photo: gordonplant

Small Dog Training Continues

I usually put my two Lhasa Apso dogs a few drills each day as part of their ongoing lifelong small dog training just to keep sharp.  About three weeks ago, Chester’s Gentle Leader broke from wear and tear after several years of use.  So I decided to get another one through Ebay.

We spent the last three weeks with just a normal collar for Chester and I thought that I would try his sister on a normal one too for their walks.  Well, both of them started to pull on their leashes again just like their pre-Gentle Leader days.

I remember our dog trainer Sue who advised us on Gentle Leaders and these head collars worked like magic almost immediately.  Bother Chester and Roxie stopped pulling on their leashes and I was so impressed, I even shot a video about the use of the Gentle Leader to stop dogs pulling on the leash.

Sue also told me that in time if I wanted to, I could wean both Chester and Roxie off their Gentle Leaders but I don’t necessarily have to.  I chose to keep them on their Gentle Leaders for no particular reason except maybe that they became faster to put on compared to a standard collar.

Small Dog Training Can Include Head Collars

So these head collars can be part of ongoing small dog training after all and in our case, they probably will be.  Since both Roxie and Chester were not walking very nicely without their Gentle Leaders, I decided to put one back on Roxie since her’s was still in good condition.

Much to my surprise, she immediately started to walk much better without pulling much on the leash.  Her brother on the other hand, was still pulling quite a bit as he was still on his standard collar.  Even the discomfort on his throat was not influencing him to stop his level of pulling.

When his new Gentle Leader arrived in the mail yesterday, I immediately sized it up for Chester and today, we went out for the first time with the new one.  Also to my surprise again, Chester was immediately walking much better without pulling anymore.  It was like night and day compared to the standard collar.

So I’m definitely going to keep both Chester and Roxie on their Gentle Leaders since they walk so well with them on.  I don’t see any harm in it at all nor does my dog trainer.

For basics in general obedience, see my free small dog training video (which works equally well for large dogs as well).

Are You Ready To Be A Dog Owner?

As you can imagine, I’m a huge advocate for having dogs since they give us so much in return for a loving home.  However, as you can probably appreciate, not everyone is cut out to be a dog owner.

So how do you know if you are ready for a dog?

I actually produced a new episode of my Motivational WebTV series to address this question and I have reproduced it right here for my dog blog readers.  I’ll also have these important factors on text below.

Do You Have A Suitable Home For A Dog?

Although cats can be happy in almost any type of residential dwelling including apartments, dogs do better in certain types of homes.  Yes, dogs can be quite happy in both houses and high-rise apartments as long as there is access to outdoors nearby.

I lived with my first two Lhasa Apso dogs for many years in high-rise condos and with dog litterboxes available today, many dogs do well with housetraining in high-rise apartments or condos.  Just make sure that there are parks nearby where they can get fresh air and exercise.  All of my dogs are potty trained indoors with a dog litterbox placed in a designated location inside.

We don’t have to go outdoors if the weather is really nasty like blowing winter snowstorms or heavy rainstorms.  Plus I’m not worried if I end up coming home too late.  My dogs just go to their dog litterbox whenever they need to.

Keep in mind that not all high-rise buildings allow dogs so make sure that you check with your building rules regarding pets before bringing one home.  Some do allow dogs but only a certain type and/or a certain maximum size.  For example, I lived in a condo building where dogs had to be 20 pounds or less in order to live in the building.

Do You Have The Time For A Dog?

Puppies are so cute that many people can’t resist bringing them home for themselves or their kids. However, the realities of dog ownership soon set in when we realize just how great the responsibilities are with their care.  And this includes having the actual time each day for a dog.

You might want to think about whether your busy lifestyle is in fact too busy for a dog in your life.  Dogs require a lot of time as they are not happy if left alone for long periods of time since they are naturally pack animals.  There is a good chance that they will destroy your home and make all sorts of noise from constant barking to howling if left alone all the time.

If you can’t devote enough daily time to play and interact with your dog, then do not get one.  There are pets out there that require less time such as fish.   You have to be totally honest with yourself as to just how much time you can devote to a dog for the rest of its life.

How Much Travel Do You Do?

