Everybody's Best Friend! http://www.everybodysbestfriend.com

Is your dog eating too fast, then throwing up shortly after?

2008-04-30T10:26:00.000-07:00

Everybodys loves to eat! Especially your dog... I would estimate that one in five dogs eats their food too quickly. I have owned several dogs who don't chew their food at all. Not only is this tough on their digestive tract, but it often leads to vomiting. A trick to stopping this is to place a LARGE rock inside their bowl. The rock should almost fill the entire bowl minus a small track around the outside edge of the rock. Please be careful that this rock is not a size that could be accidentally swallowed - it should be larger than your fist. This forces your dog to try harder to get to their food. It also forces them to be careful about what it is that they would normally be inhaling. They will be unamused at first, but will get used to it quickly. The sound of your dog chewing it's food will be music to your ears.

I love my dog-lovers!

2008-02-29T12:02:00.001-08:00

I have had such a wonderful opportunity to talk with some VERY loving dog owners since the launch of this site. I know that not everyone's life revolves around their dogs, but it's nice to have the re-assurance that I'm not alone :) Everytime I get an entry for the "Cutest Dog Competition" it brings a smile to my face. Honestly, I am hurting a little each month to announce that NOT everybody won! Although they all greatly deserve to...

2008-01-23T12:23:00.001-08:00

The Shopping Section Changes -

I apologize for the changes to the shopping section. The links are constantly breaking so I have decided to remove the majority of the individual product suggestions. Dog.com and PetSmart still carry the wonderful toys and treats however I am not able to keep up with their constant changing of product location :) I'd be more than happy to suggest products! Comment back and let me know if you are looking for something specific for your pup!

Rolling in Poop!

2008-01-02T10:25:00.000-08:00

It's a dog's natural instinct to roll in things that smell. It hides their natural scent so they can sneak up on their prey. Now I know what you are thinking... "what could my pug possibly be stalking"... answer; they have no idea. It's just an instinct that sometimes pops into their head. By rolling in the feces of other dogs or animals, they are masking their own scent.

If this is a NEW thing your dog is doing, maybe you just gave them a bath? They don't appreciate you removing the smell that they worked so hard to achieve, so sometimes this will trigger the rolling in awful things. Maybe you used a fabric softner on their blanket that is a new smell. The best advice is to use fragrance free everything and keep an eye on the poop inventory on your property :)

Progressive Offers Pet Coverage

2007-12-27T11:31:00.000-08:00

Nice. I worry about my little Bugs when they ride in the car with me, but it's nice to know that someone else is worried too! Check it out here... Progressive now offers coverage for your pets if they are injured in your car accident.

http://auto.progressive.com/progressive-car-insurance/pet-injury-coverage.aspx

Christmas for the Dogs

2007-12-10T10:19:00.000-08:00

I was noticing this year that our lives revolve around our pets at Christmas time. Why is that? Here is my theory... You can spend three weeks and a hundred dollars shopping for your best friend or family members, and after all of that work the presents still seem to fall a little short of expectations. Your dog however... is so excited and pleased that you put those little bulbs on that funny tree right at their reach that they can't thank you enough. A $5 ball and a snackie and they have never been happier. So I say, give in... shower your pet with gifts because you know that they truly appreciate it! If you want to take it a step further, make a list of all the small things in your life that make you happy. Sometimes it's really the SMALLEST things that make us happy :) For me, it's soft puffy carpet and hair scrunchies. OR when your alarm goes off an Saturday accidentally, and you get to shut it OFF and go back to bed! That is the best...

Our couch warmer!

2007-11-16T09:56:00.000-08:00

When I come downstairs she is sitting patiently on her bed... "what!?" she says to me with her wrinkled eyes. I go to sit down on my new couch, Ahhh... it's warm. She has taken it upon herself to warm all of our furniture recently. However she knows she is not supposed to! If you look at her long enough, she will turn herself in :)

Putting newspaper on the furniture while we are not there has stopped this. It's a good method because they do not like the sound or feeling of the paper. Plus it's tougher to sneak around... I wouldn't recommend this method if you have ever used newspaper for potty training :)

Submissive Dog or Submissive Puppy

2007-11-13T13:13:00.000-08:00

I have had a LOT of questions recently on submissive or shy pets. Most of which come from people who adopted their animals from shelters (good for you!). Adopting can be trickier, but the little buggers really appreciate it!

The submissive behavior is very common, and you have to look at it in the right way. They are scared of you. Not that you are going to strike them, or yell at them... but they are frightened because their experience with people up until this point has been shaky. More than likely they have been stuffed in kennels, poked, prodded and left in a room full of barking dogs. It can be traumatizing. No fear, you can help them!

Spend a lot of time everyday playing on the floor with them. Keep yourself as low to the ground as you can until their confidence is a little higher. Avoid petting their stomachs and the tops of their head for a while. Run and pat their chest instead, it's a less vulnerable spot. You'd be surprised how much you can connect with your dog just by laying down next to them.

Training is probably the greatest thing you can do for their confidence. It shouldn't say "do what I say or else"... it should say "you are the smartest dog in the WORLD!". If they don't understand the commands right away, stop for the day. Don't frustrate them, they will get down on themselves and then you are taking steps backwards. Give them praise for everything they do at first. Then slowly work towards making them do what you asked.

My Girl - Her Name Is Nessie

2007-10-30T13:29:00.000-07:00

Welcome dog lovers! I have owned and raised dogs my entire life. They melt my heart and amaze me at the same time! They are loving, naughty, brilliant, clumsy, loyal, and agile all at the same time. What other kind of pet can you say that about? Heck... I can't even say that about my friends or family! This one's name... Nessie. Yes, like the monster. She is part Golden Retriever, and part Boxer. We adopted her from a resuce in Mulino, OR. She is one of the contestants on this months cutest dog competition. Enter your dog to give her more competition!

She jumps like a kangaroo, I suppose we can thank her partial boxer blood for that. When we go upstairs she likes to get a kleenex from the bathroom garbage and chew it up, but just a couple times... nothing too messy. Then she leaves it in the middle of the living room and goes back to sleep. She does this every morning. She is incrediibly obedient in every other aspect, but she refuses to leave the kleenex alone :) I could go on forever... but I'll stop and give you a chance to tell everyone about your dog!