Dogtopia of Danvers, MA Blog

Therapy dogs hold a very important role in today’s society, unfortunately I don’t believe that they are being utilized enough.  Therapy dogs can do anything from being there for kids while they learn to read, to fetching balls for patients who are re-learning motor skills, to doing silly tricks to bring a smile to someone’s face, to just BEING there for someone who needs them.

This video that I found yesterday of Baxter, a 19.5 year old therapy dog,  shows how truly important therapy dogs are.  TISSUE ALERT!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIrDbzoOxZc

If you think your dog may be cut out to be a therapy dog please contact us and we can let you know about therapy dog classes and testing in the area.

It is spring time again; it’s getting warmer, the trees are getting their leaves back, and the lawns are turning green.  But as many dog owners can sympathize, this is the time that they realize how much damage their dogs have done to their lawns.  Some parts grow back nice and rich and green.  Others remain brown and dead.  Those spots, of course, are where our favorite four legged family member urinates.

So the question is: how do you keep a nice lush green lawn and not have to go through the trouble of teaching your dog the intricacies of indoor plumbing?  Well there are a few tricks that you can use.  But the first thing to look into is exactly WHY our lawns turn brown.

A dog’s urine is rich in nitrogen.  Now isn’t that good for grass, you ask, since many of the fertalizers tout their nitrogen enriched solutions?  Well yes, but too much of a good thing is just that . . . too much.  Just like if you over fertalize your lawn it’ll die, that is what happens with your dog’s super nitrogen-rich urine.  So what are some things you can do to reduce and prevent urine burns in your lawn?

#1 Water!
Urine that is less concentrated can cause less of a burn.  This can be accomplished through encouraging your dog to drink more water, or even watering the area that was just peed on immediately after urination.

#2 Fertilizer
Cut back on fertilizing the parts of your lawn that your dog uses to eliminate.

#3 Grass Type
Use urine-resistant grasses, such as ryegrass and fescue.  These have a higher nitrogren tolerance than other grasses (though can still succumb to urine burn).

#4 Dietary Supplement
There are many different dietary supplements out on the market that are supposed to bind with the nitrogen in the urine.  We suggest that you use these under the advice of a veterinarian.

For more suggestions how to keep your lawn green and your dogs happy, and a more indepth article of this issue, please check out this article written by Dr. Steve Thompson, DVM Dog-Gone-It Lawn Problems.

For any of us who have owned dogs we know the trials and tribulations that come along with training them.  We get to points where we don’t think we’ll ever be able to teach our dogs to sit, lie down, or go OUTSIDE to potty.  We question our dog’s intelligence, and often even our own when a method isn’t working.  But there is hope, people, don’t throw in the training towel just yet!

Meet Annie!  This lovely Doberman and her owner have overcome some obvious obstacles and have competed to high levels in obedience.  Keep your eyes open in the below link to see what makes this team so special.  Their bond is amazing and the results truly speak to the owner’s training and handling ability.  I would love to be able to meet her some day and pick her brain!!  Simply fantastic team.

OTCH MACH ANNIE

That right there is me, tooting my own horn   Just a little update to let our clients know that my dog Blue, since he was welcomed into my family in September, has earned his TT, which is the American Temperament Testing Society title for temperament, his AKC Canine Good Citizenship award, and he also passed his therapy test the other week and will soon be registered with Therapy Dogs Incorporated and will start to work with kids in the coming months.

So not only is he the big blue doofus that greets you at the door, but soon he’ll be a dog with a job!  Good Boy Blue!

Please, to any of our clients, as your dogs accomplish great things email us and we will be happy to let all of their doggy pals, and anyone who reads the blog, know about it!!

danvers [at] dogdaycare.com
(except take out the spaces and the [at] and put the symbol in instead.  I’m just trying to thwart spammers )

-Alyssa

Everyday people go to shelters and rescue kennels, browse through online adoption profiles, while trying to find the perfect furry companion to add to their family.  As much as we all like to think that we don’t judge books by their cover, to an extent we really do.  So what dogs do you pass up based on the basic information that you see in a profile, or in a picture?  Do you pass on the dogs who are too big?  Too small?  Have long hound ears?  Have wiry fur?

Well no matter the ears, fur, and size there is one common trait that turns people away from certain dogs: color.  Specifically the color black.  Statistically shelters and rescues have a much more difficult time adopting out black (or dark brindle) dogs than any other color.  Some people state it’s because their coat color is “boring”, others believe that the darker dogs (especially in the larger size) look more intimidating and aggressive.

Personally, I find them to be magnificent looking.  My first dog love was when I was volunteering for a Greyhound Rescue kennel.  We had space for 9 dogs there, and at the time 6 of them were black.  Again, no one wanted the black dogs.  There was this one big boy, Max.  Solid black shiny coat, standing tall at 30+ inches and around 85 pounds . . . absolutely gorgeous.  He would trot the perimeter of the fenced in the kennel yard, patrolling like a guard dog, alerting if he felt anything was amiss.  He would sit in my lap as I massaged him and would nuzzle me as I groomed him.  At the time I was not living anyplace where I could have a dog, so I sadly had to say good bye to Max a few months later when the rescue closed down (don’t worry, he got adopted out).  Because of Max I have an absolute love of big black dogs, and it makes me sad that people would automatically rule out a dog simply due to coat color.  I just urge you all to take a second look at a dog you may usually dismiss simply based on looks alone . . .

