Dublin Dog Winter Bliss

Dublin Dog recently came out with their new Winter Bliss line of collars, just in time for the holidays!  The Winter Bliss collars, just like all Dublin Dog Collars, are created from a special blend of polymers that won’t absorb moisture, retain dirt, or harbor bacteria found in your favorite play areas. So no more collars that smell like an old sponge, just rinse under warm water, and you’re ready for the next adventure.

These dog collars will not fade and do not stink, ensuring that they will look brand new for years to come. You wanted a collar as unique as your dog, now you got it. We should all be so Lucky!!!!

The Winter Bliss collection is in limited production only, so be sure to order yours before they are all gone!  Click here to get yours!

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Santa Sacks!

Dogs are such a huge part of our lives that it is only natural to want to give them a gift on Christmas too; well we have done the shopping for you!  We have assembled a huge box of Gingerbread Buddy Biscuits, an Orbee-Tuff Peppermint toy, and a pair of Naughty and Nice Little Buds for your dogs!  Click here to learn more!

Be sure to act early to guarantee that you and your dogs get one of our Santa Sacks – we only made a handful of these bags and once they’re gone, they’re gone for good!  Also be sure to check out other great new items that just arrived in our store.

Make Your Dog Think

As the weather gets colder and the days get shorter, you may find yourself spending more time indoors with your dog over the next few months. Despite the cold and dark, your dog still requires physical and mental stimulation.

Although a good game of fetch may be impossible inside, try running your dog on the treadmill instead.  An earlier post of ours explains how to intro your dog to a treadmill. In addition to this physical exercise, your dog still needs mental stimulation as well.

One of my favorite ways to mentally stimulate a dog is to play hide and seek.  This game is pretty self explanatory; keep your dog in a sit or down, and you hide something (usually a toy or a treat).  Upon release, your dog searches, finds, and retrieves (or eats) what has been hidden.

Once your dog understands the game and is doing well, you can increase the difficulty by changing a few variables to get an even better mental workout.

• When playing at night, turn off all of the lights and have your dog rely more on his nose then their eyes.
• Hide a toy or treat under a small welcome mat or blanket.  Once the dog locates the object, he still has to figure out how to get to it.
• Put the object above the dog’s direct line of sight and smell.
• Increase the amount of time between hiding an object and releasing the dog.
• Hide multiple objects and see how many the dog can find.
• Increase the difficulty on the hiding places.  Example – leave the dog downstairs, hide the object upstairs.

It is very easy to take a simple game and turn it into a great thinking experience for your dog.  Use your imagination and get creative; your dog will thank you!

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Things to Consider Before Getting That New Puppy

This post comes to us from Summer Milroy, owner of On the Ball K9 Training in Sanger, Texas.  Hopefully some of you got a chance to meet and chat with Summer last week at our Agility and Disc Dog Seminar.  If you are looking for professional dog training in North Texas, be sure to give On the Ball K9 Training a call.  Enjoy the article!

With the holiday season fast approaching, the thought of getting that cute little puppy may have crossed your mind.  Before you make the big commitment of bringing a new puppy into your house here are a few things that you should consider:

Time - What is your lifestyle? Will you have time to spend walking, playing with, & training a new puppy? Remember, once the puppy grows up you still need to commit time to exercise & to train it.

Size - What size dog do you want? Remember size matters… you wouldn’t want to get a Great Dane or Mastiff if you live in an apartment or a smaller home.  Some people think that by getting a smaller dog they won’t need as much exercise.  This is not always true.  Some small dogs need just as much if not more exercise then larger dogs.

Male or Female - Males are more likely to act aggressively towards other dogs, defend their territories, & try to be dominant over their owners, as well as mark territory and wander.  Females are more likely to demand more affection, are easier to house train & obedience train. There is really no difference in excitability, nervous or defensive barking between the two sexes.

Purebred or Mix - With a purebred dog you know what you’re getting but have a higher chance of inherited disease. If you go with a mixed breed it will be less likely to suffer from inherited diseases but the final size, temperament & grooming requirements will be unknown.

Activity level - What is your energy level? You want to make sure that the dog you pick doesn’t have more energy then you. If you would rather stay at home and watch TV on the couch then take a nice, long evening walk, than you probably would not want to get a Jack Russell Terrier.

Good with kids - Do you have children or are you planning on having children in the next 10-12 years?  There are certain breeds that tend to do better with children than others, but there are always exceptions to this rule. No dog or breed of dog is 100 % trustworthy with children.

Good with other dogs - If you have a dog now, you want to think if a new dog will make him or her happy. Is your current dog good at sharing? How will he or she feel about sharing your affection?

Cost - How much is it going to cost to raise this puppy? You need to take into consideration the cost for food, vet bills (shots, spay/neuter, medications, etc.), toys, training, grooming, & boarding, just to name a few things. Remember that the cost doesn’t end once the puppy grows up. The average lifespan for a dog is 10-12 years.

Once you have made the decision to bring a new puppy into your home, make sure that you start in a good training program early.  The sooner you start training the earlier your puppy will be instilled with good behaviors.

If you enjoyed this entry, don’t forget to visit the website of On the Ball K9 Training. If you are a professional working with dogs and would like to be considered as a guest blogger on this site, please contact us.