Boxer puppy playing

So today I'd thought I'd try posting a video of Neilynne playing with a boxer. Shy is there too. We are planning to get a boxer and this one is a beauty. He is the most popular dog in the daycare. After deciding on what breed would suit us, the boxer dog came out on top. Enjoy the vid.

Jogging with your dog

Many of us get dogs for different reasons. I was asked by my daycare manager, "What are you looking for in your next dog?" I replied, " The next one has to be energetic." "That's the first time I've ever heard of someone wanting an energetic dog, " she said. Call me crazy but for me, having a dog or being around dogs has got my butt off the couch.

How many of us hate jogging, or exercising for that matter? We shutter at the word or thought of it. We cringe at the sight of sweat. Perhaps a dog can motivate you to get exercise. I personally hate jogging but if you add a dog to the mix, you'll have a great jogging partner! Jogging with your dog can be fun but there are some tips and precautions to be aware of.

1. Jogging with your dog should occur after the age of 1 yrs old. Your dog needs to have strong limbs and bones to endure the forces of high level exercise.

2. Before starting a jogging program, have your doggie vet checked for good health.

3. Never feed your dog a meal before running. Just like when we were kids, we never ate dinner before we swam in the pool. Same with dogs, no food before jogging. Dogs with deep chests like boxers can have bloating issues which are life threatening.

4. Start off jogging short distances to build up your doggie's stamina. Check your dog's body language for signs of tiring. Dogs do have limitations so be aware of any signs of pain or discomfort.

5. Don't jog in extremely hot weather. Dogs get heatstroke before you know it. Do bring your own water so they have a chance to hydrate themselves.

Jogging with your dog is a great opportunity to get some exercise and bond with your dog. Again not all dogs are capable of jogging long distances. If your dog is constantly wrecking the house, running in circles, and just insanely high strung, give them some exercise. Go for a jog and let them expel that energy. I guarantee you a happier, healthier, calm dog and owner.

Basic Puppy Training Rules

Puppy training or dog training can be a very rewarding and fun experience or a stressful and frustrating one. Here are some basic puppy training rules to follow when training your dog.

1. Reward behaviour you want, ignore behaviour you don't want. It's that simple. Behaviours are learned and we, not knowingly, train our dogs bad behaviours. A classic example is when we get home from work, and we get into the house. Fido wants to greet us and what does Fido do? Fido gets on two legs and licks our face while we praise him and say we miss him and love him. It's the beginning to jumping on people and it's not fun if you have kids coming through the door. Trust me, it happened to me. So only reward the behaviour you want whether it be a treat, a click or praise.


2. Be consistent, from what you say to what you do. If you want a well behaved dog, you must be consistent so they know what is expected of them. If the command for the recall is "come", don't have another family member say "let's go" or " over here". It will confuse your dog and success occurs less often.

3. Train to succeed. Do not setup your dog for failure. If you know your dog will not remain in a stay position while in a busy park, then don't train there. You must build your dog's ability incrementally. Small successes will equal greater ones in the end. Failures will set you back further. Keep your training sessions 5-10 minutes long and always end on a positive note.

4. Have patience. Here's an important one. Do not hit or yell at your dog for not getting it right. Maybe we're the ones not doing it right. Let your dog try figuring out what you want them to do. Let them offer you the behaviour you want. If it doesn't happen don't sweat it. Again, reward what you want and your dog will begin to understand, "oh that's what they want me to do."

5. Tone of voice. Dog training should be fun so be happy and sound happy. It should be exciting for your puppy. If you are not feeling the mood to train, then try it another time.

Follow these basic puppy training rules and you will be on your way to having a healthy relationship with your dog.

Dead raccoon and squirrel in High Park

Two dogs are now dead from the High Park incident we first heard of yesterday. My heart goes out to the owners. The investigation continues and today police found flax bread with traces of antifreeze in them. What's really strange is that two dead raccoons and a dead squirrel were found in the crime scene as well. One dead raccoon seemed to have been placed at the scene with flowers in it's paws. The other found near a dead squirrel. No word if the two are connected.

Like I said before, how can we, humans be doing this? Let's just hope it's not an act of a human and just maybe it was an honest accident. I pray that the other dogs pull through.

Dogs ill after antifreeze poisoning at High Park

I was on my way to work when I heard 5 dogs got ill from antifreeze at the off-leash park in High Park. It is suspected antifreeze was poured into the hydrant that pumps water for the dogs. Police are now under investigation. Apparently the residents have been disputing over the High Park off-leash area. Whatever the case may be, this is cruel. Putting antifreeze in a dogs drinking water is like putting cyanide in a drinking fountain at the local community center. Who could have thought of this let alone act it out? Humans have some serious problems.

When it comes to dogs drinking communal water, I usually bring my own water and bowl for my dog. You just don't know where that water came from or who's been drinking from it. I wouldn't drink water from a public water bowl so I wouldn't expect my dog to do the same. As for off-leash parks, I'm not a big fan of them and I'll tell you why.

Off-leash parks are not supervised, the ones that I know. Unless owners are very experienced and knowledgeable with canine body language, some bad behaviours can be learned. Dogs approaching with direct eye contact, dogs playing too rough and not having a "soft mouth". Dogs are like humans, they are not going to like everyone and they don't have to. Could you stop several dogs if they started to get into a disagreement? Could you get your dog to recall in a situation like that? All right that may be an extreme but it does happen. Not all of our pets are going to be well trained or behaved so I do caution off-leash parks.

Just a final word. Simply put use common sense. Be wary of communal water, if you don't trust it, bring your own water for your dog. Watch over your dog if you go to off-leash parks and teach your dog to have a reliable recall.