I love my kibble, mommy!

TODAY’S TIDBIT:  Safe and healthy dog food is really important to your dog’s overall well being.  We’d like to share this awesome website, www.dogfoodadvisor.com that offers “unbiased help in choosing good dog food.”

The site is chock full of dog food reviews: dry food, wet food, puppy food, grain free foods as well as interesting articles and DOG FOOD RECALLS.  You can sign up with your email address and have recall notices sent to your Inbox.  I just did so if you’d like to join me (look on the right side of the webpage we’re going to and click on, “Get Dog Food Recalls By Email.”

Have a great long weekend everybody and be safe!  I’ll be doing a little traveling next week so we won’t be posting again until Wednesday, May 30.  See you then for TODAY’S TIDBIT.

***IMPORTANT NEWS:  Michele who’s been one of our readers since we began our website, sent us this video and article from KSEE24 News in California about a puppy that was dropped from the sky by a hawk!  Rescued by a young boy and his mom, thank goodness the puppy is doing fine! 

PLEASE keep your Yorkie on her harness and leash at all times when you go outside.  Here’s the link to the written article and video in case you can’t see the video here on our site: http://www.ksee24.com/news/local/Hawk-Puppy—AAS-151632965.html  Thanks, Michele for sharing!***

Let's go inside when the fireworks start, mommy!

TODAY’S TIDBIT:  It’s holiday fun this weekend for Canadians as we celebrate Queen Victoria’s Birthday!  With holidays come BBQ’s, fun in the backyard and noisy and frightening fireworks for your Yorkie!  We’re reprinting this post from 2010 to help you keep your Yorkie safe and happy this holiday weekend.

Fireworks: Explosives In Your Backyard
TODAY’S TIDBIT:  Happy Victoria Day weekend to all of our Canadian friends!  This special weekend marks the official beginning of summer for many of us.  Everyone loves a great celebration with food and fun.  But what’s fun for us may not be so fun for our Yorkies.

Fireworks are wonderful to watch but can be very loud and dangerous.  A dog’s hearing is extremely sensitive so the loud bangs of fireworks can be very distressing for your Yorkie.  Keep your dog at home and in his safe area inside the house away from the fireworks.  He may become nervous and have a little accident on the floor or chew something he wouldn’t normally so make special effort to ensure there’s nothing he can get into.

Even if the fireworks and festivities are not in your yard, keep your dog inside in his safe place.  Your dog may become frightened and anxious and try to escape from the backyard to find you.  If you know your Yorkie is very nervous when he hears loud noises, talk to your vet ahead of time to see if there’s any actions she recommends to keep your Yorkie comfortable.

Have fun and keep your Yorkie safe!  See you on Friday for TODAY’S TIDBIT.

We love you, mommy!

TODAY’S TIDBIT:  It’s Mother’s Day this Sunday!  Send your mom, grandma or favourite doggy mom a Mother’s Day greeting complements of Modern Dog Magazine.  These cute greetings are free.  All you need is your mom’s email address.

Happy Mother’s Day to all our human and doggy moms!  See you on Wednesday for TODAY’S TIDBIT.  ***Some of you may not have been able to see the video by VetVid included in Wednesday’s post, “How to Safely Remove a Tick” so here’s the link:   http://youtu.be/T87Cc_By3fs ***

I don't want a tick bite, mommy!

TODAY’S TIDBIT:  I’m not sure about you but I’ve never seen a tick.  Of course I hope I never do but I’d like to share this awesome VetVid video showing you how to safely remove a tick from your dog.  Your vet can remove the tick if you’re unsure about doing it yourself.

Remember: don’t touch the tick with your bare hands!  Take your dog to the vet to get checked out and bring along the tick that you’ve sealed in a ziplock bag.

The best way to avoid a tick bite is by applying a topical flea and tick preventative medicine to your dog recommended by your vet.

I don’t want to sound like a nag here but we’ve started Hope and Gideon’s heartworm prevention medicine that contains a product to prevent flea and tick infestation – have you started your Yorkie’s medicine?

Have a great day everybody.  See you on Wednesday for TODAY’S TIDBIT.

Who's this, mommy?

TODAY’S TIDBIT:  Has your dog ever run out of the front door or the gate and completely ignored your frantic pleas for her to come back?  Next thing you know you’re chasing your dog down the street screaming her name as she picks up speed furthering the distance between you.  Or the unmentionable happens if she bolts in front of a car.