If you travel a lot away from home for work, you might want to reconsider dog ownership especially if there are no other family members or outside people like pet sitters who can come and look after your pet while you are away.

If you have to end up boarding your dog for two weeks each month during your trips, this might indicate that you should not become a dog owner unless your travel schedule becomes much lighter.  A few days of boarding here and there are okay but anything more is not really fair to your pet.  After all, how would you like to be put in a boarding kennel for a week each month?

Can You Properly Train A Pet?

Failing to adequately train a dog is one of the biggest reasons for dog ownership failure.  You really have to be honest with yourself with your own ability and time required to train a dog.  Many dogs have been abandoned because of ignorant owners who failed to properly train their new puppies.

Dog experts claim that there are really no such things as bad dogs as there are only bad dog owners who did not adequately provide the right training for their dogs.   Now, it is not expected that new dog owners automatically know how to properly train a dog but that’s okay.  If you are a new dog owner, make sure that you get proper dog obedience training which is education for both yourself as well as your dog.  Sign up for organized dog obedience training classes.

If you are a future or new dog owner, make sure you catch my free dog training video I shot with my two dogs Chester and Roxie demonstrating basic skills they learned as minimum standards.  We also show the training progression we used for each skill.

Do You Have The Budget For Dog Health Care?

You might recall a past blog post where I revealed I had to spend $2,500 on eye surgery for one of my dogs.  Dogs can have significant health costs, especially if they get ill or injured.

You certainly don’t want to be in a position where you can’t afford the regular and unexpected vet costs for your dog.  It is so unfortunate when dog owners have to give up their pets just because they can’t afford the health care expenses anymore.  If these innocent dogs cannot get new homes, they are often euthanized as a result which is a real crying shame.  These incidents should never happen.

Does Anybody Have Pet Allergies Or Are Kids Too Young?

If you or any of your family members have allergies to pets, certain dogs will not be appropriate for your home.  You need more hypoallergic breeds that your family is not allergic to.

Some breeds of dogs might not be appropriate in families with infants and small children.  You want to do some research on the different breeds of dogs to match up a dog breed’s temperament with the age of children you have at home.

My Lhasa Apsos for example, although small and cute, have not been known to be friendly with children.  Some breeds just do better with only adults at home.  Again, do your research to assess suitability of specific breeds for your family household.

Are You Prepared For A Lifelong Commitment To Your Dog?

Getting a dog should never be on impulse.  It’s just not fair to the dog especially if it ends up getting abandoned or abused.  You must do adequate research on what is required in order to be a successful dog owner and prepare for a lifelong commitment.  My first two Lhasa Apso dogs both lived to age 15.  Some dogs have lived even longer so prepare for the long haul.

The rewards and benefits with having a dog are huge as I’ve experienced with the four Lhasa Apsos I’ve owned so far since 1979.  However, there are great responsibilities as well and as long as you are realistic about them, the happiness you will have with your dog is limitless.

Be totally honest with yourself as you go through the factors I’ve outined here.  If it turns out that you can successfully address these factors with complete honesty, then by all means, you deserve to have a dog.

Share This Article And Dog Video With Others

If you know others who are considering to have a dog, please share this article and video with them.   You would be doing them a huge favour.  There are buttons on the blog post to easily share it on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and by email.

Feel free to leave your comments at the blog post (click the link above).

Rent To Own Condos

One emerging concept to help renters become homeowners is the Rent To Own program.  These are different from typical rental situations since many rentals do now allow pets.

This is especially the case with dogs.  However, in the case of the homes that people will most likely live in during a rent to own program, pets will be allowed just like in most other dwellings that are owned by the homeowners.

One of the goals is to have people live in and treat the homes they live in during a Rent
To Own program much like they were already homeowners.  And this includes dogs living in the properties if there are any.

Rent To Own Condos Might Have Dog Rules

The only exceptions would be high-rise condos.  Depending on the building, rent to own condos may not allow dogs or any types of pets due to specific condo rules.  This of course is not universal so the tenant/buyer would have to locate a condo which does allow pets, and especially dogs if that person happens to be a dog owner.

