Dicky Dog Blog

If Carlsberg made worming tablets...

Thursday, 25 November 2010 22:24

Well, it appears they do! Or at least you'd be forgiven for thinking they do if you've recently wormed your dog with one of those canny little tablets disguised very effectively as a sort of oxo cube for dogs. Gone are the days of lagging a tablet the size of a bar of soap with a full pound of butter, rolling up your sleeves and preparing to try and convince your dog to swallow it!

"Hold him still will you Ethel!"

"I'm trying, but he's really wriggly!"

"Ok I got it in, now if I can just keep his mouth closed...."

"Ok he swallowed it...."

"...oh. He sicked it back up again...pass the butter."

This little tussle could go on for some time. Now however, worming tablets have become an absolute treat! These new tablets look similar to a little oxo cube and as soon as the packet was open my faithful companion was sitting bolt upright in front of me doing paw, did they put in some sort of dog nip?

I say well done vets/unspecified animal medical people, for coming up with this long overdue solution to an old problem!

Dogs and dog owners every salute you!

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What have we been rolling in this week?

Wednesday, 24 November 2010 17:10

Ah the joy of the great outdoors! Waking along with your faithful companion at your heels, breathing in the heady scent of the English countryside. Until that is, an unusual odour starts to creep up on you, “What on earth is that awful smell!” you cry. Man’s best friend has rolled in something potent...again. Sometimes it’s her own poop, sometimes somebody else’s, sometimes it’s something that has died and is long past its best before date. Either way the common denominator is a face wrinkling bad odour.

We love ‘em, but why do they do it? There seems to be no real hard and fast answer to that right now. Some animal behaviourists think it’s an evolutionary adaptation to disguise their scent when stalking their prey, in my dog’s case that’ll be a bowl of dry biscuits not known for their olfactory prowess, but you get the picture. Others think it’s to place their scent on whatever nastiness is flavour d’jour to warn off other packs. The other explanation is that it’s to carry back the scent to the rest of the pack, in order that they may better get acquainted with whatever rotting beastie has been found.

Either way, i’d just rather it didn’t happen because i’m getting near to buying shares in a well known brand of dog shampoo!

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Fireworks Night! Time to hide under the table!!

Saturday, 06 November 2010 20:22

...that's your dog... not you... well - perhaps you don't like the loud banging and whizzing sounds of fireworks either but we're writing this post primarily with the canine members of your household in mind :)

Dogs don't understand all the noises and flashes in the sky at this time of year and frankly it can scare them. Unfortunately fireworks don't only get let off around 5th November anymore either! People tend to use fireworks year round for all sorts of occasions. So, is there anything we can ge doing to minimise any stress that they might cause our canine pals?

We were interested to read on www.dogclub.co.uk that there is now a CD available that simulates the random, unpredictable sounds of fireworks which you can play in the weeks leading up to Bonfire Night to desensitise them. Eventually your pet will get used to the sounds and ignore them.

They recommend that while playing the CD you distract your pet by playing with him or giving him some training.

Don't forget that dogs love to have their own space and at potentially stressful times this is even more important - make sure your dog has a safe, quiet and comfy place which is just for him.

There is more advice on the www.dogclub.co.uk website which we would recommend you visiting if you are worried about how your pet might cope with the festivities of Bonfire Night.

Enjoy getting wrapped up warm and visiting a display - but don't forget to make sure your dog is prepared and as calm as he possibly can be by getting prepared.

Here is a video to help you desensitise your dog to fireworks from www.dogsandfireworks.com

We love Cornwall's Crealy at Halloween

Thursday, 28 October 2010 13:51

Off to Cornwall's Crealy this afternoon for a slice of Halloween fun. It's great there this time of year. Plenty of fun games to take part in as well as all the usual rides. The kids are so used to the place now it's more like their own back garden. The fact that we can take the dogs with us is also a bonus, a true family day out!

Top tip

You can give your dogs a good chase in the car park field (away from the cars) before you go in so they are a bit more chilled and happy to wander around with you. Just make sure you clean up after your dog, even if it is in the longer grass because my kids like to run around there and i don't want them stepping or falling in stuff you can't be bothered to clear up.

Here's hoping that Crealy start stocking the Dicky Bags in their shop soon. A great cornish product designed to keep the countryside tidy and family lives easier and ideal for being used in parks where dogs are allowed.

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