-Alyssa

With all of the snow and ice we’ve had in the past few weeks I’m sure you and your dogs are going a little stir crazy.  You can’t get out for your normal daily walk, a romp in the backyard, or a playdate at the park.  So what can you do to beat the winter doldrums?

Well if you’re looking to get out of the house a quick tour to a pet store is always a good time.  Plenty of people there to socialize with your dog, and you can pick out some fun treats to bring home.

Another option is to come to one of the Meet-Ups that we hold monthly here at Dogtopia of Danvers.  For January we have a small dog meet-up happening on Sunday the 11th at 1pm.  There is also the large dog meet-up which is Sunday the 25th at 1pm.  You get to stay and play with your dog in a climate controlled indoor dog park, and socialize with some other local dog owners.

Even if you can’t get the physical exercise that you’re both used to, mental stimulation can be just as exhuasting for your dog.  There are some fantastic toys out on the market right now, like the Buster Cube, the Canine Genius Leo, Intellicube, or Hide-A-Toys, just to name a few.  All of these toys will make your dog use his brain to figure out how to get the toys or treats out.  They can keep your dog busy for hours while you get some work done, or just enjoy some peace and quiet.

And of course, the best option of all, bring your dog in for a day of daycare.  By the time you pick him up he will be exhausted and you will be able to relax in front of the tv and actually enjoy being snowed in.

-Alyssa

After the snow that got dumped on the North Shore this weekend we are living in a winter wonderland.  And unfortunately that winter wonderland brings along ice!  Of course the trucks come along with sand and salt to make the roads safer for drivers, but that makes it more dangerous for our dogs.

Road salt can cause anything from slight irritation to severe chemical burning of a dog’s paws.  In addition to this, if a dog gets home and licks their paws they can get rather ill.  A friend’s dog went into seziures a couple of years ago as a result of licking her paws after a nice winter walk.  They were lucky that she was saved.  Some other dogs have not been as lucky.

So take precautions with your dogs when you bring them out in this weather.  There is a product called Musher’s Secret which can be used to coat the paw pads and that can prevent much of the irritation.  You can also use herbal products with a beeswax base that has been deemed safe for dogs.  After you come in from a walk, immediately rinse off your dog’s paws so that you prevent them from licking and injesting the salt.

As far as what you can use at home, they do have sand that does not contain salt so keep your eyes open for that (though most road sands do contain road salt).  You can also buy pet safe de-icing products such as Safe Paw to use on your walkway and steps.

So please keep your dog safe during your winter walks, and have fun in the snow!!

Sometimes when we sit at the dinner table we look at the leftovers on our plates and decide to give our dogs a treat, scraping our leftovers into their bowls and watching them chow down with delight.  While human food can be quite healthy for dogs, some of it can be down right dangerous!  So when you’re deciding whether to stuff yourself and finish the meal, or share some holiday delight with the dogs, keep these things in mind:

Just some of the common holiday foods that are toxic to dogs:
Raisins (and Grapes)
Onion
Chocolate
Macadamia Nuts

In addition to toxic foods, your delicious turkey may not be the best thing to share with your dog either.  Cooked bones are very dangerous to dogs, once chewed they splinter and can cause tears in their digestive tract, or can even cause blockages.  And though turkey in and of itself isn’t bad for dogs, quite often we’re tempted to give them the darker meat pieces from the bottom of the bird, the part that has been sitting in the juices.  These juices (and subsequently the gravy made from them) are extremely fatty and can actually cause your dog to suffer from some terrible stomach trouble, even can bring on a bout of pancreatitis, which is a painful condition that can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and subsequently dehydration.

So this holiday season, when deciding whether or not to share your delicious meal with your furry friend, keep the above in mind and decide whether or not it’s the best idea.  We want everyone to have a happy and healthy holiday, humans and dogs alike.

-Alyssa

The holidays are upon us.  The music, the decorations, the presents and the food; all things that we love, but there could be hidden dangers in there for our pets so I just wanted to post to remind everyone to keep their dogs safe this holiday season!  Today we will talk about . . .

Tinsel
Many of us have enjoyed dressing the Christmas tree with tinsel since we were little, quite often also decorating our younger siblings in tinsel, much to the dismay of our parents.  But this sparkly silver standard can be dangerous for our pets.  If ingested these long strings can cause blockages and their edges can even tear the walls of the intestines.  If you think your pet may have injested some tinsel watch for diarrhea, vomiting, or straining to do either, and be sure to have your vet’s phone number (and the emergency vet at well) on hand at all times.  So if you can keep your pets out of the room where the tree is, do so, or even just forgo the tinsel all together.  Though it may make your tree slightly less shiny, it will keep your pets happy and healthy over the holiday season.

-Alyssa

Welcome to Dogtopia of Danvers new doggy blog!  Through this blog we will be keeping everyone up to date on fun things happening here at Dogtopia of Danvers, out in the community, and get some good canine discussion going on.  We’ll also use it as a way to pass along any informative tid bits that we think are worth talking about!

- Alyssa