April 1st, 2009
*are causing you more grief than you probably know
Bella and Freddie play tug
“Jeffreeeee! Get down here and clean up this mess!”
“Jeffreeeee! Put your toys away before I trip and break my neck!”
“Jeffreeeee! I’m sick and tired of cleaning up after you!”
“Jeffreeeee! Your dog is out of control. Put his toys away!”
Sound familiar? I suspect you have heard or made the first three cries of despair, (especially if your kid’s name is Jeffrey.) The last cry doesn’t seem to come up as often. It should. Toys, especially dog toys, can be instruments of evil. Sure, you can trip over one lying on the floor and hurt yourself; but I am talking about something even more sinister. Toys can corrupt your dog’s behavior, and I don’t mean spoiling your dog with too many gifts. I am talking about giving your dog a method, plus permission, to take over the house. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: small dog syndrome, territoriality
Posted in Uncategorized | 1,654 Comments »
March 30th, 2009
Brush me!
photo courtesy of brief gasp@flickr.com
Brushing your dog: Yawn! I know, who cares? It’s the same as flossing. You know you should do it regularly, but like most people, you never do it enough. Your dentist thumbtacks posters from the American Dental Association in his office showing grotesque images of the teeth and gums of poor souls who did not floss regularly. You think, “Hmm. Maybe I should floss more often,” but do you? Well, do you?
If I say failing to brush your dog regularly can lead to mats in the fur; or skin lesions, rashes and pustules under dirty and tangled fur, would it make a difference? If I told you how miserable it is for your dog to have his fur de-matted or detangled, would you brush your dog more often? Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: brushing, grooming, shedding
Posted in Uncategorized | 1,600 Comments »
March 24th, 2009
“People tend to forget that play is serious.”
David Hockney, British painter
“The opposite of play is not work. It’s depression.”
Brian Sutton-Smith, American folklorist
“Play energizes us and enlivens us. It eases our burdens. It renews our natural sense of optimism and opens us up to new possibilities.”
Stuart Brown, M.D. psychiatrist
photo courtesy of Airbeagle @ Flickr.com
Puppies awaken the child in us. Watch a person play with a puppy and what do you see? You see a person acting silly. I mean that in only the very best and affectionate terms. The person will speak to the puppy in a high-pitched tone, often repeating nonsense words. There is usually some hand clapping; goo-goo eyes; a lot of smiling; and an impromptu game of chase or follow the leader or rolling around on the floor together. Silly stuff. It does wonders for the person’s spirit and the puppy benefits too. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: A Small dog, deborah wood, Fun, puppies
Posted in Uncategorized | 2,689 Comments »
March 21st, 2009
Let's play!
(Photo courtesy of playerx @ Flickr)
What I am about to write may be rejected out of hand by some dog owners. I hope not, for the sake of their dogs. Emily Dickenson wrote a poem that begins “Tell all the truth, but tell it slant. Success in circuit lies.” I’m not very good at skipping around an issue or zigzagging my way to the truth, so here it comes, served straight up and ice cold. You, or someone you know, may be unintentionally teaching your dog to bite. If you rough-house with your dog and allow him/her to mock bite you repeatedly, don’t be surprise if one day that dog tries to take a chunk out of you or someone else. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: dog aggression, dog bites, Dr. Bruce Fogle, play
Posted in Uncategorized | 1,901 Comments »
March 20th, 2009
From the ASPCA: May I Pet the Dog?
