How many dinners does your dog get? When 2 or more people are responsible for feeding the dog, it’s hard to know if those puppy eyes are true hunger, or tricking you into a second or third dinner! An easy way to make sure your dog gets the correct number of suppers and breakfasts is with plastic food storage containers. Here’s how…

This works well when your dog is fed twice a day. In the evening, feed your dog dinner and place breakfast in a clear plastic container. Keep it up where Fido can’t reach it. Now the whole family knows, “Fido had dinner tonight” when they see the filled container.

In the morning, feed Fido the food in the container and leave the empty container in the same spot. Now the next person who wakes knows, “Fido had breakfast” because of the empty container.

You can use the same container for up to a week with dry kibble. With wet, or when it needs cleaning, simply place a clean empty in the morning, or place dinner in a clean container.

Now Fido can’t lie when you get home and the kids have already fed him/her dinner!

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If you feed your pet multiple flavors of pet food, it’s easy to forget which flavors or brands you’ve already tried. To easily track your pet’s likes and dislikes, use a photo journal. Here’s how it works…

Get a 4×6 photo book with clear photo protection pages – not the ones with white dividers. Every third page or so, place the following notes:

• eats all food
• eats most food
• eats about half
• eats less than half

When you feed your pet a new flavor, just remove the label from the can and place it in the appropriate spot. Each page can hold 2-3 labels, and you can easily move labels when your pet changes his or her mind. When you go to the store, stock up on the likes, get a few that fall in the middle, and once every couple of months try one of the dislikes in case he/she begins eating it again.

Reminders:

Choose high-quality foods, and make major changes slowly – especially between brands or main ingredients.

This works well for sick or finicky pets. Always check with your veterinarian about your feeding practices.

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Time to Fall Back!  Now is a great time to check your canine first aid kit for all the essentials.  You never now when you’ll need to use it next and having the right supplies could save your dog’s life.   Whether you have purchased a ready-made first aid kit or you have assembled the kit yourself; take an inventory, check all expiration dates, and restock as needed.  Your kit should include items such as:

Current emergency phone numbers

1. Veterinary clinic
2. Nearest emergency hospital
3. Poison control

Supplies

1. E-collar
2. Scissors
3. Tweezers
4. Styptic powder to stop bleeding
5. Various size gauze (both square and rolled)
6. First aid tape (be sure to check that the adhesive has not dried out)
7. Dog booties that will keep a foot wound dry (check out PAWZ disposable booties)
8. Q-tips and cotton balls
9. Flashlight
10. Disposable gloves
11. Nasal aspirator that can be used to flush a wound
12. Towel or blanket that can be used to transport your pet
13. First aid reference manual

Medications

1. Saline wash
2. Disinfectant
3. Benadryl (ask your veterinarian for the appropriate dosage and write it on the box)
4. Antibiotic ointment
5. Ear cleaning solution

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Halloween is almost here!  Check out Judy’s Online Dog Coach article on how to keep your dog safe.

And the Top 10 Halloween tips from the Online Dog Coach trainers are…

Number 10: If your dog is trick-or-treating, keep him or her on a short leash.
Number 9: Be sure your dog’s costume does not impair his or her vision or movement.
Number 8: Train your dog to stay at the door with the help of a family member or friend.
Number 7: Keep a positive attitude – Halloween is a great opportunity to train good behavior when the door bell rings.
Number 6: If you have a split screen door, take the top half out to allow you to hand out goodies while keeping your dog safely in the house.
Number 5: Keep the candy bowl and kiddies’ loot away from your dog – it can make them sick.
Number 4: If your pets are overzealous at the door, it might be better to put them in another room while you are attending to trick-or-treaters.
Number 3: If you have a storm door, leave the front door open, or watch through a window so you can see the trick-or-treaters before they ring the bell.
Number 2: Rent a dog training facility for a doggie Halloween party for other dog lovers that would rather spend the evening with their four-legged friends.
Number 1: Turn off the lights and pretend you’re not home!

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If you’ve checked out the Online Dog Coach video lesson library you know that we have lessons like Circle and Bow that are designed to teach your dog a trick, but also serve as great warm-ups for activities such as agility.  That being said, as I was warming up TJ for his standard agility run a few minutes ago, I bent over and was greeted by a sharp pain in my back.  Now, I sit here writing this blog with an icepack on my back and the hope that my agility friend will be successful running TJ.   

So, I thought it would be a great time to remind the Online Dog Coach community that warm-up activities are just as important for us humans as they are for our four legged friends.   There are a variety of simple warm-up activities that can be done in a few minutes without equipment.   If you are looking a great resource that is tailored to agility competitors, check out Lori Hansen’s Human Agility Training Video.   Lori has great warm-ups and activities to help prevent injury and improve footwork in the agility ring.  I have had the opportunity to train with Lori as she is a Colorado local; I only wish I had practiced what I already know!

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