Dog Gone Blog - The Dog Blog for Real Dogs

A wood chewing dog

Angela writes:

"We got ourselves a rescue dog, WAIT I am so rude! First, thanks for your dogblog!

Okay, a little backstory, rescue dog brought home at 9 months (him) and there was no abuse in his past, he just needed the right home and his mom and her boyfriend couldn't keep him around. Sad. But happy for us...

Fred has been awesome! I have been working with him on simple commands and he picks it up right away. He doesn't jump or bark a lot, and is so sweet and good. All he wants is to be right there with you. Which brings us to my question: I know he has separation anxiety, but why does he need to eat wood? He has eaten thru a large chunk of a tree stump in our yard, and is working on the bark of the small cypress in the side yard. I give him chew toys, and bones, but he prefers wood. This scares me a bit. He loves to be outside laying in the sun with a nice chunk of bark. Is this okay? How can I help him?

Thank you so much, again, am enjoying the blog."

Fred, the incredible wood eating dog, is not unusual in his preference for chew toys.  A lot of dogs like to chew wood for one reason or another, but it is not a behavior you want to encourage.  Splinters from the wood can lodge in the dogs mouth, across the throat, and between the teeth.  Or pieces of the wood can penetrate the esophagus or stomach causing internal bleeding.  I'm not a veterinarian so you're not going to get the correct medical jargon from me, but I did find this article written by a vet on the subject of all that can go wrong if your dog is a stick chewer.  You really need to read it if your dog has a preference for sticks and twigs.  Just a warning, the website can be a bit scary.  You wont want your dog to even glance at a tree again.

I can, however, help you stop the behavior.  Ready?

Restrict your dog's - or in this case, Fred's - access to wood.  Done.  No more stick chewing.

You all hate me right now, don't you?  On the heels of my last post here I am again that training a dog can be as easy as removing the temptations before they become habits.  Angela said, "He loves to be outside laying in the sun with a nice chunk of bark."  Well, that's kind of like saying, "But my toddler loves to play with his father's power tools."  It's up to you, the owner, to decide what is the correct behavior for your dog to develop.  If this is not exactly what your dog wants, tough tootsies for him.  If his sticks, or tree trunk, are kept from him he'll eventually move on to other things to chew.

Now, I know that it's not always as easy as removing a temptation.  Angela did mention that there was a tree trunk that Fred liked to gnaw on.  I think until Fred can be trusted not to eat wood anymore the trunk needs to be covered or surrounded with something. 

• The trunk can be surrounded by chicken wire (easy enough to cut to size) or covered in metal netting or stainless steel wire mesh (find at your local plant nursery or hardware store), for instance. 

• You could also try covering the stump in rough burlap and then stapling it to the bottom, leaving no piece of the wood showing, but this only works if your dog wouldn't chew the burlap either. 

• There are chew stops in liquid form that can be sprayed on the stump, like Bitter Apple, but to cover that much area you'd be spraying constantly.
   
• A trick that I picked up from the horse people I know is to cover any edible wood surface (or anywhere a dog might chew, for that matter) with Irish Spring soap.  Just rub the dry bar on the tasty surface and, viola, not so tasty anymore.

You've removed the enticing wood, now what?  Toys!  Lots of fun chew toys the dog only gets when he goes outside.  Toys that you will take away from the dog when he is no longer out on his own in the yard, because the toys should be special and exciting.

I've mentioned Kong's in the past.  I love those things, can't say enough about them.  But there's a lot of chewy toys on the market, you just need to find the one or two that your dog really likes.  Kong's, Bumpers, and Tire Biters are good, safe toys to leave with your dog.  If Fred's really bored then get him a treat ball, like a Buster Cube, and let him push that around the yard for awhile until he gets all the yummy treats out of it.  And, of course, limit his access to the outdoors if he cannot be supervised.

I hope that Fred loses his taste for wood.  It's going to take some time but taking away something he likes is so much better than a visit to the emergency room.

These collars are pretty spiffy

If you have a dog that likes to get wet then your dog needs one of these collars.