One of our readers, Janice, from “Rescue Me” Yorkie Rescue, wrote this excellent and informative article for her newsletter to teach Yorkie owners how to save their doggy if he bolts out the door, gets off his leash or otherwise runs away.   

What to Do When Your Dog Runs Away From You
We are used to being careful with our dogs and to watching over them, but do you know what to do if the unthinkable happens and your dog escapes? Being prepared can save your dog’s life. I hope that all of you will take a few minutes to read this and put into practice some of the things I am going to discuss.

Teach Your Dog To Come
The first defence is to teach your dog to come. You may say, “well my dog will come if I call her.” Perhaps, but will she come when she is not used to being free and when you are running behind her screaming? The answer is most likely no. I won’t go into specifics here on training your dog to come because there are many links on the subject including these:

http://www.dogtrainingbasics.com/come.html
http://www.perfectpaws.com/recall.html
http://www.petplace.com/dogs/how-to-teach-your-dog-to-come/page1.aspx

Here are a few points that could save your dog’s life:

• Do not call your dog and then punish her for coming (including interrupting her fun). Instead, praise her, treat her, play with her when she comes.
• During training, do not call your dog unless you think she is going to come because that may actually be teaching her to stay away!
• Do not use your dog’s name for the come command – her name doesn’t give her any information as to what you want her to do. You can use her name to get her attention and then use your COME command, whatever word you decide it will be.
• Once your dog comes reliably, practice every day, in different situations, with and without distractions. Dogs do not generalize and while they may come all the time in your living room, they may not come in other situations, unless you have trained them to do so. One of my dogs would come every time I called except when I was close to him so I have to work on that specifically with him.

What To Do If Your Dog Gets Loose
Now that you have worked on teaching your dog to come and she is coming reliably, what happens if she gets loose? The hardest thing to do is to stay calm and I am not kidding. If you panic, the dog will pick up on your mood and may be afraid to come to a “maniac,” which is pretty much what you will be feeling like.

Keep an image in your mind of the dog coming back to you as you use your cue to recall her. Do NOT run after her – she will think that you are playing follow the leader and will keep heading away from you. Instead, try running in the other direction and calling out playfully for the dog to follow you – many times dogs will just naturally follow when you do this.

If that doesn’t work, either yell her name once or yell “stop” to get her attention. If your dog is looking at you but intending to head away, hold out your hand palm facing her like a traffic cop, when you yell stop, and you may be able to keep her still long enough to approach her (keep your hand up as you approach). Do not, of course, yell stop if having her stop at that moment will put her in danger.

Do not repeat any sounds quickly in succession (like come, come, come, come) if she is heading away from you – this is like saying go, go, go, go, go to your team and will most likely result in the dog running further away. One clear command is what is most likely to stop her.

If she stops and looks at you like she might be thinking about coming to you, drop to your knees and give the come command in your sweetest, happiest, most playful voice (and then you can say come, come, come, come to encourage her to move toward you).

I also hold out my arms and wiggle my fingers to encourage a dog to come to me. Dropping to your knees and calling the dog calmly may also work as a first defence and often results in getting the dog back right away.

Practice, Practice, Practice!
Something that I practice every single day with my dogs is:  I call all my dogs at once by saying, “boys,” in a drawn-out voice that starts low and rises at the end. I also sometimes use a clicker as back-up to call them because that sound seems to carry farther if I am inside the house and they are outside.

During training, they get a small treat 100% of the time when they come. After I am more confident that they understand, I drop to fewer treats but still a higher percentage than with normal training.

I call them when they are inside, outside, in different locations, when a car pulls into the driveway (not always reliable unless you catch them a little ahead of time), when they are far away, when they are close and any other situation I can think of.  One thing I noticed after I started training them to come is that they now pay closer attention to me in general.

Here is an excellent page that goes into more detail and suggests some other creative ways to attract your dog in this situation:
http://www.washingtonpashelter.org/PDF/Catching%20_Dog.pdf

Thank you so much, Jan!  This is fabulous information!  I’ll be practicing with my Yorkies.  Have a safe and happy weekend everybody and see you on Wednesday for TODAY’S TIDBIT.

I don't really like the vet, mommy!

