Your dog will remember where the bag of garbage was that he was able to get into and gorge, he will remember the time he was allowed on the bed, or climbed into Grandpa's lap for a cuddle.  If these things are not allowed, they should never have been allowed.  It is YOUR responsibility to keep things consistent for your dog- if he is not allowed on the furniture, then he should NEVER be allowed on the furniture.  If he is not allowed to rush people at the door, he should NEVER be allowed to rush people at the door.

He can't figure out when it's ok and when it's not- that is YOUR job.

Consistency means ALWAYS or NEVER to a dog.  Don't let there be gray area.

• hydrogen peroxide
• baking soda
• dish soap

Remember, do not rinse the dog or wet him first!

Videos & Articles

eHow

Little River Duck Tollers

Recommendations for alleviating boredom from cabin fever:

• seek out 'indoor' dog activities- some cities have indoor dog parks and pools, or you could take an obedience class, agility class, join a flyball team, check out scent hurdle, herding or freestyle
• teach him/her to hop on the treadmill.  Clear off the ironing, dust off the control panel and get it going- with patience and direct supervision, your dog can go quite the 'distance' right there in your living room.
• research and teach him/her some tricks.  Dogs can learn "play dead", "shake a paw", and many more things while the snow flies outside.  It might not be physical exercise but it is good for his/her mind!
• play hide and seek, tug, wrestle, retrieving down the hall, or hide the cookies.
• there are lots of neat interactive toys you can find for your dog, or you can get a treat-dispensing toy that needs to be moved around for little bits and pieces to come out.
• grooming- every two weeks, I get out the old towel, sit on the floor and do a complete brushing, nail trim, ear clean and check for lumps/bumps on each dog.  It is both good practice and keeps them in good condition.  Also excellent for bonding if done with patience, love and gentleness.

Sounds kind of ridiculous huh?

If a dog pees or poops in the house, it is not to get back at you for going out.  It is because he had to pee or poop and access to the outdoors was not available or s/he did not get your attention to permit access.

If a dog eats something nasty out of the garbage, it is not to tell you s/he doesn't like her food, it is because that item smelled good and s/he could not resist the temptation.

If your dog gets on the couch when you are not around, even though s/he is not allowed on that couch (ever?) it is because s/he has figured out that s/he gets in trouble for being on the couch when you are there and in NO trouble for going up when you are NOT there.

If your dog freaks out when the doorbell rings, it is because s/he has been taught that this is ok.  In other words, has not been taught something else to do, such as lie down on his bed and wait to be called.

See where I am going with all this?

Now I am not saying tennis balls are evil (almost, but not completely.)  And even the ones which say on the package, "Won't harm your dog's teeth" are not to be trusted.  Tennis balls should never be included in the toybox your dog has access to, but should be managed by the humans and brought out/put away by you.  This way, the dog's realtime access to the damage is limited. 

The dog should be discouraged from chewing or excessive mouthing of the tennis ball when retrieving, as this is what causes the most dulling of sharp canine teeth.  Other similarly sized items are a much better choice in the first place, and many good pet stores carry balls made of rubber and other dog friendly materials.  We have several, of slightly angled balls that bounce unpredictably and even ones made of glow in the dark material so we can play at night.

And this doesn't just go for tennis balls.  Any shape of item covered in the fuzzy stuff should be treated with caution.  Chuckit balls (the blue and orange) that say they are less harmful to the teeth, are ultimately what caused the most damage to Topaz's major canines top and bottom, before I even noticed. So beware the marketing my friends.

The way Homeopathy works is to mildly worsen a symptom, such as swelling or upset stomach so that the body's own healing powers will be sparked to cure itself.  Even though the practice has been around for hundreds of years, many people still consider it to be hocus pocus and bear it no mind.  Having experienced its powerful effects on myself and witnessed it curing my dogs and cats, I have no choice but to believe in its healing power.

I will discuss this more in bits and pieces, but beginning with the TOP 3 items everyone should have in their doggie (and human) first aid kits.

Remedies are less than $10, keep for years at room temperature, and cause no harmful side affects.  If it is not the 'correct' remedy, you can try another without worry, and if it's to work, it will work right away.

Apis Mell/Apis Mellifica- provides soothing relief for swelling, edema, burning & stinging pains. Itchy skin conditions. Great to keep on hand for first-aid treatment. Use for sunburn, insect bites and stings. Apis Mel is from Honey Bees and is a perfect match for clearing the itching and swelling of insect bites,bee stings, wasp, hornet, mosquito, and other flying insects.  Keep one in the car for bee or wasp stings.

Nux Vomica- the major digestive remedy used by many homoeopaths.
Nux Vomica helps with nausea, sour burping, bloating a few hours after eating, indigestion, heartburn and digestion after effects after eating rich foods, spicey foods or overeating.
Consider this remedy for the nausea of pregnancy and when certain foods cause nausea, indigestion and/or vomiting.  (also very helpful for hangovers.)
No home should be without Nux Vomica over the holiday season. Fast relief from the gas and indigestion of holiday overeating. 

Arnica Montana- Arnica is famous as the "overworked muscle" remedy whether from age, work, sports.  #1 injury remedy! Relief from pain, shock, & trauma of injuries, scrapes, accidents.
Arnica is a must for first aid.  Helps the body to heal from injury and reduce swelling, bruising, pain.
Also use prior to dental work, surgeries, prolonged sports training.
For after effects of sprains, & pulled muscles. For pain relief while healing from injuries, fractures, muscular aches.  (I use for any type of limb injury such as the dog favoring one paw, swelling after a scuffle with another dog, etc.)

* - *

Repertory- the place where you can look up a major symptom and find out what the homeopathic remedy is to treat it.