If a building allows dogs, they could possibly live there much like I did with my first two Lhasa Apsos Pepper and Max.  Dog owners have the option to put their furry friends through dog litter box potty training which works quite well.

Most Canadian Rent To Own Homes programs do not restrict any pets.  It is up to each particular condo building which would determine whether any rent to own condos would be affected by any rules regarding pets and particularly, dogs.

Rent To Own condos featuring townhouses will usually not be affected by any rules regarding pets including dogs of all sizes and shapes.

So if you are a current or potential dog owner who is a renter and you want to become a homeowner but could not quite get qualified for a mortgage, a Rent To Own program might be a solution for you.

For Canadian renters in this case, check out my new website on Rent To Own Homes programs.  For all other renters, I’m sure there are similar programs available in your area but you can still check out my Canadian site just to get a better idea of the Rent To Own concept.

photo: Alexandratx

Magic Mesh As Doggy Door

It’s been about a week since I’ve installed the Magic Mesh as our doggy door to the outdoor back balcony deck.  It was to be an alternative to a dog door since my sliding screen patio door was removed due to some damage on the screen.  It started out okay but since then, I can see some of its flaws.

Sizing Of Magic Mesh

Although the installation was easy, the Magic Mesh itself was larger than most of the door openings here.  As a result, one complete side of it had to be attached to part of the stationary glass outside rather than a doorway opening side.

Although this side is holding, I can’t say this for the top and other side of the Magic Mesh.  The sticky velcro tabs are not long lasting at all.  Each day, either one of the tabs along the top or the side that is attached to part of the opening frame comes off.   If the tabs are not holding, I notice that the Magic Mesh will not close properly after opening and this will not function well as a doggy door for my Lhasa Apsos.

Magic Mesh Magnets Not Always Closing

The two sides of the Magic Mesh are closed by opposing magnets.  Although the magnets do close up pretty good if the two sides are close together, I’m finding that at times, the sides are left too far apart after my dogs go through the screen.  Only if I touch the screen a bit will them start to get close enough for the magnets to close up the two sides.  Again, this is not something I want to do each time the Magic Mesh is used.

I’m going to keep experimenting with the Magic Mesh to use clips to resize it along the bottom to see if it will work better.  Right now, my dogs learned to go through it and sometimes if a side tab is unattached to the frame, they can go under the screen as the push it with their heads.  The magnets still stay closed which is okay since my dogs can get in and out as a doggy door.  The only factor is whether the screen leaves openings large enough for bugs to get in.

Verdict As Doggy Door Not In Yet

So my verdict on whether the Magic Mesh is a true alternative to a doggy door is still not in yet.  If it passes, it probably won’t be in the shape of its original configuration since without adjustments, it won’t fit my patio doorway anyway.

This is why I’m delaying shooting a video with it.  Stay tuned for the final results of this experiment soon.

photo: Anthony van Dyck

Dog Door To Balcony Deck

My neighbour across the back yard area installed one of those swinging dog doors right on his sliding screen door that leads to his back balcony deck.  This is a good idea since during the summer, his Maltese can come in and out whenever he wants.

In my case, I’ve had to be there to physically open and close my sliding screen door to give access to my two Lhasa Apso dogs Chester and Roxie.  They love going back to our back balcony deck but when it gets too hot, they want to come in sometimes right away.

It’s become a bit inconvenient for me to be there all the time to open and close the sliding screen door so I thought about getting one of the dog doors like the one my neighbour has too.  However, to install such a dog door, he had to cut into the existing screen of his sliding door and I’m not too keen about this.

Alternative To Dog Door

Then I saw a TV commercial for a screen door that can be opened and closed hands free.  It’s like a curtain that opens in the middle and has magnets which close the screen up right away after opening. This would be perfect for my two dogs.

So I found one of these products called Magic Mesh at our local Canadian Tire store for $25.  If this screen works, I think this will be an even better solution than the dog door that my neighbour has.  I won’t have to cut into the existing screen door.

I installed this Magic Mesh and removed the existing sliding screen door.  Installation was relatively easy except I had to make a few adjustments since my door opening is a bit smaller than standard.

