Do You Walk Your Dog Everyday?

Taking your dog out for a walk is more important than you actually think it is. Here are some reasons why you really should take your dog out for a walk daily.

It keeps your dog fit. Health experts are of the view that taking your dog for a half an hour walk daily is the best way to keep your dog fit. Letting your dog laze around the entire day is something that is certainly not good for his/her health.

It prevents behavioral problems. Dogs who are not subjected to daily physical activity tend to develop behavioral problems such excessive barking, aggressive behavior, irritability and the like. Taking your dog for a walk daily helps prevent behavioral problems.

It gives your dog a chance to be in the outdoors. Like humans, your dogs too can get bored sitting indoors the entire day. Give your adorable canine a chance to thrive in the outdoors by talking him for a walk. Also, outdoor environment is more challenging than the well controlled environment at your home. So, it gives your dog a chance to satisfy his primal instincts.

It is an excellent opportunity for you to bond with your dog. Walks are an excellent time for you to bond with your pet. They give the pet owner and the pet, time to interact with each other.

It helps with weight loss. If your dog is fay, you're not getting enough exercise! Not many of us love to exercise and it is no surprise if your lovely poooch too is reluctant to engage in serious exercising. Taking your dog for a walk daily helps him drop those extra pounds and makes him and you fit again.

Some tips to make your dog walk:

Whilst walking is good for your dog, it is not important that your dog understands the same. Usually, dogs are a little reluctant to go for a walk. Here are some tips that can help you make your dog walk easily.

• Using a dog leash is a must. Never expect your dog to walk properly on his/her own.
• Reflex leashes are a no-no as they reduce your control over your pet. I admit, I am guilty of this but really...Who's Walk Is It Anyway?!
• You could also use a dog walker if you have toy dogs or small dogs such as Chihuahua or a Pug.
• Big dogs such as a Terrier or a Bulldog have the tendency to lead when walking. Make sure that you tell them that you are the leader by always walking ahead of them.
• Dachshund, Yorkshire terrier and some other breeds have the tendency to stop and sniff whenever they are walking. Make sure that you give them at least one chance to stop at their own convenience. But, ensure that this does not become a habit.

A Poooh Busters re-post, for further information Click Here.

Doggy Safety Tips For Autumn

Fall is a great time for dogs and their owners. These safety tips will help make it enjoyable for all!

1. Don't underestimate how cold it can be early in the day; some shorthaired breeds may need a sweater.
Mrs. Nate loves this part. I really think we need to get her a girl dog. She is always looking at girlie type lothes but I always stop her saying, "We have boy dogs! They're not wearing anything pink!"

Pawhaus Pet Boutique has some great items for fall and winter! Check it out!

2. Reassess your dog's diet.
Working dogs or those that spend a lot of time outdoors may need additional calories to generate body heat. This is not something most of us city-fied folks need to consider but it's still a great tip! I seriously think Oscar is the last one who needs more calories.

While you're at it, it might be a good time to start thinking about switching them to a raw food diet. Tail Blazers has awesome products and they can answer all your questions!

3. Keep your dog away from those newly purchased school supplies.
Crayons, glue sticks, pencils and magic markers can have a way of multiplying around the house once kids get involved with homework and other school projects. While most school supplies are not extremely toxic unless large amounts are consumed, they can cause gastrointestinal blockages and upset if your pet eats them.

4. Watch out for mushrooms as fall is their peak season.
Toxic fungi can be harmful or even fatal. We've seen them here and there in our backyard. I think mostly because of all this damn rain we've been getting. The boys are making a mess of our floors, furniture and bedding to boot!

5. Use Care When Changing Your Car’s Coolant
I used to be my own backyard mechanic and autumn was a common time of year to change my car’s engine coolant. As we all know, ethylene glycol-based coolants are highly toxic to pets. Switching to a propylene glycol-based coolant is a good choice, as although these can still harm pets they are less toxic than other coolants.

Well I hope this helps. Our October newsletter wil be going out in a couple of weeks. I'll be sure to include some great tips to help everyone enjoy Halloween in a fun and safe manner.

Do Dogs Get Depressed?

I've wondered about dog depression on the odd occasion. Mostly because it seems sometimes our first "son", Mojo gets depressed. He looks all pathetic and mopes around the house. He sighs a lot and seems generally unenthusiastic about things.

His favourite thing to do is go for walks, especially if we take him to the doggie park where he can chase his ball. But during his bouts of what I sometimes think is depression, on walks he turns into a big jerk and doesn't listen and can be somewhat belligerent.