Matera Medica- the 'reverse directory' for looking up a remedy and matching to a symptom

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Dosage

Further Reading

Great Books-

Homeopathic Care for Cats and Dogs- Don Hamilton (known as the current Guru of homeopathy for pets)

Dogs Homeopathic Remedies- George Macleod

Homeopathic Medicine for Dogs- H. G. Wolff

Begin training your dog now, while it's snowy, or at least before the big thaw, and ask him/her to sit on a mat at the entrance from outside for a quick paw wipe.  After a few times, your pup will beging to do this as habit and your floors will thank you come March.

The best thing to do is ensure your pup is getting plenty to chew on.  Working meals such as pork ribs, chicken backs, turkey necks, whole fish, etc. are perfect.  If you are giving recreational bones those are great too.  Tug games with an 'authorized' tug toy are helpful, as well.  There may be some discomfort, eye discharge, or other minor symptoms associated with teething, but nothing to be concerned about.

Secondly, it's about the time to get your puppy his/her Parvo shot if you haven't already.  Remember, do not let the Vet talk you into other shots or combo shots.  You have an agreement in place with your breeder due to the high levels of vaccinosis in our breed.

If you can, give vitamin C and/or echinacea before and after the shot.  This will boost your pup's immune system and help to recover from the vaccine.  You can give chewable vitamin C, crushed up in yogurt or  ground food, or do the liquid type and pour 1/2 tsp on top of the food or give a syringe orally.  Liquid is harder to find but I get mine at a health food grocery store.

THIS LINK includes fish, bones and raw meat on its' list.  Hmm.  Not a good list for a raw feeder to use as a resource now, is it?

THIS ONE is one of the better lists, although I still feel it is a bit extreme, including avocado, tomatoes and raw eggs which, in moderation, my dogs do very well on.  Granted they get 1/8 of a tomato or avocado maybe once a month, and raw eggs about weekly so that is what I mean by moderation. 

Garlic in small doses is beneficial as a blood cleanser, flea repellant and can sweeten breath- one experiment where it was determined garlic was bad for dogs determined that high doses have the ability to cause hemolytic anemia, and although not deadly in small doses, recommended that dosage should be discussed with your vet (i.e. give in moderation.)

The ASPCA published this list, which also includes non-food related items and household dangers.

As far as dangerous foods, we all seem to agree on the following:

• coffee
• chocolate
• alcohol
• grapes and raisins
• macadamia nuts
• fruit pits (peach, plum, etc.)
• excess animal fat & skin
• cooked bones
• candy/sugar/syrup, etc.
• junk food in general

My list of foods your dog will never ever need, no matter who says they do is:

• rice (folks love to tell you to give cooked rice and chicken or hamburger if your dog is sick- a much better idea is raw tripe, plain yogurt, pumpkin, or raw ground beef.)
• corn
• oatmeal
• barley
• bread, crackers, baked goods in general
• white potatoes

Remember, your dog does best on the 'Atkins' type of diet- mostly protein, some colorful veggies & fruit, minimal dairy and fat and no starchy carbs.

Splash was my first dog, and I pressured and yanked her through hundreds of hours of classes and drills, not speaking to her for weeks at a time and refusing her access to any furniture.  Many times she shut down, became neurotic, displayed fear and calming signals which my 'Mentor' called Avoidance, Manipulation, and Dominance.  I was just supposed to work harder to 'break' her and this started to go against my instincts.  I then did the same thing to Topaz, but he was a stronger dog and was much better able to take my heavy-handed training, some of which I actually believe in hindsight was mean-spirited abuse.  I wish I could take it all back.

Now I know better, after doing a lot of research and taking other people's classes.  Why wouldn't you want to be on your dog's side, through a loving and compassionate, patient approach, especially if it achieves the same results, or even better ones?  All social animals appreciate acceptance.  Even mother dogs act in a playful way toward their puppies, never shoving or grabbing at them, asserting dominance in gentle ways and only on rare occasions.  We could learn a lot from this.

If your dog pees on something or someone, it is not 'revenge', 'dominance', or 'manipulation'.  First of all, they don't think their pee is 'bad'.  They pee on things the way a child colors on things.  It's a method of expression, scented like them, and can mean they had to pee, they like the thing they are peeing on, or they want to claim it as their own or leave a trace of themselves on something.  It never means they want to get back at you.  That is something a human would do.  (By the way, they pee on rugs and fabric before choosing the lino or hardwood because they instinctually want their pee to be absorbed, not to sit there in a pool.  It is not because they want to wreck your stuff or make you do more laundry.  Enough about pee for today!)

There are some fantastic training resources out in the world, including Cesar Millan, who is mostly dealing with serious cases of aggression or owners who don't understand their dogs' basic needs.  He is not a trainer who is necessarily an expert on the foundation of a pup, but rather on 'fixing' issues down the road.

Some of my other favorites include:

Tamar Gellar, The Loved Dog books and videos (Oprah helped launch her career into the mainstream)

Jean Donaldson, Behaviourist for the San Fransisco SPCA and author of The Culture Clash, one of my favorite dog psychology books.

Suzanne Clothier, who writes some absolutely spot-on, easy to understand articles on dogs and how they think, which allows us to better relate to them and stop punishing them for harmless actions, and to better understand how to communicate with them

Kevin Behan, Natural Dog Training which uses your dog's natural instincts and desires to bring out the behaviours you want and discourages the ones you don't.  His theory is based on the fact that you are the centre of your dog's universe, and if you play your cards right, you always will be, even when there is a snowshoe hare on the front lawn.

Neil Sattin, a graduate of Natural Dog Training who blogs regularly about his training experiences and his dog Nola.