The Air Collar by Spiffy Dog is perfect for your water dog.  Quick drying, non-chaffing, and resists odor and mildew (helps keep that icky wet dog smell to a minimum), these are the best collars I've found for the pooch that loves to spend his days in the pool or in the lake.  Especially for those dogs who are prone to hot spots around the neck, like my Fisher, due to constant wetness. 

And, according to their website, the Air Collar "is great for dogs with short hair because it is soft and does not rub on the dogs skin like some leather and webbing collars. This Collar is also great for dogs with allergies to some collars".

My only complaint about the Air Collar are the colors and patterns available - they could be a little less cartoon-y for my taste.  There are some fairly decent patterns available (the red stripe and orange reflective are my favorites), however, there just a bit few and far between. 

You have a summer wardrobe so why shouldn't your dog? 

The Air Collar by Spiffy Dog - available in three sizes - for $15.99

Parched pooch no more

When I find products that I really love I like passing them on to you, my three readers.  I love you all that much.

If you're tired of refilling your dog's water bowl over and over and over again you can keep the pooches well hydrated with fresh, clean, cold water with the Lixit Dog Waterer.

This product is so simple that it's brilliant.  Attach the Lixit Dog Waterer onto your outdoor faucet or garden hose and when your dog licks or nudges it he'll be rewarded with a cool drink of water (Get it?  Lixit?  Licks it?  Yeah).  And it shuts off automatically!  No more wasting water when your dog overturns his sun-warmed bowl in disgust or decides to take a swim in his just-refilled dish (ahem, Fisher.  The darn dog won't get in my pool but he'll go swimming in his water dish).

And the Lixit Dog Waterer is pretty cheap.  You can get a Lixit Dog Waterer through Amazon.com for $5.99! It will more than pay for itself over the course of one summer.

Hey, who you callin' "Fatboy"?

Believe it or not, this post has nothing to do with what your dog eats and everything to do with where he sleeps. 

I want one (Okay, two... Three?) of these Fatboy Doggy Beds in the worst way.  I'm tired of the same old/goes-with-nothing-in-my-house dog bed, I want something that's going to look good in my living room.  The Fatboy beds come in a wide variety of colors, they're perfect for the modern - and not-so-modern - home and they're made of a easy-to-clean nylon.  Just wipe it with a damp cloth to keep it looking new and your home looking less sloppy.

Sure, a Fatboy Doggy Bed is a splurge but isn't your dog worth it?  Isn't your decor worth it??

Fatboy Doggy Bed available at Hive for $99 (Small dog bed) and $139 (Large dog bed).

Your Dog is Not Our to Get You - Part 2 digging and chewing

Okay, I'm done slacking off.  I promised you a part 2 to the "Your Dog is Not Out to Get You" post from over a week ago.  This time we'll talk about destructive behaviors, like digging and chewing.

I could go on forever about all the reasons your dog might dig or chew but the bottom line is this:  They're dogs.  They dig.  They chew.  Sorry, but it's part of their inherent dogness.  But those behaviors don't fit in with our lifestyles so we need to learn how to correct them.  Or better yet, stop them before they begin.

Bobita writes: "The [dog] only digs, rips [stuff] apart and shreds trees and shrubs when no one is in sight.  She seems to have it particularly out for me.  When she sees me and knows that she has committed some atrocity, she looks at what she has done, looks at me, cowers and then slinks away (likely because I have given her looks from the fiery depths of purgatory for each and every egregious act, accompanied by a whole slew of foul, yet appropriate, obscenities).

Why is Bobita's dog destroying things?  The key words in that first sentence are "when no one is in sight".  She has a young Labrador Retriever pup, a dog who is bred to be social and needs to stay close to his master and/or mistress.  The dog may have been bored and probably a bit anxious that her mistress left her outside by herself so she took it out on the trees and shrubs.  And not because they were of any importance but, possibly, because the dog had just seen Bobita digging around there herself.  The trees and the area around it may have had Bobita's scent on it, or the dog may have figured if her mistress was digging around there then it was good enough for the dog.  It looked like fun! 

These dogs really want to be with us.  To take your attention away is agonizing for these them, and not just labs but most other breeds as well. 