I found out that like humans, dogs do occasionally suffer from bouts of depression. They get lethargic, stop eating, and drink only minimal amounts of water, stop wanting to play, and even lose drastic amounts of weight.

I wonder what could cause this in our normally, happy-go-lucky Mojo. Could it be a change of scenery? We moved from his happy home in McKenzie to a new home in Auburn Bay where for a long time he had no yard. Being a new neighbourhood it had no mature trees, grass and bushes to sniff and pee on. But that was almost three years ago now. Although he doesn't know it now, we are looking at doing it all over again in November when we move to Mahogany. Sorry Momo!

Could it be a chemical imbalance, needing medication to correct it? Well I'm pretty sure I would never ask a vet to prescribe doggie Prozac. I'm a strong believer that drugs is never the answer!

Apparently even the weather can adversely affect a normally happy dog! Which is a likely possibility, especially with the past couple of summers we've had.

I really wonder though if it has something to do with Mrs. Nate and I bringing new members into the family. When Mojo came home as a puppy it was only him and our three cats, Sneaky, Monster and Mr. Goo. Since then, both Sneaky and Monster have passed away and we have since adopted Oscar (dog #2) and two more cats, Chloe and Burberry. Everytime we bring in a new pet, it changes up his routine for meal times and walks. I really think he doesn't like the change and he especially doesn't like the new family members taking our attention away from him.

So then is Mojo just spoiled?

Now some people believe dogs are just dogs and we as pet guardians tend to humanize them too much. I know Mrs. Big Nate and I are guilty of this because we do look at all our pets as our children.

So perhaps, we are just causing these feelings of angst in our Mojo by the way we treat him and the other animals in the house.

Don't worry Mojo, you are still Mommy and Daddy's favourite! I know we're not supposed to pick favourites but he is our very first puppy and he really is a good boy!

Do Pets Help or Hinder a Property For Sale?

Mrs. Big Nate and I are in the process of building a house with Sabal Homes in the brand new community of Mahogany. We love the look and feel of this neighbourhood and can’t wait to move into our new digs!

Currently we are also trying to sell our existing home in Auburn Bay. Selling in this market is no fun and quite scary to say the least! But our realtors tell us we are priced correctly and our home shows very well. I have to admit, the Mrs. and I keep our home in mint condition. Not just because we are selling but because we are two adults with a tendency for cleanliness and organization. We are maybe even a little freakish about it. Yes we are perfectionists and spend a lot of time keeping our place very clean and pet hair free. Many people say they wouldn't even know we owned pets if they weren't standing right there in front of them.

We have had our home listed for over three weeks now and had only three showings so far. Nothing came of the showings, the buyers simply weren't interested and we’re not really sure why. It could be any number of reasons, the main one being that there is so much inventory to choose from right now. We are however, a little paranoid about the fact that we have pets. Could this be turning people off? Are buyers continuing to search until they find a pet-free home?

I feel almost everybody loves pets except the home buyer! We as home sellers who adore our pets have a hard time imagining the negative attitudes others harbor against pets. So, while this might be a bitter pill for Mrs. Nate and I to swallow, we have tried our best to mitigate the signs of our pet’s existence.

I did some research to find some reasons why home buyers don’t like pets. In response to the perceptions buyers have of pets we have done everything we can to prepare our home for sale.

Issues

• Nervousness. Pets make some people very uncomfortable. Not everybody grew up with a family pet or enjoys outings at the zoo.


• Fear. Real and irrational. It's not only dogs that instill fear in people. All kinds of silly wives' tales and superstitions involve cats.
  
• Our pets aren't their pets. They imagine ours bite, jump, vomit, claw, spit-up hairballs or are just plain hyper and bad.

Our Solution

We take the dogs away during a showing and lock the three cats in the basement (sorry guys). The preferred thing to do would be to relocate our pets while we’re on the market but that just isn’t an option for us nor would we consider it unless we were extremely desperate. Mrs. Nate is excellent at keeping the kitty litter boxes clean and fresh. We put our bedside doggy stairs away, hide the pet beds and move the kitty condo downstairs too. Our house is extremely clean and smells that way. Smell can be the biggest turn off to any buyer regardless of what is causing the odour.

So we cross our fingers and pray to the real estate gods in hopes that someone will buy our little home nestled in the heart of Auburn Bay.

If you or someone you know is looking a house feel free to visit our MLS listing and contact our realtors. We need pet lovers to visit; they won’t mind a couple Mojo nose prints on the window.

My apologies for the shamelss plug!