We have made the decision to purchase health insurance for our furry friends. Owning dogs that are athletes, agility competitors, we thought this was a good decision.

Ryder runs around on a good day

We have definitely made good use of our policy with A.K.C. Our six year old dog developed Polyarthritus, an expensive ailment to treat. The insurance company has been great. I must admit that filing the claims is easy, but you must make sure that all the instructions have been followed exactly as directed.

In my library article, Choosing a Pet Insurance Plan for Your Dog, I review one plan and discuss what to look for when making your decision.

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Halloween is a fun time for ghosts and goblins. This is also a time to take some special precautions for your dogs.

When the little ones go out trick or treating they are often accompanied by a parent and sometimes the family dog. It is not uncommon for your dog to have a costume too. If this is in your plans for this haunting season please take care. Some dogs may find the strange creatures walking the streets frightening, be sure that you are in control at all times; a short leash is a must.

If your dog is to wear a costume make sure it does not impede his movement or vision. When meeting other families, approach dogs and children cautiously, do not assume that just because your dog is friendly that the others are too.

Also be alert if your dog is staying home to answer the door with you. Your dog may have perfect door manners when strangers approach, but this is a special night and the costumes may be frightening, be prepared for every situation. It may be in your dog’s best interest to put him in a quiet room away from the hubbub.

When the evening is winding down and the kids are home with their treasures, phase two of taking care of your pet’s well being should be in place. You should not assume that human food and candy is safe for your pet. Be sure that the pets cannot get into your stash of Halloween candy and as always feed your dog right to increase their life span. (more…)

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For those of you who share the “joy” of grooming a furry friend, I recommend the FURminator deShedding shampoo and deShedding solution.

I am responsible for the hygiene and grooming of three hairy dogs (two Australian Shepherds and a cocker spaniel, border collie mix with a knack for bad hair days). My grooming routine consists of weekly brushing and a monthly detailed brush & trim with special attention to dirty ears, over grown furry feet, and “cling-ons” around the rear. Despite my grooming efforts, every time a dog shakes the air is filled with flying fur making it hard to keep the dust bunnies around the house under control.

In an attempt to enhance my grooming efforts, I decided to try the FURminator product line. I purchased the FURminator package deal including the grooming comb, deshedding shampoo, and deShedding solution. I was amazed when I first tried the deShedding shampoo and deShedding solution. I wet my dog down and worked the shampoo into the dirty coat. I immediately felt the dense coarseness soften up and the dead under coat seemed to gently fall away. Upon rinsing off my dog, I was amazed at the amount of fur in the bottom of the tub. (See Easy Dog Washing for bathing tips)

Following the instructions on the bottle my next step was the deShedding solution. I worked a generous amount of the solution all over my dog and massaged it in (my dog actually enjoyed this part!). Although the instructions recommend that the deShedding solution stay on for five minutes, we did not make it quite that long! Even more fur fell into the tub as I rinsed off the deShedding solution. Since I brush my dogs often I was really amazed that so much fur came off so easily. Our next step was toweling off and drying. All went very smoothly, no knots or matts to comb through and since the heavy under coat was reduced the drying time was shorter.

Shedding, flying hair, and dust bunnies are much easier to control with the FURminator product line. It is an easy product to recommend as it exceeds expectations.

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We have continued with our walking adventures as the cooler months have progressed. We do not get to go as often as we did in the warmer weather, we are working around the cold, the flu, school projects and the holiday season. But, we are still at it and have not had any wild aggressive incidents in many months. For Christmas, Ryder got a saddle back pack, he now carries the water on the walks. He is very proud of this new responsibility, and prances in the beginning of each walk. He has a job!!!

I believe the statement “a tried dog is a happy dog” is true, and a long walk is key. Our walks have really progressed and many of the behavior issues have become less of a problem thanks to training, consistency, and persistence!

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Another afternoon walk. We were trying to wait out the cold wind. I think the dogs behave better in the morning. The dogs, Deuce, Rookie, Ryder and Yazzie were a little edgy. We had some snapping and some low grumbling growling noises. It was very windy, we encountered a few people and dogs, nothing special.

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