the man didn't ask... he just went in for it). He wasn't thrilled but put up with it. It was definitely a good positive experience for Jack. I will probably head back there again.

Patrick on his Walk

Patrick has been working on sit and stay on our walks lately. Since he's sitting and staying, I figured it would be a good time to snap some pictures. Here's Patrick on our walk the other night!

Solid Gold Tiny Tot Treats

I finally have found another treat for my dogs that is healthy! Solid Gold Tiny Tot Treats have won over my dogs. The pet store lately recommended them to me. They are a bit pricey, but everything else about them is good.

These are a soft treat that are easy to break into smaller pieces. Tiny Tots are made with lamb, brown rice, oats, tapioca, cinnamon, and rosemary.Protein, Min. 12%Fat, Min. 5%Fiber, Max. 3.5%Moisture, Max. 30% - There are 15 kcal / treat

Ingredients
Lamb Lamb Meal Ground Brown Rice Cracked Oats Tapioca Meal Lamb Liver Molasses Glycerine Phosphoric Acid Unrefined Brown Sugar Sea Salt Garlic Powder Natural Mesquite Potassium Sorbate Vitamin E Cinnamon Rosemary

Here are some Epinion reviews on them - they have a 5 star rating and glowing reviews. If you are looking for a healthy, yummy treat for your dog, Patrick and Jackson recommend Solid Gold Tiny Tots!

Barrington Dog Park and Meetup

Today we went to the Los Angeles Chihuahua and Small Dog Meet Up at Barrington Park. Barrington Park is another off leash Dog Park in Southern California. The park is just off the 405 at Sunset Blvd. 200 Barrington Ave (next door to the post office) Los Angeles, CA 90049. There is plenty of parking. The park has a large dog section and a small dog section. The small dog section has fresh water and a tree for shade. It is a combination of grass and dirt. They are campaigning to get fake grass put in though, which would be pretty interesting.

The Los Angeles Chihuahua and Small Dog Meet Up is a great group! Michelle organizes monthly meetups and gatherings for our dogs to get together and socialize. It has been really cool watching the boys come of their shells at these. Patrick was romping around have a great old time with his new pal Choco today. Jackson started out grumpy, but warmed up by the end. If you need some dog pals to play with, I suggest checking out a Meetup in your area!

Puppy School Graduation Day

Today Jackson graduated from Puppy School! He was very good today during the review. We went over all the things we had worked on throughout the course and he aced them all (except the friendly stranger part, but even that was way better). Our trainer is Jim Leske from Good Dogs are Trained. His methods are all about patience and rewarding good behaviour. This method worked really well for Jack.

Things we learned and improved on in this course:

• Walking on a loose leash - Walking is now a pleasure. It used to be SO STRESSFUL. Jack didn't like it, I didn't like and I'm sure the people around us didn't like it either. Now we walk easily and happily - Jack with his ears pricked and his tail up, me with a smile on my face.


• Maintaining focus during distractions and how to deal with distractions. All our sessions were conducted out of the home. We started at the dog park and when he became comfortable with that we moved to a local pet store on a busy corner. Jack is able to do all his obedience despite the noise, traffic and people.


• Strategies for dealing with his shyness. This hasn't been fixed 100% yet (Maybe it never will) but he has made great strides. Jim gave us some tools and techniques to use in order to get him used to strangers. He now warms to visitors in our house and doesn't freak out at people in social settings. We sat at Starbucks enjoying a cold beverage and he just politely chilled under the table not making a peep when people came and talked to us! He also took a treat from a stranger!

I'm still not completely sure what our next step will be, but I'm very pleased with all his progress. I think we might work towards the Canine Good Citizen Program. That will be a lot of work though, as it focuses on the dealing with strangers. The video is Jack doing some of his tricks at home. Mind the mess on the floor, they had just gutted one of their stuffies, leaving the proof all over the carpet. The pictures are with Jack and his diploma. I wanted him to sit, and he wanted to lay down... so we compromised with a lean.

Another Swanky Pup

Patrick is the Swanky Pup of the week this week! You can enter your dog in the contest -it's easy and free.

I like Free Stuff

While reading a dog message board, I was alerted to a monthly contest for free stuff. There is no cost to enter and you can enter as many time as you like. You do have to be a resident of the US to enter. This months contest is giving away:

UGroom Slicker Brush
UGroom Ergonomic Nail Trimmer
UGroom Rubber Curry Brush Oval w/ Handstrap
Snausages
Clean-Go-Pet Bone Shape Waste Bag Holder
"Just Add Water" Shampoo & Conditioner
Freshening Spray
Between Bath Wipes
Rouge New York Lime Green Collar

I figured I'd pass on the link. It seems like a great prize! Go to Free Pet Projects to sign up.

