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- Dogs helping their people..Dog Is Lifesaver for 3-Year-Old with Diabetes http://t.co/8HUXJWYW via @zite
Television for Dogs?????
Party Marty, the curious cat with exciting news: Well…just when I thought I had seen it all, out comes something new…just for dogs! It’s called DOGTV! Have you heard about this? It’s a cable channel dedicated to dogs that stay home alone during the day. (Thank goodness I have Netflix!). Unlike us cool cats, evidently dogs can get quite anxious when left home alone, and this new channel has been designed as the ideal babysitter for these pets. Compelling research indicates that dogs feel better when the television is on, especially when it displays the right content…and that doesn’t mean dog food commercials!
This new channel provides three types of programming: relaxing content, stimulating content and positive behavioral reinforcements (Guess there are no commercials!). Supposedly, the music on this channel is designed to create a peaceful ambiance. The stimulating portion provides invigorating images, animation and real world sounds to keep them up and on the move! (Heck…I do that for that dog Jessie here by going out and occasionally ringing the doorbell several times in a row. You should see her react!)
DOGTV looks to be a great tool, however, to prevent depression, boredom and mental fatigue. In dogs, that is. Dang! I should have thought of MARTYTV! (Pauses and thinks) Catch ya later! I’ve got something to do now!
Go to dogtv.com for more info!
Could YOU Be Making Your Dog Bark????
Party Marty, the amazing and phenomenal cat, here once again, dishing out the advice and dispensing the wisdom as only I know how! Boy! Do I hate dog barking! It makes my ears bleed! Does your dog bark excessively? Did you know that your dog’s barking may be attributed to YOUR behavior and mental state of mind? I’m just saying….
According to cesarsway.com, dogs bark for many reasons, but I found it interesting to discover that sometimes dogs bark in response to its owner’s negative energy. Yep! If you are frustrated over something, your dog will pick up on that sensitivity and let out that pent-up frustration by barking.
What to do? Quit that internal barking of your own and simmer down! I know…easier said than done, but if your dog barks and you can’t figure out why…no one at the door, no one outside the window, already went outside to conduct its business…that sort of thing…then look inward to see if he is barking at YOU! Hey! It could happen!
By the way, cats don’t bark! I’m just saying…
Putting a Dog’s Sniffer to the Test! We’ve Struck Oil!
Party Marty back on the scene: Hey! I am one cool and busy cat! Glad to be back on the blogging front today! I just read some intriguing news and had to share. Just when I thought dogs were good for nothing…other than for simply teasing…I heard a story about how some dogs are being successfully trained by a Norwegian company called Sintef to find sources of oil! What? Dogs instead of high-tech radar equipment? You have to be kidding me! A dog is a dog, for crying out loud. I mean, look at Jessie over there, just snoozing on the floor and doing nothing to enhance her resume!
However, I remained intrigued. Evidently, two breeds of dogs are very competent in sniffing out crude oil sources – the Border Collie and the Dachshund! Yelling over to Jessie: Hey, girl! Guess you won’t be able to apply for this job! Go back to sleep. It’s what you do best!
Sintef has been training dogs for three years to located sources of oil underground, under ice and they have even been trained to locate oil spills! They are trained much like a dog that sniffs for bombs, but the work is far more intense and the journeys are far greater. The studies have suggested that the dogs’ innate sniffing power is far superior to the fancy and expensive radar equipment they use. However, according to the company, the dogs’ happiness is what comes first! Let me guess….they pay the dogs in Milk Bones!
How about the cat’s happiness? Let’s see if they can train Jessie! Do they have an oil-sniffing boot camp for diva dogs that live in the suburbs?
Dealing with a Deaf Dog
Jessie, in tune with all issues related to dogs: I am a grateful dog. I have my health, my friends, the love of my human, and my hearing. Although on some days, I wish I could just tune out Party Marty. He gets to be a bit much!
