Can anyone say canine anti-anxiety?

Thundershirt for dogs is synonymous to anti-anxiety for those dogs that suffer from anxiety related to large noises like those that occur during a thunderstorm or a firework display.  It is widely acclaimed to aid in easing a dog’s anxiety during a thunderstorm, but few people know that it is effective in relieving a dog’s travel anxiety.

Depending on the intensity of your dog’s travel anxiety, a Thundershirt may be enough to solve any travel problems, just by itself.

Thundershirt has reduced symptoms such as severe shaking, panting, excitability, barking and even vomiting in dogs that previously had these symptoms during travel – either in the car or on an airplane.

With over an 85% success rate , why not try Thundershirt for your dog’s travel anxiety?

Thundershirt uses gentle, constant pressure to calm your dog – it is almost like giving your dog a consistent loving hug when he or she is frightened.  It effectively aids anxiety, fearfulness, barking and more.

Before putting Thundershirt on your dog for the first time, we recommend offering a treat to your dog using the Thundershirt as a serving plate. Dogs will trust things that are associated with treats, so this is an easy way to create a positive association with Thundershirt for your dog.

SIZING

• XXS 9″-13.5″ < 7 lbs.
• XS 13″-18″ 8-14 lbs.
• S 16″-23″ 15-25 lbs.
• M 18″-26″ 26-40 lbs.
• L 24″-32″ 41-64 lbs.
• XL 31″-40″ 65-110 lbs.
• XXL 38″-50″ >100 lbs.

So, today you start your diet and/or new fitness routine, right?

If you are like millions of Americans, today is the day.  Many of us resolve to start the new year jogging, jumping, lifting or walking ourselves into a new body.  We propose that Fido becomes part of that routine.  Not only can it help your resolve, it can give your dog a chance at a hot-new-body, too!

If your pup has put on the pounds in 2011, try switching to a low calorie dog food (by advice of your veterinarian of course).  Our favorite is ProPac’s Low Fat Rice and Chicken Meal dry dog food pictured to the right. Low Fat Rice & Chicken Meal Formula reduces fat and calories without reducing the nutrients necessary to maintain optimum health.  And THAT is doubly important if he/she is going to be joining you on walks or runs!

If your walking fast or jogging, we think that a retractable dog leash is the best option.   You can let your dog run a bit freer on long straight-aways and keep him safe by your side when crossing streets or when little kids on bikes approach.  Our favorite retractable leash is made by Bags on Board.  It has a small addition to it that holds doggie clean-up bags, so you never leave home without the ability to clean-up after your dog.  Cleaning up after your dog is a law in many vicinities, states and cities. A role of 12 doggie clean-up bags fits neatly inside.

Finally, don’t forget the low-calorie dog treats.  We love DOG SLIMS by PetAG.  Dog Slims are fortified with vitamins and minerals to aid in your dog’s health and specifically designed for skin and coat care.  They are super low in calories and super-high in the good stuff, so stock up!

The experts always say that starting a fitness program with a friend helps in the overall success rate – and what better friend is there than your devoted dog!

The air is crisp and clear and many times the weather is neither too hot nor too cold.  Your dog will love you for it.

During the fall, the daylight hours become less and less and keeping your dog easily visible to passing cars is very important for you and your dog’s safety. There are some great safety items that make it easy for others to see you and your dog when the daylight fades.

For walking with your dog, use a leash that is easily visible to cars as they drive by.  A leash with reflective material or light is great for getting others to see you.  In addition, a retractable leash allows you to control the length of the leash to keep your dog a safe distance from cars.

Another great item to help keep your dog visible and safe is the Safe-T-Tag Pet Collar ID Tag by Ethical.  This ID tag attaches to your dog’s collar and lights up brightly to make your dog visible at night and has a fun bone shape.  It is water resistant and motion activated, which makes it great for wearing all day long.

For multiple dog owners, walking with multiple dog leashes can be a challenge and it can make walking your dogs unsafe. When walking more than one dog, use the Double-Dog Coupler by Sporn to keep your dogs close by your side.  This coupler makes walking multiple dogs safer and easier for you to control and easily attaches to your dog’s collar and a single leash.

Using these accessories throughout the day, help to keep you and your dog safer when walking.

For a great selection of leashes and leash accessories, check out GregRobert Pet Supplies.

How does it work?

When the Outdoor Bark Control Birdhouse unit is placed within range of a constant barking dog, an internal microphone detects the barking sounds and the unit is activated. The PetSafe Outdoor Bark Control Birdhouse unit emits an ultrasonic sound to stop dogs barking. The ultrasonic sound can only be heard by the dog. When the dog is startled by the high-pitched sound, it should stop barking as it will associate its bark with this unpleasant noise. The PetSafe Outdoor Bark Control unit has 4 settings which includes 3 Sensitivity Levels and a Test Mode.

