dig by dog

I have to keep this short and sweet, but heres the gist:
We went on vacation. We finally brought the dog to Lake Michigan — it was his first time ever camping in a campground, and first time ever seeing a body of water as large and ominous as Lake Michigan.
You can see his cautious approach in the photos.
I have fodder for enough posts to last me the rest of the year from our trip! Lets hope I find more time to write soon :-)

I have no kids and so, like many people out there, Christmas morning at my house is all about the dog.
Through the years, I’ve found that the packaging of the gifts can be as much fun for my dog as the toys inside them. I’ve also found that I can get my dog an abundance of gifts for a very small cost. So, now on my seventh year of dog-centric Christmases, here are my tips to make the morning a merry one for your four-legged pal:
Just one quick disclaimer — My dog has been trained to rip apart, shred and otherwise destroy things without eating them. If your dog is a shred-it-then-eat-it type-of-guy, some of these suggestions may not be healthy for your dog, as emergency room visits are often the result of dogs eating things they shouldn’t.

1) The (empty) 12-pack of beer gift.
No, I don’t allow my dog to drink alcohol. I have, however, found empty 12-pack beer bottle boxes to be perfect for wrapping. A quick stop by a thrift store or dollar store with anywhere from $5 to $10 will fill the box with those types of toys that your dog loves — you know, the cheap squeaky toys and stuffed animals that they rip apart in a matter of minutes and then you have to crawl around to pick up the remains and throw them away. But hey, it’s Christmas. Why not let your dog shred enough stuffed animals to make it look like it snowed on the carpet? The added bonus of the 12-pack of beer gift is that you can let the dog go nuts ripping into the box to get his toys because, who cares if an empty 12-pack gets shredded?

2) The you’ll-never-get-me puzzle gift.
I like to go all out on these gifts. Take a tasty, very smelly morsel — a stinky rawhide, pig’s ear or lamb’s ear or something of that sort, and wrap it up in an old but clean rag which you have no intentions of keeping. Wrap it up really good. Tie those knots as tight as you can. Maybe use a second rag to create a double layer, or even a third. Then, maybe put it in an old margarine bowl or something that you wouldn’t mind being ruined. Finally, put it in a box (another empty 12-pack?) and wrap it up. Your dog will be entertained for hours as he works his way through the puzzle to get the treat! (He may need some encouragement from you if he’s never worked his way through a puzzle before.)

3) The good-luck-getting-these-tennis-balls-out gift
My mother actually deserves the credit for this gift. Years ago, she began stuffing tennis balls in anything she could find — those long 12-pack pop can boxes, empty Capri Sun boxes, cardboard tubes, partially-ripped open stuffed animals, etc., etc. Just look around your house. My favorite is the partially-ripped open stuffed animal. Up the ante on this one by getting him a new stuffed animal, cutting a small hole that’s just big enough to squeeze some tennis balls inside of it and then give a few cursory stitches to close up the hole enough so that the balls don’t drop right out, but not so well-closed that you can’t see the tennis balls. When your dog finds the stuffed animal, point out the tennis balls to him and encourage him to get them out. He’ll love the challenge and the reward!

4) The where’d-your-present-go gift.
Who said all gifts have to be placed under the tree? Take one of your dog’s smelly gifts — bones work well for this, so do Kongs stuffed with peanut butter and rawhides, pig’s ears, etc. — wrap it and hide it. Unless you and your dog regularly practice games of hide-and-seek, I wouldn’t hide it too well. An obscure corner of the room, behind the magazine stand, underneath a desk or table or partially covered by a blanket are some good examples of dog-friendly hiding spots. Once your dog has opened all his gifts, tell him he has one more and get him all pumped up about it. You may need to help him look around a bit but don’t totally give away the hiding spot. Get him close enough so his nose can smell the bone or Kong, but let him find it on his own — his reaction will be worth it!

Small Group Class

Coming Sundays in March: Julie Anderson, with Bad Behavior/Good Dog will be offering a small group class for dogs ages 6 months and up. The class will cover:

v Teaching boundaries

v Games designed to challenge and teach

v Dog body language and what it means

v Loose leash walking without a fight!

v How to properly introduce two dogs

v Basic obedience

v Trouble shooting

This is a great chance for you and your dog to get out and have some fun together while strengthening your bond! Only $50 a dog if registered by February 20^th, and $70 after February 20th (one handler per dog). Dogs must not be reactive to other dogs in order to participate.

March 4, 11, 18, 25

1:00 to 1:45pm @ Charter Pointe Park (Lake Hazel and Maple Grove Roads)

Space is limited so please call today to RSVP 208-340-2824

Visit my website at www.badbehaviorgooddog.com

Sponsored by: Toby and Omar Dog Boutique

I just checked the weather for this Saturday and Sunday — it shows a chance of thunderstorms both days.
How does your dog do in storms?
I’ve heard some horror stories from dog owners about bad storms, everything from dogs who completely freak out and rampage to dogs that will hide under beds or in bathtubs for hours, shaking all the while.
Unfortunately, it seems rather common for dogs to have an intense fear of thunderstorms.
How these fears develop is, I believe, highly circumstantial.
I could see dogs having an innate sense to take cover during storms — that much would make sense to me, as most wild animals tend to do so in some way.
But nature wouldn’t make dogs flip out during storms. That would be of no advantage to them.
So a fear of storms has got to come mostly from their past experiences.
Sensi does not fear storms. For all the mundane things in this world that make him panic, storms just aren’t one of them. He doesn’t like to be rained on, but he’s game for storm watching as long as it’s from a window or deck overhang.
While I don’t have a lot of experience in calming a dog who is scared by a storm, I do have some general advice and calming techniques that may be worth shot.
1. Don’t make the situation worse by freaking out or feeling bad for your dog. Dogs feed off our energy. Continue with life as normal.
2. If your dog is in full-blown panic mode, give it commands like come, sit, and lay down in a very calm but stern tone. This will help assert your leadership over the dog, and encourage the dog to trust your leadership and behave accordingly.
3. If your dog is hiding, shaking or has finally calmed to the point that he or she is sitting or laying, you might want to try some physical calming techniques, such as:
Pet your dog with gentle, long strokes. Don’t scratch or pat or rub. Start at your dog’s neck and run your hand along its back or belly slowly.
Gently massage or knead the dog’s favorite spots, like the neck or along the spine.
Also, massaging the dog’s cheeks where the upper and lower jaw meets encourages the dog to yawn. Yawning is one technique dogs use to calm themselves down.
At this point, you can also talk to your dog in a soothing tone of voice. Please be sure to make the distinction between baby talk and soothing. Baby talk is high-pitched, excitable speech that does not calm dogs. So if you’re going to open your mouth, make sure the voice that comes out is soothing, calming and reassuring.
Last but not least, if your dog truly turns into a terror because he is terrorized by storms, talk to your vet. Your vet can help you determine if drugs that help calm your dog are the right choice for stormy situations.