Puptown

Rain, rain, go away………………..

It’s that time of year again when your furry little friend will refuse to go outside due to rain.  What to do?  I always have to drag my three dogs outside to get them to do their business.  They immediately run inside.  In a perfect world this method might work where you have a dog that could care less about getting wet, unfortunately for us, we end up cleaning up pee or even worse than pee on our floors. 

Some experts would say to begin training your dog to go outside in the rain is by going with them and to be excited about it.  Everyone knows, humans also hate getting wet.  So if we pretend we are having fun going outside in the rain with your dog and are enthusiastic when they do go potty, our canine friend will eventually associate that excitement and be more willing to go.

If you have a similar story like this, we encourage you to share them with us.

Pet Care Tips for the Holidays

One of our readers submitted the following tips on how to take care of our pets over the holidays:

1. Keep pets on a regular diet and caution visitors against giving them human food.
2. Keep candies and wrappers away. Foil wrappers can be like razors if ingested.
3. Candles and their flickering flame attract pets - keep them out of reach.
4. Decorations should be carefully placed so pets can't swallow small pieces.
5. Cover or tack down electrical cords. 
6. Holiday Lights can be toxic - many contain methylene chloride.
7. Angelhair (spun glass) can cause irritation of the eyes, skin and gastrointestinal tract.
8. Artificial snow and snow flock can cause toxicity from inhalation if sprayed in the mouth.
9. Hang valuable ornaments high on the Christmas tree. Use wooden, metal, or resin-cast on the lower branch ornaments.
10. Tinsel isn't toxic, but if ingested, it could cause choking and/or intestinal obstruction.
11. Avoid tying ribbons around pets necks and keep ribbons and bows put away to prevent pets from eating them.
12. Replace metal ornament hooks with light-weight twine or yarn.
13. Increased activity and visitors during the holiday season can upset your pet's routine. Try to keep them on their regular routines, and always give lots of love!