While my heart goes out to those of you who may have a deaf dog or have a dog that has suddenly lost his hearing, let me assure you that it’s really not that difficult living with a deaf dog. As you know, we are highly intelligent creatures and rely far more heavily on body language as opposed to mere words anyway. Face it…dogs don’t naturally understand words. We weren’t born to become talk show hosts! You humans simply think, and rightfully so, that we grasp the understanding of words quickly and when you pontificate various commands and phrases, our ears perk up and we respond appropriately.
However, did you know we are really focusing on your body language? So much miscommunication occurs between humans and their dogs in this regard. Your body language often contradicts what you are saying. For example, when you want us to come to you, you typically bend forward toward us while calling us to come. What we “read” from that is to go away. Now, when you lean away from us while simultaneously instructing us to come towards you, that is when we will heed the call. Weird, I know, but your actions speak louder than your words, so when it comes to understanding you, we’re all ears!
In actuality, your greatest challenge with a deaf dog is in understanding your own body language and how you convey certain messages to your dogs. You can apply this same concept to your hearing dogs, too! Body language…that’s where we’re fluent, babe!
Thanks to caretoadopt.org for this information. You can also learn more at deafdogs.org.
To All Working Dogs in the Military, I Salute You!
Party Marty here, the cool cat who has come to recognize those who have protected our freedoms on this Veterans Day: While I want to give great thanks to all those human veterans and active military personnel today for their selfless service to our country, I also want to honor the working dogs in the military. Yes…I am a cat, and I normally choose not to recognize dogs, especially that one with whom I live, but on this honorable day, I think it is vitally important to give thanks to the dogs who support our troops and help to defend our freedoms.
Dogs have been part of the military since the Revolutionary War. First, they were used as pack animals, and by World War I, they were used to kill rats in the trenches.
However, during World War II, dogs began to support military operations. The U.S. military deployed over 10,000 specially-trained canines as sentries, scouts, messengers and mine detectors.
Today, a couple hundred dogs are over in Iraq and Afghanistan with our troops and are working as patrol dogs and as explosives and drug detectors. An additional 2,000 dogs help with similar services at various U.S. baseas and operating posts worldwide.
Dogs have a unique ability to incite fear in an aggresor in a way humans rarely can. Dogs will defend to the end. A trained dog for military purposes actually can create a strong psychological deterrent. No one wants to mess with it.
So, on this noble day, please take a moment to honor and recognize ALL veterans…even those who bark!
Thank you. And thanks to usmilitary.about.com for this insightful information.
Helping One Dog Conquer Fear
The other night as I was walking with my Pug client Kita, we met a man walking his Bichon Frise, Molly. I asked if we could stop to say hi, Molly’s owner said sure, but as we got close Molly cowered behind her owner.
He explained that she was extremely afraid of other dogs. I asked if he knew what caused the fear, and he told of them being attacked a year ago by a large “police dog.” As we were talking, I knelt down to make Molly more comfortable in approaching me. She remained hesitant, so her owner dragged her and prodded her lightly with his cane to get her to come near us. I dissuaded him from doing that, knowing it would only make the problem worse.
So what are some things he could do to help Molly conquer her fear? The main thing is not to force her to confront her fear too quickly. In Molly’s case, she is now only two years old, so the attack was one of monumental proportion in her development. She will need to be led very gradually back to interacting with other dogs.
One way to help Molly would be to expose her to dogs with a calm demeanor. Begin with only a minute or two of exposure and gradually increase the time until she becomes comfortable and is willing to approach other dogs on her own.
Exposing her to other dogs with calm demeanor would help her learn to trust that not all dogs are going to attack, helping to build her confidence.
During the re-acquaintance period, rewarding positive behavior would encourage Molly to continue interacting with other dogs. The reward should be based on what works best for her; treats, special outings or just a kind word from her owner.
To help Molly, it won’t be a fast fix, but with time and a lot of patience she can make much progress in getting the better of her fears.
That’s MY Easy Chair….Not Your Throne! Down, Doggie!
