Happy Holidays!

Elli is getting excited with all the decorations going up, and presents under the tree. Strangely though, she has never been too interested in all the changes in the house that come around holiday time. She barely even looks at the tree.

This will be her second Christmas. Last year she got soooo many treats and toys. But, this year I only got her a couple presents. She will be getting a new pink sweater, a few treats and raw hide bones in the shape of candy canes to share with her friends. I may pick her up a toy as well, but she really has enough toys to play with. She'll just be happy getting to spend time with her extended family. And, trying to sneak any turkey bits that may fall onto the floor.

Happy Holidays!!

Paw Nation

I recently came across the Paw Nation website. It is a site devoted to all things pets. There are main categories such as health, news, product reviews, and photo galleries. But, it doesn't stop there. There are tons and tons of categories that suit every animal lovers needs. There are links to other pet sites, pet horoscopes, advice for travelling with your pet, nutrition, and breed information (these are just a few examples).

The entries are short blog-style that are easy to read. I also thought they had some unique and interesting stories with cute pictures to go with them. The articles will make you love animals even more, and be even more amazed by their true stories.

Booties

We are in the midst of the first real snowfall in the GTA so I thought it would be the perfect time to write about a product I found last winter.

Elli loves the snow and we still go on walks even when the sidewalks are covered with ice and snow and that dreaded salt. I've looked at various dog boots and even tried a couple on Elli in the stores. But I never purchased a pair because I couldn't find any that would actually stay on, or that Elli would actually walk in.

Last winter I came across an inexpensive (less than $20) option that I thought I would try. The product is called  PAWZ the company site can be found here. The boots are made from natural rubber and are waterproof. They protect against chemicals used on snow, ice or lawns, liquids, sand, red clay stains, salt, fire ants, soil, swimming pool liner tears, hot pavement, and post-surgical infections.

The boots come in different sizes, I got Elli extra small. Twelve boots comes in a package and they are reusable until they tear then you can just throw them away and use a new pair. The boots are easy to use and slip on and off with a little pull, but most importantly they stay on when you want them to.

Last winter Elli only used one pair and they never wore out. They kept her toes dry and clear of ice and salt. She was able to walk normally and didn't seem to mind wearing her boots.

Here are some pictures of Elli in her PAWZ  boots. Her hair is so long here it puffs out the top!

Obedience Classes

For some reason I had always imagined that when I got a dog I would take her to obedience classes. I thought people who did this always had well-behaved dogs.

Even with those good intentions I ended up not taking Elli to a formal class. Sometimes I wish I had, but I truly think training a dog comes down to consistency. I decided against taking Elli to class because of the cost, I was also concerned that I would take her and she wouldn't really learn anything like some other dogs I know.

Elli knows tons of tricks. The problem is she really only does them consistently when there is a delicious treat in front of her nose. She also has a tendancy to get distracted. I need to take time to work on her obedience on a more regular basis. I know with a bit more consistent training she would be able to do anything I ask her to.

I have taken Elli to a couple free classes at the local Petsmart. She liked these and seemed to have fun with the other dogs. I also felt that her training was at least on par with the other dogs there (who most likely also did not take formal classes).

When I think about my next dog and if I would take that one to classes, I'm not sure. I think it depends on the type of dog. A larger dog would probably need better training since he would have the potential to do more damage. Anyway it's something to think about. In the meantime, I'm going to work with Elli and get her to do her tricks without a treat. That's the goal at least.