Let's concentrate on digging for a moment.  If your dog is digging out of boredom - exercise the dog.  A tired dog is a happy dog, after all.  Or give them an appropriate place to dig, like their very own dig box.  Make an area that looks a bit like a child's sand box.  Fill it with dirt and then hide things, like toys and biscuits, for them to find.  That's their reward for digging there.  Stand nearby and praise them when they've made a great discovery.  Discourage them from digging in other places and move them back to the dig box.  If you're consistent this should stop a lot of the digging.  However, the best way to stop a dog from digging, besides just exercise, is to keep the dog where she can be supervised.  If you can't stop her while she's in the act you've lost the opportunity to correct the behavior (just like eliminating in the house).  Keep her in the house with you or in her own kennel or crate.

Destructive chewing follows the same pattern.  Dog is bored or anxious = dog chews and destroys.  Is there a rhyme or reason to it?  Maybe, maybe not.  If you have a destructive dog it's best not to leave them unsupervised with free reign of the house.  Consider a crate or a safe place in the house where they can be gated off from the rest of the rooms.  Give the dog a stuffed Kong or a treat ball (I love that product almost as much as I love the Kong and you can order it through this page - see below) to keep them occupied.  I will never understand why dog owners insist on letting their dogs roam the entire house when they're not there when the owner knows the dog is destructive.  If your dog has eaten the couch cushions it's time for another plan of action, don't you think?  And exercise, exercise, exercise!  Exercise is good for helping stop most problem behaviors.  I can't emphasize that enough.

It certainly isn't too late for Bobita and her puppy.  A steady routine of exercise, training, and supervision and that pup will turn out to be a fantastic dog.  And yours will too!

Oh behave

You can keep you hep cats, I'd rather have a Mod Dog.

And what every Mod Dog needs, besides the heavy mascara and pixie haircut, is some cool threads.  Like this Mod Psychedelic Swirl dog collar from Retro-Pet.com.   

Not into the whole Twiggy look, you say?  Retro-Pet.com has lots of other great looking collars, leashes and harnesses for the wee bitty-est of toy dogs to your standard 175lb Great Dane.  Even better, each collar is hand made.  Quality, people, quality.

I think two certain lucky labs may be finding a Retro-Pet.com collar or two in their Christmas stockings this year. 

My dogs may be fixed but they can still swing, baby.  Yeah!

If you're thinking of getting one of these collars or matching leashes as a Christmas or Hanukkah gift for that special four-legged someone be warned - their holiday deadline for orders is December 5.

Large Mod Psychedelic Swirl collar - $21.00 at Retro-Pet.com

Dog books for young readers

Need a gift idea for the young dog lovers in your life?

At the Dog Park with Sam and Lucy and Buddy Unchained are two great new books perfect for those upcoming pesky holidays.   The Illustrations are fantastic and the child will love empathizing with the characters.  Even if they have no idea that's what they're doing.

In At the Dog Park, Sam and Lucy have a great time meeting new friends at the, um, dog park (kinda got that from the title, eh?) and the last page is for the adults in the family.  A whole page on how you can start a dog park in your town.  As a person who has been trying for years to start one in mine I thought that was really cool.

In Buddy Unchained, Buddy the dog, now happy in a new home, tells of his former life spent chained up outside.  It's a bit of a tearjerker, if you ask me, so when you read this with your kids be ready to answer some tough questions.

I'm looking forward to giving these books to my nephews for Christmas and to my daughter as well.  Something tells me I'll enjoy reading them as much as they will.

Both books are available at Amazon and are one sale for $10.85 each.

Dog is my Co-Pilot

If I were to invite you into my home the first thing you might notice, after the tumbleweeds of dog hair, is the stack of dog books next to the chair by the front door. 

I am a dog-themed book addict.  Behavior, training, true stories; I've got a ginormous number of books from the pet section of Super Humongous Chain Bookstore and my credit card balance number climbs if I so as much run in to that store grab a coffee.  I can't help myself.  I'm compelled to buy them.

Some are better than others; some tomes are magical, some suck bully sticks.  Thankfully, I've gotten really good at weeding out the later category and, lucky you, I've decided to pass on recommendations for my favorite ones to you on this here doggie blog.