This unit is effective for bark control up to 50 feet.
The PetSafe Outdoor Bark Control unit should be placed facing the barking dog and within fifty feet of the dog. This unit is designed with provisions for hanging or wall mounting and it should not be positioned any higher than 5 feet. For optimum bark control results, the area between where the Outdoor Bark Control unit is placed and where the dog is should be free of any large objects or obstacles.

This unit is not recommended for indoor bark control.

1. Carefully read the rules of the dog park before going with your dog.  If your dog park does not have the rules posted, ask for them to be posted.  You will know exactly what is expected of your and your dog, as well as what can be expected from other people and their dogs.
2. Start taking your dog to the dog park when he or she is young.  An older dog who is not used to being around so many dogs may become overwhelmed.  That’s not to say that you should not take an older dog, it just will be easier on your if you start when they are young.
3. At dog parks, you do not have to keep your dog on a leash!  However, you should ALWAYS bring a leash with you.  Having a study and well built leash with you will ensure that your dog can easily be put on a leash if needs be.  I always use the Hamilton Double Thick Dog Traffic Lead, pictured to the right.  Hamilton Double Thick Dog Traffic Lead leashes are made of durable nylon webbing and thread, which will last a long time.  The first couple of times you take your dog to the park, it would be a good idea to keep him on a retractable leash, like the Flexi Elegance Retractable Dog Leash.  This way, you can control how large of a radius you will give your dog to explore.
4. Do not bring any dog treats to the dog park.  Dogs may get aggressive in trying to compete for the treats.
5. If there are any aggressive dogs at the park, make sure you tell their owner that you do not feel comfortable with the way their dog is acting.  Other dog owner’s (and all the dogs) will thank you!

The everyday collar should include a dog tag that has you pertinent information on it.  You should be sure to include your address and telephone number.  Also, make sure it is easily legible.  Dog tags can become worn down, so be sure you check them every once and a while to make sure you can easily read them.  I recommend that you do not put your dog’s name on the tag.  If someone who finds your dog knows its name, it would be easier for them to keep it!

The best material that a collar can be made out of is nylon.  Dogs can not easily chew through these collars, and they will last for many years.  The best part about nylon collars is that they come in a variety of colors.  The nylon collars I purchase for my dogs are made by Hamilton’s Deluxe.  You could get a red one, like the Wine Double Thick Dog Collar – 1 inch, pictured to the right, a black one: Black Double Thick Dog Collar – 1 inch, or hot purple: Hot Purple Double Thick Dog Collar – 1 inch.

Another reason I like these Hamilton’s Deluxe nylon collars is because they have the classic metal buckle, as opposed to the newer quick-snap closure.  The quick-snap closures can open when under a lot of stress.  If your dog is on a leash and tries to lunge after another dog, the quick snap closure could come undone, and your dog will become free.  This would not happen with the metal buckle closure.

To figure out the size collar that will properly fit your dog, you need to take a tape measure and measure your dog’s neck.  If you have a smaller dog, you need to add 2 inches to the number you measured.  If your dog is larger, you will need to add 3 inches to the number.  When the collar is on your dog, it should be tight enough so that it does not get caught on anything, which could potentially choke your dog.  The collar should not be too tight; you should be able to fit 2 fingers in the collar.

Before training your dog you need dog treats.  You will have a much easier time teaching your dog new tricks if you have treats.  Small treats are the best to use for a few reasons.  First, you do not want to over feed your dog with treats, that would not be healthy at all.  Also, small treats are eaten quickly so your dog will not lose focus on the task at hand.  You should also use treats that your dog is excited to eat.  Peanut butter dog treats and pork flavored dog treats are flavors your dog will love.  Tiny treats that my dog loves are Mini Grahams Dog Cookies – 8 oz, shown to the right.  The Mini Grahams Dog Cookies – 8 oz are great to use when training your dog because they are made of wholesome graham.

When using treats, you need to make sure that you are using them as a reward instead of a bribe.  Let me explain the difference.  A reward is when you give your dog a treat after she displays the behavior you are teaching her too.  A bribe is when your dog will not do a trick that she can do easily unless you give her a treat.  For example, if your dog will only “sit” AFTER you give her a treat, that is a bribe and is a misuse of treats.

Another thing to remember when using treats as a reward is to keep the treat out of your dog’s sight when she is learning a new trick.  Although you will reward her with the treat once she successfully completes the behavior, you do not want her to only do the trick for the treat.  You want your dog to be motivated to do a behavior because she sees your hand motions telling her to do the trick, not because she sees a treat.  Once your dog can complete the behavior consistently, start rewarding her with treats less and less.  You can not stop giving her treats altogether, but instead of giving her treats each time she does the behavior you can reward her with a belly rub or a toy.

