DESIGNER PUPPYS: Everything you wanted to know about raising designer or mixed breed dogs,
featuring The BOYZ: Prince Alvin His Cuteness (on left) and Sir Simon The Sad, Cockapoo pups.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Dog Picture Caption Challenge for Your Entertainment

It's fun. It's entertaining. It promises a good laugh or three. It's free. What's better than that (yeah, a few things are, but not many)?

Amuse yourself by providing clever caption for the dog pictures in this article:

Caption Challenge for Cockapoo Dog Antics
I've taken many photos of the BOYZ Alvin and Simon over the past several years. They are mixed breed Cockapoo dogs - Alvin is a Bichon Cockapoo and Simon is ...

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Skunked!

About 10 years ago, I was driving through Groton, CT along a major route. It was early - 6 A.M. and still dark. Suddenly a horrible smell filled the inside of the car.

Apparently I had driven through a portion of the road that had recently been sprayed by a skunk's anal glands. The car vents were pulling in outside air. Yuck! The smell lingered for weeks.

I guess you could call what I drove through a skunk cloud.

A week ago, Alvin walked into a skunk cloud in the backyard. That also happened early in the morning as he was carrying out his morning routine.

Despite several shampoos with special deskunking soap purchased asap AND a grooming, he still stinks. Apparently the oil sprayed by our resident skunk takes up to 2 years to dissipate.

Poor Alvin! No one wants to be too near him and he can't figure out why.

We have invaded the skunk's territory and he is doing an excellent job of making sure we are aware of the violation.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Who's Ruining Your Dreams of Having the Perfectly Trained Dog?

Let's see - you are trying  to get your small puppy to stop jumping up on people. So you explain to everyone you live with that all you need to do is ignore the dog. And if you ignore the jumping; eventually it will stop.

It's a Proven Method, BUT . . .
Great advice and works for many small dogs. But not for all. Why? Just observe the behavior of the humans you live with. Who's ignoring what you have asked them to do? Who's dumb enough to scream at the dog as soon as the jumping starts. Duh! That's giving the dog the attention he seeks by jumping. And it's totally counter-productive.

Your Next Move
Your have two decisions in this case - give up, or persuade the offender that what they're doing is not working. Unfortunately, some people are ignorant and will never learn. But it's still up to you as the dog's owner or caregiver to train your dog. The ball's in your court!

Solutions
Here's an article I wrote about the topic of dog training saboteurs who totally destroy your efforts. The article explains some of the things I've done to counteract their ignorance.
The Biggest Obstacle to Successful Dog training

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Only Dog Owners Can Appreciate This Laugh of the Day!

Dear Dog Owners:

So you probably think you own your dog, right?

Ever consider the possibility that he can manipulate your behavior better than you can manipulate his behavior?

Check out these seemingly innocent dogs . . . Alvin (left) is a master manipulator and Simon's not far behind.


Get your doggie laugh of the day! Enjoy this article: The Most Common Dog Behavior is NOT What You Think.