Tips for Keeping Dogs Cool

I was checking out our pal Simba's page and he offered some interesting tips on keeping cool. Seeing as it is once again a billion degrees, I thought I would look into other methods of keeping the boys cool.

I scoured the Internet and I found a few useful sites. The first one is titled: Tips for Pet Owners - Keeping Your Dog Cool in Hot Weather (Catchy, isn't it?). This site offers some good tips. Some are pretty common sense (Don't leave your dog in the car). The author also reminds us about having lots of fresh cold water, and suggest ice cubes. Patrick and Jackson like to lick ice cubes - I put them in their water to keep it cool. She also suggests baby pools. I think that would be awesome, however we live in an apartment and have no place aside from the living room to put one. I've added it my "When I have a House" list.

Another site, Hot Weather/Summer Tips for Dogs ,warns "Check the ground during walks. Blacktop in particular can get scorchingly hot for your dog’s pads. Bend down and feel the surface to see whether it may be unsafe or uncomfortable for your pet. " Because I am a horrible owner, I learned this the hard way.

More vital information: "Watch out for symptoms of heat stress or stroke. If you see that your dog is panting heavily, salivating or foaming, these may be the first signs of a heat related problem. Symptoms can progress to include vomiting, lethargy and even worse! Don’t wait for symptoms to progress. Get your dog into a cool location, provide small drinks of cold water and if he does not improve within a few minutes, contact your veterinarian right away. "

Now that the summer months are here to say, be vigilant in protecting your dog from the extreme heat.

I'm a Monster - Dog Clothes for my Chihuahuas

For a while I thought the boys were going to be making a trip up to Canada during the winter (well... they still might, but anyways),so I ordered them some sweaters and such. However, I also ordered them the cutest little polo shirts. Sadly, Patrick is apparently too small for Extra Small, so his is a little large. Either way, I felt a bit ridiculous dressing them up for the heck of it. I only left them on long enough to snap a few pictures (look how well they posed this time! Improvement!) and then took them off. I couldn't bring myself to put the sweaters on them. It's 97 degrees outside for crying out loud. I think that this polos are not too horrible though. They are definitely on the more masculine side of dog clothing!

Fail Dogs - Featured Blog

Have you guys found faildogs.com yet? I find it very amusing.

Check out all the Fails at faildog.com

Bath Time

The boys got STINKY at the park so it was time for a bath (and a nail trim...). Patrick as always, goes with flow and is pretty good for baths. Jack as always was a little high maintenance and a bit more work. Either way, they are now smelling less like a foot and more like Puppy Oatmeal Shampoo. It is good for me and probably makes no difference to them.

Dog Park Day!

Today we went to the Sepulveda Basin Dog Park. It was really nice. Almost the entire small dog section was shaded with trees, there was plenty of seating and it was grass. The small dog section is for dogs 20lbs and under, but there are other areas for bigger dogs also. One warning is, apparently there is a Dog Park Police type woman who checks to make sure you dog is licensed and has it's appropriate shots. She was not there today, but two separate people told stories of being "escorted out" for not having their puppies licensed yet. There is lots of parking as well.

We stayed for two hours as the shade created a very comfortable area. The dogs had a great time and there was a great group of small dogs in there. Monte came so the boys were good with him. Also, there was the most adorable french bulldog that they played with a bit. Jack was the most social he has ever been, although he was far too yappy for my tastes. He never used to be a yappy chihuahua. Oh well, one thing at a time. Patrick fetched and fetched and fetched.

Even though this park is a bit further than some others, I will likely be making the trip back. The boys really enjoyed it there. As I've said we enjoy dog parks. If you know of any other nice Southern California Dog Parks, let me know!

Rug Doctor - I am not!

Now that Monte is gone, and our pups are pretty good about the washroom I decided it was time to tackle the carpets. Sadly, I fail at using the rug doctor. It ran out of water...I had no idea so I called the help line... to be informed it was out of water! How embarrassing! What was also embarrassing was how gross the carpets were. Now they look great! It was totally worth having to refill and empty the thing 897 times for a very small area. When we are getting ready to move we will probably have them professionally done, but for now this will do. It has made a good difference. The pups aren't pleased though. They haven't been allowed on it most of the day.

Puppies are so cute... when they're sleeping!

Puppy Classes - What next?

