Ask us for the a "What to buy before the puppy comes home" list!!

Keep the rules Black or White....no gray!

Dogs do not function well with house rules being gray.  So if you allow them onto the sofa some of the time and don't want them on it at others, you are not being clear on what is acceptable.  You will have to decide but if you do not want the dog on your sofa, then they must never be allowed on the sofa.  As you can see that is not a rule in my home....smiles!

Safety tips that can save your dogs life:

1.) Your Paper Shredder: There have been many dogs that have lost their tongue and often their lives because something fell into the automatic paper shredder and when the dog tried to get it, their tongue was pulled into the machine and ....well ....shredded.......if you own a paper shredder NEVER leave it plugged in or set on auto.
 
2:) Safety release collars:  As the president of an off leash park in NYC, I saw far too many dogs playing with another, get their jaw caught on the other dog's collar and because it was a buckle collar the only was to keep the dog from choking to death was to somehow cut the collar, since most of us do not walk around with such a device, a quick release is all my dogs wear at any time.
 
3.) Running the AC in your Car while you shop: I am guilty of doing this myself until I had many friends tell me that without them knowing it, their car had stalled out (due to possibly overheating) and the dogs were then in a vehicle with the windows closed in the sun. There was a women in Florida a few years ago that sadly lost numerous dogs this way.
 
4.) Crating your dog when you travel:  Simply put if you have even the slightest of accidents, you will get out of your car (most likely MAD) and your dog will have gotten scared by the impact. If your dog normally stays in the car, he can and WILL jump out if scared and sadly into oncoming traffic.  Worse than that if you are in a serious accident the window normally pop before anything else and the dogs will be literally throw from your car. I had a friend who's 90 lbs Newfie got scared by a sound outside the car and flew into her leg well where she could not use the gas or the breaks!
 
5.) The sweetener Xylitol can be fatal! This is used in most sugarless gums, candies and low sugar foods.  If your dog has ingested it, get them to the vet as soon as possible.  Reactions can take minutes or hours, don't wait.  
 

Tricks you really don't want to teach!

Once a dog has been taught that doing a certain behavior will get the treats he want, he will offer this behavior a lot more often then you will want to see it.  So be sure to think through what trick you want to teach!!

Give me your Paw:  Unless you think it is cute for your dog to paw at you and scratch you to get what they want, we do NOT recommend teaching your dog this trick.

Speak:  This is a cute trick but not one to be taught to a dog that already barks more then you care for.

Jump up: Again, unless you want this to be a way that your dog trys to get your attention, we say pass on this trick as well.

Teeth on Skin is a big no no!

After the age of 8-10 weeks, a dogs teeth should not touch your skin for any reason.  Many think that teething requires a pup to use his teeth on you, that is not the case.  Stop that behavior very early to ensure it does not become a lifelong habit.