Chester and Roxie didn’t know how to use it yet so they are in the process of learning that it’s okay to open the new screen on their own.  I’ll shoot a video of them using it when they are fully trained on this.

photo: _tar0_

Basic Dog Obedience Useful During Visits

Lhasa Apso dogs are not known to be very friendly with strangers so yesterday when I had a service call from a Rogers cable guy, I put my dogs up on the second floor secured with a gate.  However, the cable guy wanted to check my internet connection which is located on the second floor.

So I had no choice but to release my dogs out in the open.  As predicted, they were quite curious and excited with the visitor.  Roxie, who is a bit uncharacteristic of many Lhasa Apsos, us quite social with people so she was eager to meet the cable guy.

Chester on the other hand, is more like a real Lhasa Apso as he started to bark at the stranger.  This is when basic dog obedience comes in handy as I used the ‘stay’ command on both my dogs at points.

Stay Command Works Well In These Cases

When the cable guy was moving about the house to check various connections and I didn’t want my dogs to interfere (even though he didn’t seem to mind), I would use the stay command.  My dogs would stay in their place without lunging forward towards the cable guy.

Of course, since my dogs are cute, the cable guy sometimes initiated interaction with my dogs and Roxie loved it.  Chester still barked a bit but gradually calmed down after he realized that the stranger was not a threat to the house.  He also saw how Roxie was socializing with the guy too.

Overall, my two dogs were quite well behaved during the cable guy visit.  Too often, dogs at other homes jump all over the visitor and make too much noise.  This is not acceptable behaviour and regaining control is required.

Unfortunately, many dog owners out there do not have the control and this can actually be dangerous if visitors get bitten.  This is why it is imperative that dog owners train with their dogs to get a good level of basic dog obedience.

For a demonstration of minimum standards, check out my free dog training video - you can also see the introduction video at the top left of this blog page..

photo: MarkScottAustinTX

Great Dog Walking Weather

Now that the wooded trails near me have sufficiently dried up after the winter melt, my dogs and I are in there almost each day in the mid afternoon now.  This is a great time of year as it has the best weather for dog walking.

The temperature is not too cold and not too hot – it’s perfect for exploring the woods which we didn’t have access to for the winter months.  My dogs are absolutely loving it!

We are taking advantage of the perfect conditions since I know that as summer approaches, it will often be too hot for my two Lhasa Apso dogs, even with their summer shorter haircuts, to stay outside for too long during the daytime.

Midday Summer Dog Walks Too Hot

Last summer, there were days when we didn’t even go outdoors until after sundown because it was just too hot outside.  Good thing both of my dogs went through potty training with a dog litterbox indoors where there is air conditioning.

So for now, it’s exploring different trails each day unless it’s a rain day.  Later in the spring as the temperature starts to gradually get warmer, we’ll go out later in the afternoon.  As the trees start getting their leaves back, they will also provide shading from direct sunshine.  This will help keep my dogs cool during their walks.

So if you are in an area where the temperatures are really nice now, take advantage of it with your dog and get out there for some great dog walking.  Your dog will really appreciate it and enjoy all the smells of the spring.

photo: Ber'Zophus

Arctic Wolves In Frozen Planet

I was watching the BBC/Discovery Channel documentary entitled ‘Frozen Planet’ which is an absolutely incredible series showing nature and wildlife in the high Arctic as well as the Antarctic.  If you haven’t seen it, it’s a must-see as the series educates us about the far reaches of our planet with some awesome entertaining film footage.

Arctic Wolf Packs In Frozen Planet

Frozen Planet features many of the animals we see from images of the north and south poles.  Not only were there orcas, seals and polar bears, there were also many different birds, penguins, beluga whales, muskox, caribou, walrus and some of course, some great footage of Arctic wolves.

They showed a few different wolf packs including how the adults interacted with their young cubs.  The wolf cubs remind me a lot about puppies.

Even more impressive, although graphic at times, were the scenes which showed how the wolves used incredible teamwork to hunt as they sometimes brought down prey such as bison which are much larger in size than they are.  The bison (and muskox in another scene) are also quite dangerous with not only their sheer mass but also deadly horns.

In one scene, the adult wolves were not successful in their hunt and came back home empty handed to their hungry wolf cubs.  You can’t help but feel for these cubs during this scene.

