giveaway Archives - Oh My Dog!

The gift of positive dog training: kindness

12•09•16

Let’s say you’re at school hanging out on the playground. Another kid has some pieces of candy that you really want. You have two possible courses of action: Shove the kid over and snatch a piece, or ask him nicely if he’d be willing to share. The outcome in both instances is the same. You end up with a piece of candy. But in one, you’re a jerk, and in the other, you’re a friend.

Which one do you want to be?

OK, yes, there’s no question that that scenario is a gross oversimplification, but when you compare modes of dog training… it’s not too far off. I want my dog to sit. I can ask him nicely–through positive training techniques like luring or shaping–or I can shove his butt on the ground. In both cases, he sits. Mission accomplished. But in one, I’m a jerk, and in the other, I’m a friend.

That’s kind of how I think of it, and I’d always rather be a friend.

To me, that’s the gift of positive dog training. You have the opportunity to teach–and, thus, spread–kindness.

(Obvi, this pic is from over the summer. I snapped it after a round of Recall Relay, his favorite backyard training game. He looks so stinking happy in this pic that I thought it was the perfect representation of this topic!)

For dogs like Cooper, that’s particularly important. He’s a smidge neurotic, and what he’s totally fine with one day (nail clipping is nbd, yo!) he decides is terrifying the next (omg, get those clippers away from me, you devil you!) without warning. I need to work at his pace and accommodate his neuroses, and if I were the jerk, shoving him and pushing him and forcing him to do things that truly terrified him even if they make no sense to me whatsoever, maybe I’d get the same outcome but our relationship would suffer.

I’m not working against him.

I’m not pushing him or forcing him to do anything. With positive training, we work together. We’re building a partnership. He trusts me. He knows that if he’s scared, he can count on me to be there with kindness and, OK maybe not understanding (I mean, we clipped his nails for YEARS with the same clippers and never once cut the quick or anything negative, but now it’s terrifying?! huh?), but at least with gentleness and gratitude for his willingness to work with me.

Yes, sometimes he feels uncomfortable. Once we’re totally comfortable at one step, he has to go to the next step. That’s how it works. But by being kind, by being his friend, he trusts me to guide him to the other side of that discomfort, and he knows that when he gets there, I’m going to throw him one hell of a treat party!

This post in part of the Positive Pet Training blog hop, and this month’s prompt was “the gift of positive training.” Honestly, there are many gifts: that moment when you see the lightbulb flare to life in your pup’s head, that moment when something he was scared of becomes nbd, that moment when your tired-from-working-hard dog crawls onto your lap for a big snuggle. All that, to me, comes from the kindness inherent in positive pet training.

And that’s a gift that Cooper and I can keep on re-gifting to one another for the life of our partnership.

This month, thanks to the generosity of the blog hop hosts, there’s a positive pet training GIVEAWAY! Woop! You can enter to win two puzzle toys, a selection of treats, and a trick training book (it’s the same one Coop and I use).

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Thank you to our hosts, Tenacious Little Terrier and Rubicon Days, for making this possible!

The best dog books of summer

07•31•15

What is summer for if not for reading? That’s my opinion, anyway! I love spending summer nights on the patio, book in one hand, glass of wine in the other, with the herd lounging around. That, to me, is peace. Luckily, I happened to get a handful of books to review toward the beginning of the summer, and now that it’s coming to a close (seriously, HOW is tomorrow August?) I wanted to share four new books I’ve enjoyed.

Without further ado: Four books to round out your summer reading list! And if you’ve read anything great lately (dog-related or not!), I’d LOVE to know in the comments. My “to read” list is never long enough!