Party Marty here, the well-behaved cat with all the right moves: Word on the street is that a certain Wheaten Terrier in the neighborhood, who shall remain nameless at this time, has been abusing his privileges of comfort on the homefront, making excessive use of his human’s furniture for his own leisure. Every time his owner turns around, it seems that Naismith, er….I mean NAMELESS dog….is lounging on the nearest couch or over-stuffed chair, as if it’s his throne and natural birthright.
While there are certain products on the market that aid in deterring such behavior, they seem rather cruel. (Really? Spiked mats to keep the dog off the couch? That just seems mean!) I believe there are more positive approaches to this dilemma, and actually are quite simple in nature.
Instead of yelling at the dog for being ON the furniture, praise him when he gets down from it when you ask him to do so. Give him a small treat for such behavior.
Put a few comfy pillows on the floor just for your dog or place a special treat on his little bed every now and again to encourage him to relax there.
Of course, if that fails, I suppose you can just pass a massive amount of gas while sitting on the couch that even the dog can’t stand! In the household of the “nameless dog” referenced above, that’s exactly what one of the kiddos did, and that dog made a run for it!
Have a great day! And if you are relaxing on the couch this weekend, PLEASE keep your feet off the coffee table! Manners, people! Manners!
Make Sure Your Puppy Does His Homework
I’ve acquired several new puppy clients lately, and one thing all owners have talked about is enrolling their new addition in training class. It’s definitely a good idea to get your puppy into training school and once there, to help him get the most from his training. Following are a few tips on things you can do with your dog to help him get an A+ in school:
- Reinforce what was covered in class by going over the exercise for a few minutes twice a day. Space the sessions at least 30 minutes apart so your puppy won’t be overwhelmed. Keeping each session short also helps your puppy stay engaged, even with his short attention span.
- Walk your puppy in different areas and reward him with treats to reinforce him staying by your side.
- Help reinforce toy exchange by trading the toy he is playing with for a treat or another toy he values more. Continue doing this several times a day to help him learn to give toys willingly.
Make sure your puppy does his homework after school and you’ll have an honor roll student in no time!
Dog Fancy, July 2011 was a reference for this article
Please let us use our sniff sense!
Jessie, always on the trail for the right scent: Hey! I have a little tip of the day when it comes to your lovable dogs. In his book, “Dog Sense,” animal behavior expert John Bradshaw conveys some pretty interesting information about dogs, stressing understanding of our fine pets over trying to dominate them. I like this suggestion:
When you are outdoors with your dog, please let him take the time to sniff around. He is curious about everthing going on in the small world around him. In fact, the ritual of sniffing is probably a very important part of his day, a true highlight. Just as you wouldn’t want someone to abruptly change the TV channel as you were watching it, your dog does not appreciate being pulled away from one of his favorite activities.
Go ahead, Rover! Sniff away! It’s your birthright!
Hot Dogs are Only Good for Eating!
Bolt, Yorkie-Poo guest columnist: What dog doesn’t love a fun walk around the ‘hood? I certainly do, but in these current elevated temperatures, I’m lucky to make it around the house without feeling overheated. My paws hurt. My tongue is dragging on the ground. Drool is rolling off my beard. Not a pretty sight.
While I love my exercise, I want to warn you to exercise some common sense when it comes to your dogs and the outdoor life in the dog days of summer. It’s hot outside, baby! The ground is hot to our paws. We are so much closer to the asphalt than humans are, so we feel the heat that much quicker and so much more exponentially.
Save the walks for the cooler times of day – early mornings and evenings. Stick to shaded areas. Limit the duration and intensity of the walks. Make sure we have plenty of fresh, cool water. If you think it’s hot, imagine how we feel!
Just be smart about it. Heat stroke in pets can lead to illness, internal organ failure, and even death. You can play games with us inside, too. My master loves to have me chase her up and down the stairs a few times. It’s a fun little game we play, and I sure do get some exercise that way. So does she…in fact, I really think she does it for herself! I won’t let her know I know that, however.
Take care! Catch you later! It’s nap time!
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