I have made a commitment to myself that I will write about at least one book - good or not, because there will be times when a stinker sneaks under my radar - every two weeks.  Not only will you get some great new reading material but I will get another excuse to buy books.  It's a win/win situation for all.

-----------------------------------------

Okay, enough yappin'.

My recommendation for this week is a book of stories by dog owners/writers that one moment had me laughing out loud and the next weeping into my Cheerios. 

Dog is my Co-Pilot: Great Writers on the World's Oldest Friendship a book from the editors of one of my favorite dog magazines -  Bark - impressed me so much that I gave copies of this book to my dog loving friends as holiday gifts.   And I only give books as gifts if I really, really love the book.  The stories of the love between human and canine spoke to me in that magical way that only a few books in my life ever have, and it has been my mission to spread the word of this magnificent book ever since I turned the last page.

Dog is My Co-Pilot came out in 2003 so it should still be easy to find in bookstores, or you can buy it online from Super-Duper Amazingly Humongous Online Bookstore or, better yet, purchase it from the Bark website and make it a two-fer:  a copy of the book and a one year subscription to Bark magazine for $26.95.

You will not be disappointed.

Too good to be true?

Given my line of work and the cold New England winters, I wear a lot of fleece.  It's comfortable, durable, and keeps me warm without making me look like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.  However, it also attracts dog hair like a sumuvahbeech.  So after one class and eight jumping puppies I usually end up as hairy as a saint bernard, and all that hair winds itself around the fibers of the shirt making it an almost permanent fixture even after many washings.

So you can imagine my delight when I read about Lands' End ThermaCheck Fleece.

According to their website, the ThermaCheck Fleece's "Exclusive Nano-Tex Resists Static treatment resists static cling, static shock, lint and pet hair".

I was all over that like a hungry dog on a box of Milkbones.

I was cautiously optimistic.  I mean, really, could it live up to it's own hype?   I ordered two half-zip pullovers - one in navy blue, a color I usually avoid because yellow dog hair stands out like a blinking neon sign on it - and hoped for the best. 

Right out of the package I could tell I was going to like these pullovers.  The material is as soft as a baby blanket and surprisingly warm, given the thinness.  It held it's shape after two washings (so far) and the best part... It really didn't attract the dog hair as much as normal fleece does and the hair it did attract was easily brushed away.   Finally I don't have to brush my dogs while wearing my haz-mat suit anymore.

You're not going to win any points for style, however.  It is fleece after all.  The half-zip does have a slight tapered fit but it's still not very body conscious, which is all right by me.  It's not like I'm going to be walking the red carpet anytime soon.

My final take on it:  I think I might be replacing every fleece jacket, vest, pullover and pair of gloves in my wardrobe with Lands' End PermaCheck.  And with their amazing prices it won't hurt my bank account... Too much.

(and, don't worry guys, Lands' End has got you covered, too.)

Women's ThermaCheck® 100 Half-zip Pullover from Lands' End - $19.50

One of the best grooming products ever

As the owner of labs (a breed that people feel the need to go out of their way not to tell you about how much they shed - except me!  I'll tell you!  They shed like cah-raaazy.) I need to brush my dogs frequently to make sure all their hair doesn't end up all over my floors.  And furniture.  And in my food.

Yeah, it's that bad.

Slicker brushes work great but I've found something that works even better.  Ready?

The Zoom Groom!

You're probably asking yourself "What the heck is that thing?"  It doesn't look like it would work as well as it does, actually it looks a bit like a toy, but it does wonders for ridding a shorter haired dog of it's excess hair.  I don't know how well it would work on a longer haired dog but a friend of mine used it on her Golden Retriever and said it worked well on her dog's coat.  As a matter of fact she speaks as fondly of it as I do and her dog's coat is much longer than mine.  The Zoom Groom even works great on wet hair.  Use it while shampooing your dog to give them a nice skin stimulating massage.

Bottom line, if you have a dog that sheds get yourself a Zoom Groom.  It's one of my favorite products EVER.

You can purchase the zoom groom in blue or pink for $5.78 from PetEdge.  (Another one of my pet product secrets. They've got great prices on everyday items.)