For the kids

Lola is a five-pound Yorkshire Terrier and a certified therapy dog. Her little brother–though he’s bigger, he’s younger–tattles on her for making mistakes throughout this charming book. Zeke tells on his sister Lola throughout but learns his lesson toward the end. I love how the illustrations are photographs of the two siblings; it’s a cute and clever way to teach about tattling. Author Marcia Goldman has a master’s degree in special education, and she uses her expertise to add a ton of value to this story. The back pages include a curriculum guide with questions and activities to accompany the book. Even if you’re not using in a classroom but reading it at home with your kiddo, those questions and activities would be a really fun way to spark a discussion about tattling. Loved this sweet book! To buy Lola and Tattletale Zeke.

For the science lover

I’m pretty obsessed with reading animal behavior books. It’s fascinating to learn how other animals learn. This book did not disappoint in that regard. It’s full of insights, data, case studies, and history on how dog training has evolved. I will say, though, that you have to be dedicated to excavating those gems as you read. The author is hugely fond of lengthy asides and footnotes that are often unrelated to the topic at hand. It actually took me ages to finish this, even though I’m a fast reader and it’s a passion subject for me. That said, I gained a ton of insights into human behavior from this. Toward the end of the book, she draws parallels between what we’ve learned in animal behavior and the flaws in how we “treat” human behavior (using schools and prisons as examples). I definitely recommend this one because there are tons of great insights, lots of valuable historical data, gobs of fascinating passages… but don’t take this one to the beach. I’d suggest dipping in and out to see what you glean. To buy The Secret History of Kindness: Learning from How Dogs Learn.

For the sense of humor

Author Angie Salisbury’s two German Shorthaired Pointers narrate this cute little self-help-style book (Two Dog’s Training Guide for Humans is the subtitle!). It’s a super fast read–count on one or two sittings–filled with silly and sweet advice from her pups that she then translates at the bottom of each page. Some of my favorites include “There’s enough love to go around,” “Be silly for no reason,” and “Warm your belly in the sun.” Plus, pictures of the pups Bimmer and Bertram are sprinkled throughout, and they are seriously adorable dogs. This is definitely a book that will put a smile on dog-obsessed faces. To buy Dogs Know Best.

For everyone–absolutely everyone

I am obsessed with narrative nonfiction. When it’s done well, when a true story reads like a novel, I’m riveted. It’s not an easy genre to write–I spent two years working on it in my master’s degree program–but when it’s done well, it’s captivating. This is one of those books. Dr. V, who you might know from Pawcurious, crafts her veterinary memoir to read like the perfect beach book. It’s equal parts tear-jerker and laugh-out-loud. Honestly, anyone whose life has ever been touched by a dog will be touched by this book. If you only have time to read one book for the rest of the summer, make it this one. To buy All Dogs Go to Kevin: Everything Three Dogs Taught Me (That I Didn’t Learn in Veterinary School).

And… guess what!!!

I have one of each of these four books to give away! Taa-daaa!

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Have a great weekend, everyone!

Pet Hydration Month: Tips and products to keep your pets hydrated

07•27•15

July is Pet Hydration Month, so I’m squeaking in at the last second with helpful information, a product review, and a giveaway!

I keep this running list of questions and ideas for possible blog posts, and one that’s been on my list for far too long was: How much water does a dog need in a day? Turns out, an ounce of water per pound! Check out this awesome infographic from PetSafe about water consumption in dogs and cats:

For a big dog like Lucas, that’s a lot of water in a day! Frankly, I don’t know that any of the herd drank enough each day, especially in the hot, muggy summer heat. One problem, I think, was that our two water dishes were side-by-side and sort of uninteresting. They aren’t in the most convenient location either. In the course of a normal day, they wouldn’t walk past them often (between the kitchen and back door so mostly when they go outside). But drinking enough water is critical for overall health, like flushing out the kidneys (SO important for cats).

We have two PetSafe fountains that they kindly sent us, so we set up one upstairs right outside my office door, which they walk past 987 times a day:

And we set up the other in the living room:

The upstairs one is pretty small, and Lucas won’t drink from it. I’m not sure why. He passes by it a bunch. He knows it’s water. The other three drink from it. He won’t. Something to consider if you’re thinking about a fountain. The downstairs one is more like a normal stainless bowl, and everyone was comfortable with it right away. It’s also nearly silent, which is great for the living room. Occasionally Newt thinks it’s super fun to poke her paw in the fountain part, then she shakes it off all horrified about having a wet foot. Goofy girl.