However, treats alone will not teach your dog new tricks.  You will also need to use positive reinforcement.  Praise and petting works well in this regard.   And of course will need to have lots of patience!

The best thing to do is to not keep inappropriate objects around that your puppy likes to chew on.  Instead, replace them with objects your dog is allowed to chew on.  Since teething can be extremely painful, I would recommend giving your puppy something cold to chew on.  Something that I like to do is buy a sterilized bone and fill it with peanut butter, and put it in the freezer to chill it.  You can get creative and fill it with anything your puppy likes to eat.  The sterilized dog bones I use are the White Sterilized Dog Bone 7-9 inches (Case of 12).

There are certain objects that you simply can not pick up and move.  Things like table legs or couches are certainly appealing to dogs to chew on.  If certain big items are a major problem for your dog, purchase Grannicks Bitter Apple Original Spray for Dogs, pictured to the right.  You can spray this bitter apple tasting formula onto any object that your dog likes to chew on, and it will deter your dog from chewing on it!  I used it in my house when my dog was a puppy and it worked like a charm.  I highly recommend this product to anyone who has a teething puppy.

It is also a good idea to keep your puppy restricted to a certain area of the house when they are teething.  The more access of your house you give your dog, the more will be available for him to chew.  The laundry room can be a good place to keep your dog.  Or, you can use puppy gates to confine your dog to an area where your dog does not have a lot to chew on, perhaps the kitchen.  Another option is the Pet Exercise Pen, which is an indoor pen that allows your dog to have move to walk around, making this a much more favorable option than a cage.  You can order the Pet Exercise Pen in different sizes according to the size of the pen or the size of the space you have.

Wee Wee Pads are not just for potty training a puppy.  If you live in an apartment, these Wee-Wee Pads can be a lifesaver.  It is not realistic to expect your dog to hold their bodily functions in while they make the travel from your apartment to the outside.  The outside of your apartment may not even have grass, making it extremely unlikely your puppy will even want to relieve himself outside.  Putting down these Wee-Wee Pads ensures your dog will not have any unwanted accidents in your apartment!

Even if you do not live in an apartment, the Wee-Wee Pads can come in handy.   During the winter time many small dogs are often up to their bellies in snow, making it very difficult for them to use the outside for a bathroom.  Tiny dogs also lose heat faster than larger dogs, making it particularly unpleasant for them to be outside during the winter.  Even larger dogs may not like going outside during the winter.  Snow, and especially salt, can irritate your dog’s paws.  It is easy to “train” your tiny dog to use the pee pad in the winter, as they will be attracted to the smell of the pad.  When spring arrives,  you can take the pee pad away and your dog will resume using the outside for their potty time.  You will have help your dog make transition from using the Wee-Wee Pad to going potty outside, but a positive systems of rewards will do the trick.

Older dogs are also ideal candidates for Wee-Wee Pads.  Older dogs commonly suffer from incontinence, which often involves them relieving themselves in the house.  Many times this can be due to an infection, so it is very important for you to take your dog to the vet to get him checked out.  Sometimes, your dog will have accidents in the house because of loss of muscle tone that prevents them from being able to hold in their urine.  Put down Wee-Wee Pads near your dog’s favorite areas of the house to prevent accidents.

One of the more interesting effects is the health and medical benefits that pets have on humans. There have been numerous studies that have verified positive health and medical effects in a vast array of different areas. Consider for example that studies have shown the following:

• Senior citizens that own a dog frequent their doctor less than those that do not own a dog. Checkout GregRobert Discount Dog Supplies, today!
• Daily activity levels of seniors that are not pet owners deteriorated faster than those of pet owners.
• Pet owners have lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
• Children that own pets scored higher on empathy and pro social orientation scales than non-pet owners.
• Positive self esteem within children is enhanced by pet ownership.
• Pet owners have higher one year survival rates following coronary heart disease.
• Pets decrease feelings of loneliness and isolation
• Taking your dog for a 30 minute walk each day can burn 150 calories per day and help maintain your weight. Pictured above is the Nite Brite Reflective Dog Harness that works well during the fall when dark descends upon us earlier in the evening.

For a more detailed listing of this information and other relevant articles visit the Delta Society which is an organization that promote human health improvement through service and therapy animals.

 As a pet owner myself who has experienced the joy of pet ownership I can say that I am not entirely surprised by these results. It’s well known that our own personal happiness has definite effect on our physical well being. Pets can certainly provide the companionship and love that boost self esteem and psychological well being.