TODAY’S TIDBIT:  Visits to the vet are nerve wracking for everyone including the vet sometimes.  We can make the “vet visit process” a little more bearable for everyone if we think about a few simple things we can do to help:

• ALWAYS keep your Yorkie restrained either with a securely fitted harness and leash or place her in her carrier.  Your dog could bolt out the door or get hurt by another anxious animal in the waiting room.
• Bring any medications your dog is taking along with her health record.
• Know what food your dog is eating.  Describing the colour of the kibble bag just won’t do it.
• Honour your appointment time.
• Be as accurate as you can when you’re describing your dog’s symptoms or the circumstances that brought you to the vet.  PLEASE don’t alter the facts.  Your vet wants to help your dog not judge you.

Working with your vet is the best thing you can do for your Yorkie.  See you on Friday for TODAY’S TIDBIT.  ***Quick Reminder: start your Yorkie’s heartworm prevention medicine this month. We put Hope and Gideon’s Revolution on last night***

I bet the wrap feels good, mommy!

TODAY’S TIDBIT:  We thought we’d better give The Anxiety Wrap equal time as we did for the Thundershirt.  “The Anxiety Wrap uses maintained pressure and acupressure to relieve stress and end/lessen fears and anxieties in dogs,” reads their website at www.anxietywrap.com.

Professional dog trainer, Susan Sharpe invented The Anxiety Wrap in 2001, the first of its kind on the market.  “It comes with two straps that bring awareness to the dog’s hindquarters where they often store stress and fear.  The straps are detachable and adjustable to meet a dog’s individual needs.”

If your Yorkie barks a lot, is nervous during thunderstorms and fireworks or is anxious in the car maybe she needs a “therapeutic hug” from the Anxiety Wrap.  You can purchase it from their website at www.anxietywrap.com.

Have a wonderful weekend everybody and see you on Wednesday for TODAY’S TIDBIT.

I love you for keeping me safe, mommy!

TODAY’S TIDBIT:  Our church’s annual garage sale is at the beginning of next month so I’ve been busily sorting and pitching!  Digging in the back of a kitchen cupboard I came across some medications, pet and human, that had expired.  Many people wonder if they should give their dogs expired medication. 

Medications Can Become Toxic
Why risk the health of your dog by using expired medication that could put her at risk?  Many medications are sensitive to light and temperature.  They can change composition, lose some of their strength and may become toxic over time.

Safely Discard Expired Medications
Don’t just automatically flush medication down the toilet or throw it in your garbage can.  Medications can contaminate ground water and wildlife.  Check with your vet or pharmacist to find out how to safely discard your expired medications.  Call your city’s trash and recycling department to see if there’s a central location for proper disposal of medications in your community.

Be safe not sorry!  Don’t give expired medication to your dog.  See you on Friday for TODAY’S TIDBIT.

I love new places, mommy!

TODAY’S TIDBIT:  Many of you know I’m in the travel biz  so I’m always on the lookout for helpful travel tips!

I thought I’d pass along the web address for www.GoPetFriendly.com, a free website that “will help you find pet friendly hotels, campgrounds, restaurants, beaches, off-leash dog parks, wineries, and lots of other places the whole family can enjoy together.”

It’s a cute but very informative website!  They feature:

•  Search capabilities for hotels, restaurants, etc.
• Destination guides
• Road trip planner
• Friday Photo Challenge
• Travel Tips
• Their own blog

Check it out! – www.GoPetFriendly.com.  Have a great weekend everybody and see you on Wednesday for TODAY’S TIDBIT.

I prefer to sleep on a chair, mommy!

TODAY’S TIDBIT:  Trampolines.  Every other backyard in our neighbourhood either has a pool or a trampoline.  I turned fifty last summer and jumped on a trampoline for the very first time!  Can’t say I’d buy one myself but I know kids love to play on it.

Watch for sharp trampoline bolts

Recently I read about a dog whose side was badly cut by a jagged bolt sticking out of a trampoline leg.  The vet stitched the wound and the dog had to take antibiotics and wear an Elizabethan collar (E-collar) so he couldn’t lick the wound and it would heal.  Poor fellow!

Jagged trampoline bolts, torn wire fencing, broken patio stones and broken flowerpots can cut your Yorkie and cause her serious harm.  Take a good look around your yard for sharp or broken objects now that it’s spring and many of us are out cleaning up our yards after the winter.

A little prevention goes a long way!  See you on Friday for TODAY’S TIDBIT.