Do they drink more water because of the fountains? Hard to say. Supposedly moving water and the fresh oxygenation are both more appealing to pets. I think if anyone is drinking more, it’s Newt. Or it could be that the bowls are in places I see her drinking more often? Regardless, I’m glad to see her drinking water throughout the day!

The ones we have are the Avalon (the red ceramic one) and Zen (the stainless one). For a while I was tempted to buy an outdoor fountain–it seems like such a great way to provide fresh, clean outdoor water versus a bowl that sits out collecting crud–but then I realized that the dogs never want to be outside without me, so I probably wouldn’t use it. While at SuperZoo, though, I did see their new fountain, the Sedona, which is really simple and could match any decor.

That said, PetSafe has very generously offered a fountain for me to give away to one of YOU lucky pups! This is a Rafflecopter giveaway. The widget will load below (sometimes it takes a second). If you’re reading this via email or through a feed, you might have to click the link.
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Thanks, PetSafe, for offering this giveaway! What do you guys think? Would your pets drink more filtered water? Do you currently have some kind of filter or fountain system in place?

What’s in your car? Dog-lady confessions plus a giveaway

07•17•15

You know those commercials for… something… a bank, maybe? And they ask, “What’s in your wallet?” That popped into my head when I was working out the details of this post, and it’s sort of a perfect fit.

What’s in your car?

My car is definitely the dog-mobile. I’m weird about keeping it picked up, like no empty cups in the cup holders, but there are a handful of things that are always, always in my car. Including fur. My car is full of fur. It’s in every little crevice, even the radio knobs. Even when I vacuum. It’s still everywhere.

Fur aside, in my car there’s always: a chew like the hoof in the middle console, a can of sunscreen, a can of squeeze cheese (never leave home without it! I think that’s another credit card commercial…), and a reusable bag for trash. In the armrest, I always, always have a few poop bags, too.

In the back, we’ve always had a dog bed (or two big ones if everybody’s coming along) and a travel water bowl. The dog bed helps Lucas settle for the long car rides to and from Purdue because he’s never really been comfortable in the car, and it’s even harder for him to balance on three legs. With the bed, he can at least nestle a bit even though he would never in a million years fall asleep in the car. (For Emmett, the car = a moving bed. We’re not even out of the driveway and he’s snoring.)

And now!! {{Drumroll}}

The back of the car has a super sweet cargo liner!

We received a sample SUV cargo cover from 4Knines to test out and such perfect timing! We’ve gone to and from Purdue and Indianapolis roughly a million times in the past few months since we’ve had it. Here’s what I can say: It’s super durable. The nonslip liner and headrest straps keep it secure. The bumper cover, once you fold it under after loading in your pup, doesn’t cause it to stop not slipping (does that sentence make any sense?) but protects the bumper especially when we use our Solvit ramp for the big guy.

I didn’t take a pic while it was fresh and shiny and new. Now it’s been filthy–not only the dogs, but we brought a whole bunch of thinned out plants from my parents’ house for our yard and the back was full of dirt and bugs. It’s always covered in dog fur. And, really, you can vacuum it and wipe it down with a cloth, but a good shake has kept it in pretty good shape.

Overall, I’ve been really happy with it, and it’s SO nice to finally cut down on the amount of fur that has moved in and taken up residence in my car. I can now shake out a whole bunch of it after each trip. It’s been pretty darn nice for cutting down on the dirt and mud that seems to always come on their paws, too!

And, thanks to the incredible generosity of 4Knines, one of YOU has the chance to win a cargo liner for your vehicle!

Good luck! Have a great weekend, everyone!

