New furry member of the family (Dog)

Posted by Charlene Eberle on June 10, 2014

YAY!!! You just got a new fur baby. I would do a lot of research on dogs and bringing them up so you can handle them until they die of old age. Remember this new furry friend is for 14 + years and not just for now. There are thousand of books but as a dog owner for years I would suggest  just a few tips as food for thought.

Crate training  – Look it up and learn more about BUT do not do it excessively, meaning leaving your dog in the crate for the whole day. This could lead to your dog having anxiety. It’s a great way to teach them to tell you when they have to go to the bathroom, stop them from peeing in your house during the night, teaches boundaries. And give them a safe place to go when they want to be alone. Get a nice bed in there so it super comfy for them.

Socialization – Socializing your dog is super key. I know at first if you have a very young pup you have to be sure they get all their shots before you go to the park. Also  if they are going into day care Kennel cough shots are a must. They will meet up with an ALPHA dog but if you are all nervous about it so will your dog. They can feed off of your energy so be calm when in a dog park and if there is an aggressive dog , then walk away to another area . You will get to know the owners of other dogs in your area so soon it will be a breeze to take your pup to the park.

Bones – To keep your new pup or even more adult dog from being bored and eating your shoes give them a bone when you’re out. They are sold in the frozen section of most pet food places DO NOT give them chicken or splintery type bones. Only buy raw or coked bones that are sold at the pet store. They keep your dogs brain moving and keeps them from being bored.

Out for too long – A puppy can’t be left alone for too long so 2 – 4 hours max and they need to have a good run in the morning and someone to come walk them in the afternoon and again at night. Left in a crate all day could give them major anxiety issues and that will be a problem that could take time or something they will never get over. If you plan on leaving your pup alone for too long, please don’t get one. Like a human the brain and characters are forming. They need to be loved, trained and kept busy.

Toys – Best toys are ones that can’t be destroyed your puppy will eat everything. No no cheap rubber toys made in china, no stuffy toys that they can rip apart and eat the stuffing out of, the fibers around a tennis ball. All of these can send your pup to the vet costing you BANK $$$$. There are great toys to ask about at Tysol. As your dog becomes more adult the more you can be leaneante on toys.

Food – Buy good CANADIAN products NOTHING FROM CHINA! GO, NOW and First Mate are great Canadian products that don’t have a HIGH protein. Too much protein can cause Death in a dog, so please watch out for how high your protein content is.

Harness – Buy a Harness for your pup, they are going to pull and a collar will only dig into their neck and it hurts.

Training – Go to training classes and enjoy them, so will your pup. Pet Smart has classes, Tysol has classes just look it up and always go to “Group” classes you and your pup get to socialize and train = FUN!

Most of all LOVE your new Pup.  Be Patient, and enjoy the new people you will meet 🙂

Spending One on One time

Posted by Charlene Eberle on June 2, 2014

When you have more then 1 dog, it’s hard to divide your time. Even harder when one dog likes being the only dog. Now that we have 3, Jake really has a hard time sharing. So this weekend I decided to take him to the island to visit a friend and her son. Jake was super excited and knew exactly where we where going. When we arrived he leaped out of the car looking for my friend and her son. Licks and wags where a plenty and my friends son was super happy to see Jake. So for 2 solid days it was just Jake and I. He got to sleep with me (he can’t with D Dawg and Sammy already hogging the bed), he got all kinds of treats just to himself. He loved it so much it was no surprise once we got home he greeted by Sammy and D dawg with a growl. I feel for him because he is so an only child dog.

This morning was so cute though because Sammy missed Jake a lot and I watched Sammy inching his way closer to Jake, Jake ignoring one inch at a time.

Well back to a normal routine at our house…Growls a plenty.

Does your dog get mad?

Posted by Charlene Eberle on May 12, 2014

Do you ever find that when you leave your dog to go away, he/she is super mad at you when you return?

That’s what just happened to us. When we go away we leave our dogs with my mother in law, who lives on 10 acres of land. For the dogs it’s like going to camp. Sammy and Jake just LOVE going there. This time though we went to get them and Jake did not want anything to do with us. And to top it off he shat in my shoes! He has never done this before. I know he is getting old and really likes his routine. I also know he is not too happy with us bringing in Dennis to foster as Jake likes to be the only dog. He’s not aggressive towards Dennis or Sammy, I just know he likes to be the only dog since he was the only dog for so many years.

He is now being himself again but I wondered to myself how many other people have a dog or cat that acts the same when left under someone else care for a week. Makes me feel so guilty 🙁

Dog Groomers

Posted by Charlene Eberle on April 15, 2014

How do you find a good dog groomer. Its like finding a good Vet. One you trust. One you like the cut they give your dog. One you know your dog is safe with. With all these media clips of groomers treating dogs poorly it makes you wonder?

I bought clippers myself years ago for Jake because Jake gets too hot in the summer and he needs to have his hair cut or he just can’t bear the summer heat. When we adopted Sammy I  gave him a groom but I am terrible at it. Sammy needs a professional where Jake just needs a buzz cut. I started my search and asked people at the doggy parks where they took their dogs and I was a slightly surprised.

SPCA on East 7th was one that alot of people seem to use – http://www.spca.bc.ca/

Bark and Fitz in Coal Harbour – http://www.barkandfitz.com

Pawsh Spa on Smithe, Downtown Vancouver – http://pawshdogspa.com/

Pet Shop Boys On Cambie at 15th – http://www.thepetshopboys.ca/

Some places groom cats too, just ask.

As soon as Sammy is back from the Cabin, I’m going to try one of these places and let you know. Before and after pics coming soon!!!

Fostering (how do you not get emotional)

Posted by Charlene Eberle on April 5, 2014

For many years I have seen posts from rescue groups needing a foster home. Every post I thought to myself man I really wish I could help. Having 2 dogs already  you worry if you make the commitment to foster how will your dogs deal with a new strange dog. Recently I said what the heck let’s do it! I saw a post on Facebook from a rescue group based out of Europe, needing a foster home for a dog here in Vancouver. I wrote on their wall saying I could help. Literally 5 min later a friend cross posts the same thing and I tell her I wrote on their wall stating I could help but no one replied yet. She says hold on I will contact them. Turns out my friend knows the person who runs Let’s Adopt Global from Turkey (small world). A day later they came to our house met with us and Sammy and Jake too of course and the next morning Dennis arrived. Sammy took to Dennis right away but Jake not so much. You see Jake being older and wants to heard and be the man of the house, he simply has no interest in Dennis. Jake has always been a only child kind of dog. It’s been a week now and Dennis is starting to settle in and He is so great! Now being a HUGE animal lover, I know realize that this maybe harder then I thought on an emotional level. I know he will find a great home and I hope he finds one in our neighborhood. It’s going to be hard to say good bye

Dennis has a bit of a past and if you want to know more about that please email me. I don’t want to say ill things about his previous owners on the WEB.

Dennis is 6 yrs old

Havanese breed we suspect. I would say he is a small/med size dog. He is super mellow, loves other dogs, people, kids, don’t know about cats. He would be best with a retired couple or with someone(s) that at least one person is home. Or someone who wants a second dog. He does not like to be left alone for too long. Oh and he will need to be groomed.