Doggie Day Care Revisited

Doggie Day Care Revisited
We’ve talked about how to select a good doggie day care before. This time let’s
discuss how to know if your Dood is enjoying his day care adventure.
First of all, your Dood should love going. I know Winston loves the outside playtime with his sister, Weeza. They romp, wrestle, and run. Like Winston and Weeza, your dog should be excited at the anticipation of playtime. He should be anxious to get out of the car and head towards day care. If he’s reluctant to exit the
car and/or walk across the parking lot – he’s telling you something isn’t fun. If he’
s not having a good time, he shouldn’t be forced to go. Here are some signs to
watch for:
 Excessive barking, fear, or aggression when he sees other dogs
 Inappropriate behavior with you, such as jumping, body slamming, mouthing

your hands or clothing.
Housetraining lapses, he should be housebroken before he attends daycare.
 Uncharacteristic fear of/aggression towards strangers in your house.
 Cringing or other fear responses to hand or foot movements.
If your Dood begins to show any negative behaviors after attending day
care, don’t make him go – you’ll just be reinforcing those negative. It’s
not that doggie playtime is negative, but something about the specific situation isn’t fun. You may want to ask that he be switched to a different
play group, or you may want to consider a different facility. Even though
my parent dogs are raised in group environments, I occasionally have one
that’s reluctant to go into the play area – if I offer a different, maybe less
boisterous play group, the enthusiasm for interaction returns.
Dog Meds at Costco
Last weekend while visiting Costco, I discovered two very interesting and potentially
money saving things. Costco now carries prescription dog meds. Their claim is that
“anything your vet prescribes, they will fill” at a far less expensive rate than your vet and
the online stores. None of my dogs are taking any prescription medications, so I can’t
verify this – but I thought it was worth passing along. Additionally, Kirkland now has a
flea/tick/mosquito preventative with the same active ingredients as frontline – at a huge
price savings.
It’s time for the summer haircut—remember that your dog’s hair
serves a purpose in the summer, it
protects his skin. So don’t go crazy
and shave it off. If you’re going to
spend the day baking in the sun—
provide some shade for your dog—
let him make the choice to bake or
nap in the shade.
The Signs of an Ear Infection
We’ve been battling these with Winston lately. They
began back in the fall at the same time he began
licking his paws incessantly. His ears had a distinct smell and discharge – I would have
chalked them up to the floppy ear dog thing if it hadn’t also been accompanied by the
scratching and paw licking. We addressed the cause, a suspected food allergy, at the
same time we addressed the symptoms. Our initial switch to a lamb and rice kibble that
was corn, wheat, soy, and chicken free gave him some relief. The paw licking stopped.
I’ve since switched him to a fish and sweet potato grain-free food and he’s shown
great improvement. For his ears, the vet recommended a medicated flush – Vetericyn
Ear Rinse. Because Winston’s ear weren’t clearing up well with just the rinse, we also
used an anti-fungal medication – miconazole – it’s found in the feminine hygiene isle –
yep, that stuff. I’m adding a detailed application on the blog page.
Two of Maggie and Simon’s
puppies……
We recently received photos of this
brother and sister. Abby and Ozzie.
Abby is showing off her graduation
cap from obedience class—she’ll be
tested to become a certified therapy
dog in September. Quite a few of our
Doodles have become therapy dogs—
how wonderful that they’re able to
bring comfort to others.
Generic Heartworm Med
FidoPharm recently launched a
generic prescription heartworm
preventative called PetTrust
Plus. It’s a combination heartworm and general anti-parasite
just like the name brand meds –
but can cost
owners up to 50% less. Ask
your vet for a prescription – it
can be filled at Walmart, Sams,
and Costco.
Did you know….dogs are more likely to
listen to owners that look them in the eye?
And that they are of comfort to most people with special needs because they will
avoid looking a stranger directly in the
eye—they ease into it, so they’re less intimidating to someone that’s uncomfortable
with direct interaction.
Strawberry Nachos
It’s strawberry time – yay!
The first step is to chop the fresh strawberries and sprinkle with a little sugar –
let them sit a bit to form a little syrup.
While they’re syruping, make some Cinnamon
Sugar Tortilla Chips – sounds good already. Brush a flour tortilla with some melted
butter and generously sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Cut into wedges, place on a cookie
sheet, and bake @ 350 for 10-12 min – cool.
Now it’s time to build the nachos. Pile the chips on a serving platter; and distribute the
strawberries – randomly over the chips. Now, with a fork, drizzle the Nutella over the
berries – be generous. A few dollops of Redi-Whip, a mint sprig here and there for
pretty – and you’re ready to plop the plate in the middle of the table – yum!