A Dog Dreams of Paris: Review and giveaway

07•10•15

You know how much we love books around here! I had the opportunity to check out a sweet children’s book, A Dog Dreams of Paris, written by Barbara Barth. Now, since I’m not a children’s book expert, I had my ridiculously adorable nephew and his pups check it out on my behalf.

They look like they’re riveted, huh? And how cute, right?!

Anyway, when they reached out about sending a copy for review (and giveaway!), I also got the chance to ask the author a few questions. Since this is a dog-centric book, I thought it would be fun to learn about her dog April and how she went “from rescue dog to diva.”

We’d love to learn more about sweet April and how she inspired you to write this book!

April was dog number six in this household. She came from the same rescue group as Rascal, who joined my household New Year’s Eve Day. My thoughts on a bleak holiday came down to this . . . can’t get a date, get a dog! I had a hard time looking at Petfinder online trying to decide on Rascal or April, but Rascal’s mismatched eye color won me over. I couldn’t forget April’s photo, however. The next week I decided April had to come, too. She was shy and kept her distance from the other dogs, including her old pen buddy Rascal. I renamed her Miss April in Paris and during a photo shoot placed a vintage pink chapeau with a large pink rose on her head. She took to the hat and posed for me. The placement of that hat and the attention she received as I took her photos, helped bring her out of her shell. I decided she would have her own blog (in 2010) about her dreams of going to Paris. The blog turned out to be a good thing. I had self-published my memoir, The Unfaithful Widow, and was on my first blog tour with WOW Women on Writing. One of the stops on the tour was Tilly the Dog in England. My post had to be written from the dog’s viewpoint, so Miss April in Paris wrote about her blog. I kid that she has not made it to Paris, but she did a brief stint in England. Shortly after the blog stopped, but the idea to have a small book and expand her diary stayed with me. This year I decided to make it happen. I was getting ready for hip replacement surgery and needed to feel a sense of accomplishment before I had my surgery and something to look forward to while I did my physical therapy, which is this tour once again with WOW!

I saw that a portion of all book sales will be donated to animal rescue. Which rescue will benefit from your book sales?

I launched the book in May, right before my surgery, with all profits for sales in May to go to Friends of DeKalb Animals (FODA). I am very familiar with this group and it seemed like a good starting place. My plan is to be able to do book signings at dog events and other local events and ear mark profits for the local rescue groups that brought me my dear dogs! In addition, the book is available at my wholesale cost for rescue groups who want to use them for their own fund raising events. They just have to contact me to work out details. I donated copies of April’s book to Atlanta Canine Adoption Project (ACAP) the group that brought me Rascal and Miss April in Paris as a thank you. I am still on my walker from my surgery, so my book signing plans are on hold til the end of summer. Of course, readers can buy April’s story on Amazon and rest assured the profits will go to animal shelters. I’ve always donated to animal charities, if not money, auction items, especially when I had my antique shop. I wish I could give more. I hope my book will do just that as time goes by and folks learn about A Dog Dreams of Paris.

Does Miss April have any plans for future adventures?

April is content with her fame at the moment. But I have five other dogs with dreams of their own. That’s a lot of material to work with! I also plan on finishing my dog memoir this year, on life with a six-pack at home. April will be a big part of that story, too!

For any readers who think their dogs might have a story to tell, too, what advice would you share?

I am a blog freak, and would tell anyone with a dog to start a blog. I have way too many blogs, from sharing stories of my dogs, to my own dreams of owning a farmhouse. I use my blogs as writing journals, complete with photos. When I need material for a book, I can pull from my posts. It is a great place to put your thoughts together, share on social media, and then decide if you want to expand to a book. I love small books, too. A perfect format for a dog’s story.

Thank you, Barbara, for taking the time to share about your book, April, and what’s to come! So fun, right?

And, thanks to her generosity, one of YOU has the opportunity to win a copy of A Dog Dreams of Paris for yourself! This is a Rafflecopter giveaway. The widget will load below (sometimes it takes a second). If you’re reading this via email or through a feed, you might have to click the link.
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Good luck! Have a great weekend, everyone!