At the end of each episode, we see a bit of how each Frozen Planet film crew worked on site at both Arctic and Antarctic locations to shoot their awesome scenes.

Frozen Planet DVD/Blu-ray

The Discovery Channel store has Frozen Planet available on both DVD and Blu-ray now.  I would highly recommend this series for its educational content presented with stunning, entertaining videography.  Just click on the litle blue graphic below for more details at Discovery Channel.

photo: grantlairdjr

Housebreak A Puppy With Dog Litterbox

This past weekend was yet another great example where the benefit of a growing training method really shows up.  When you housebreak a puppy early on with a dog litterbox, you can end up with much more all day freedom as required in your life.

I just attended a weekend long seminar on real estate investing and having been to such events which take up the entire weekend before, I knew what the hours were going to be like.  The seminar started on Friday night at 7 pm and didn’t finish until about 10:30 pm.

Even though it wasn’t that far away from home, it still meant that I was away from home from about 6 pm until 11:30 pm.  On that Friday, I took my two dogs out during the afternoon to the wooded trails and fed them an early dinner.  When I came home, I still managed to do their evening grooming before it was time for bed.

Long Hours Away From Home

The next morning, the seminar resumed at 8:30 am so I was out the door by 7:30 am.  The event didn’t finish until 7:30 pm so I wasn’t home until about 8:15 pm.  When I got home, my dogs already did their business in their dog litterbox as needed during the day.  There were no accidents anywhere.

Since it is springtime, there was still a bit of light outside so I opted to take the dogs out for a quick stroll for fresh air and exercise while dinner was cooking.  They enjoyed this even though they already did their business inside as mentioned.

After dinner, it was already time for bed since I had another long day for Sunday.  When I chose to housebreak a puppy indoors with a dog litterbox years ago, I was preparing for days like this.

So the next morning was pretty well the same schedule being out the door at 7:30 am (with no morning dog  walks as we tend to go out later in the day).  I returned home at 8:30 am and this evening was darker than the night before so we didn’t do any walks outside.

Again, both of my dogs used their indoor dog litterbox all day whenever they needed to so they didn’t have to hold anything in while I was at my seminar.  What a great benefit when you chose to housebreak a puppy this way – in my case, two puppies.

For more information on the actual training progression, see how to housebreak a puppy with a dog litterbox.

Leash Free Dog Parks

Last summer, my town of Mississauga opened up a new public park on the edge of Lake Ontario.  It was an instant hit with local residents, especially families since they put in some water fountains the kids can play in.  However, although dogs were welcome, they still had to be on leash since they did not re-open any new area for a leash free dog park yet.

This past weekend, us local dog owners and our dogs were treated to a new re-opening of a brand new leash free dog park within the same public park.  And it wasn’t just an afterthought, tiny fenced off area either.

The city added a generous amount of space as well as stations with extra poop bags.  There is also a nice gate with separate entrance and exit area too which is the first time I’ve seen such a setup at a leash free dog park.  This will make it a bit easier for some dog owners and their dogs who easily get distracted by different size canines.

Leash Free Dog Park By Lakeside

Although this is a decent leash free Mississauga dog park and my two Lhasa Apso dogs Chester and Roxie probably give it a paws up as well, our current favourite is still the one we usually go to north of us since it has a separate wooded area as well as another area with agility apparatus installed.

But we will go down to this Lakeside dog park every now and then (in fact, that is its new name) since it’s located in a nice area with a great view of the lake.  Afterwards, we can also venture down to the beach area which my dogs like when it’s during the hot summer season.

For those of you who happen to be local to Mississauga, this new leash free dog park is located on Lakeshore between Southdown and Winston Churchill.  Lots of free parking there.

It’s great to have a few choices in terms of leash free dog parks and if you don’t have any in your local area, you should definitely get together with other local dog owners and petition for one to be developed.  I think dog owners and non-dog owners alike will appreciate them since it gives dogs a place to go to and run free.

The photo above is my two dogs Chester and Roxie checking out a new friend at one of our Mississauga leash free dog parks.

Feel free to comment on what you feel about leash free dog parks in your area.