Next Sunday Jack is graduating from Puppy Class. His obedience is great - his socializing is improving but still has a long way to go. We have a bunch of tools and plans to help him work on it which is great. I know that each small improvement is better than nothing. My next decision is whether I want to do more 1 on 1 classes or a group puppy class. I'm not sure. His issue is NOT the obedience. His back of tricks includes sit, stay, down, come, roll over, roll on his back, shake a paw and sit pretty. The dog will learn anything I want to teach him - he is just way too shy outside of the house. So, will doing basic obedience puppy class in a group be the right choice? Or, should I do one on one classes again where we can change locations, choose dogs to meet with, etc? I'm not sure yet. The trainer said what ever I think... maybe I can do both. Who knows.

Another Swanky Pup

The puppy we are babysitting is this week's Swanky Pup. His owners submitted him, and he was featured. Go Monte. At the end of the Month all pups featured are entered in a random draw to win some cool prizes. Check it out!

There's a Monster in the House!

Jackson is a little bit on edge today. It seem there is a new monster in the house. The problem is, the monster is HIM. The boys got their dog licenses today, and the jingling on their collars makes Jack think there is another dog coming. He is mellowing about it now - but it was a tad ridiculous for a while there! Once he stops reacting the noise I'm taking the collars off indoors. The constant tinkling is super annoying!

Photography Skills Are Lacking

I get SO ANNOYED because I can't get good pictures of my pups. I think they are so cute and then I take the picture and it's rarely good. For starters, my camera sucks. To follow, Patrick thinks the camera is a toy or a treat and always comes up to lick it. I am going to work on their camera posing ability. I also hope to get a new camera soon. The good thing about the latest photo session... it reminded me I need to cut their nails! They are looking long.

Swanky Pet Dog Collar - Product Review

I mentioned a little bit ago that the boys got new collars. I ordered them from Swankpet.net. I've often thought that I wish I had a girl dog to dress because there are so many fun patterns and prints that are girly. Swankypet put my grumbles to rest, offering many selection befitting of my very masculine chihuahuas. There are a variety of sizes. The boys wear toy size.

All collars are adjustable and made with top quality materials. They are constructed with four layers of fabric paired with lightweight nylon web interfacing for structure and durability. The hardware is top grade: contoured zinc die cast side-release buckles with a stainless steel pin and spring, durable slip-lock buckles and cast D-rings. There are matching leads as well as harnesses available. I was concerned with the weight of the stainless steel buckles, and so Swankypet made ours with plastic snaps and parts. They are still very sturdy and durable. Another nice bonus is they come with a fun charm. There are a few choices to choose from.

I like that these collars are made of layered fabric. It makes them softer and less rigid than typical nylon, but still strong. If I had my choice each dog would have a collar for everyday of the week. Sadly, the husband does not agree!

Work

They make it hard to get stuff done!

Sweaters, Adoptions, Colds... Oh My!

The boys got new sweaters! I know, I know. It is summer in California. However, there was a brief time there where I thought the boys were going to have to winter in Canada. So I was getting prepared. Now that they won't be wintering in the Great White North (except maybe for a Christmas visit) the sweaters will have to wait until really cold nights, or winter. The sweaters were custom made by melodypets on eBay. She charges a ridiculously low fee. I doubt it even covered her costs. She made them custom to my specifications. I am showing Patrick's sweater because Jack didn't want to be a model the day I tried them on. The sweaters are well made and I am more than pleased with them!

We did puppy school with Jack at a new location this week. He still did pretty good. It wasn't an overwhelming success like our last few outings at the dog park, but still much, much better than before. While we were there the trainer brought out Otis to help us socialize and get used to other dogs and distractions. Otis is BEAUTIFUL! He is up for adoption at Pet Mania in Burbank. He was saved from Death Row. Pet Mania always has cats, dogs and rabbits available to rescue. Right now, on top of Otis and a few other adult dogs they have a slew of puppies and kittens. Pet Mania is on the corner of Pass and Oak in Burbank.

Patrick seems to have some kind of cold. The vet gave us some CEFA drops to give him. Hopefully it clears up, he's had a rough few weeks. All his stitches are finally gone from his neuter though.

The dog we are babysitting is having good days and bad days. Not to be all negative though, he now sits wonderfully, has stopped digging through the trash and has learned he is not allowed in the kitchen. (Our kitchen is very small - so if we drop something such as a can, knife, bad food, etc it is likely it will harm the dog - so we just don't let them in there.) Also, Jack and Patrick are more tolerant of him. They will still tell him when enough is enough (he has WAY more energy than they do - granted he hasn't been allowed outside due to neuter) but overall they play and share nicely. They have sleeping as a group down pat.