There will be many times when your child encounters a dog and no one will be around to provide guidance on whether it is safe to approach that dog. The dogs that cross your child’s path will be perfectly harmless under most circumstances. As bad luck would have it, one day there will be a dog who tries to give your child the signals that say “Leave me alone!” Will your child be able to recognize those signals when the time comes? Here are some basic rules any child can learn to avoid getting bitten by a dog. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: child, children_and_dogs, dog_bites, sense of smell
Posted in Uncategorized | 2,345 Comments »
March 19th, 2009
Bite mark from a Maltese puppy. (Photo courtesy of Julianna at Flickr)
To date, I have been bitten by small dogs four times while working at Kelsey’s Dog House. In every case, the bite was minor. I could put some antibiotic ointment and a small bandage on the wound and then go back to work. This is a pretty good track record considering I work and play with hundreds of different dogs each year. In each case in which I was bitten, I believe I did something to instigate the bite. On the other hand, those who believe a dog should not bite, no matter what, have a defensible argument. So who is right? Or more appropriately, what is right? Are there some circumstances in which it is okay for a dog to bite? The answers are straight ahead. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: bite inhibition, dog aggression, dog bite, territoriality
Posted in Uncategorized | 2,156 Comments »
March 18th, 2009
Aha! It’s a new look for the website. Fooled you for a minute, didn’t I? I’ve just installed a new theme for ASmallDog.com. It’s much more graphically oriented and has a fresher look. You’ll find all your favorite articles here from the old site, plus many new features.
Posted in Generally Speaking | 309 Comments »
March 14th, 2009
You can still love a small dog without owning one. (Photo courtesy of solar ikon at Flickr.com)
We usually walk our small dogs, Royce and Kelsey, two times per day. The first walk is a long, fast-paced walk for exercise. The second walk, usually after dark, is shorter and at a more relaxed pace. Just before we depart for the second walk, we say to our dogs “Let’s go see ‘Mr. Cookie.’” Mr. Cookie is a friendly and warm-hearted retiree who hangs out in the evening in front of his house. If it is dark, you can sometimes spot the glow of his pipe before you see him standing on his driveway. He keeps a large box of dog treats in his garage. As the nightly parade of dogs passes, he dispenses cookies, belly rubs, and good humor. Although Mr. Cookie loves all the neighborhood dogs, he and his wife currently have no dog of their own, which leads me to the point of this story. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: A Small dog, belly rubs, pet rescue
Posted in Uncategorized | 372 Comments »
March 10th, 2009
Lead Groomer Lisa and Boss Bailey after grooming. (Boss is not the dog referred to in this article.)
I was working the front desk at Kelsey’s Dog House a while back when a customer came in to pick up her dog after the dog had been groomed. She was on her cell phone with a friend and said into the phone, “I’m here at my dog’s grooming salon to pick him up. I’ve got to pay for him. Can I call you back in a few minutes?” There was a pause as she listened to the reply. Then she said, “Yeah, his haircut costs more than mine.” I glanced at the customer register and saw that I was about to ask her to pay $52.00 for the work we had done on her dog. As I waited for her to finish her phone call, I thought about my own haircut and what it cost: $18.00. It became apparent her phone call was not ending anytime soon, so I had some time to reminisce about my last visit to the barber. I thought about everything that happened and didn’t happen. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: cost of grooming, Small Dog Grooming
Posted in Uncategorized | 1,846 Comments »
March 7th, 2009
Pardon me. I have something very specific to tell you.
Can you say the title word of this article three times, very fast? Specifi . . . specie . . . spesh . . . yeah, me neither. I cannot even say it once without sputtering on my computer’s monitor. It is a good word to know because it explains some of your small dog’s behavior. Dogs interpret their environment very specifically. They tie experiences to very precise circumstances. Let’s say for example, your dog learns to fear men in black pants. The “why” part of the equation is not important. No matter why the fear first developed, only men wearing black pants will trigger a fear response. It is likely your dog will not be afraid of men in black shorts, or men in beige pants. Nor will your dog be fearful of women in black dresses. No one knows for sure why dogs are so specific in this manner. It could be a survival strategy, or it might simply be related to a dog’s limited ability to reason. You may say, sure this is very interesting, but what does it have to do with my relationship with my dog? Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: dog trainer, fear response, obedience
Posted in Uncategorized | 1,388 Comments »
