Use a Dog Car Safety Belt When Traveling
Traveling with your dog should be an enjoyable experience. Teach your dog what behavior is expected while in the car. Keep your dog as still as possible while in the car. You don’t want it to interfere with your driving, and it is safer for the dog too.
Use a dog car safety belt to keep the dog properly restrained. Your dog will not be thrown forward, should you have to hit your brakes hard, nor will it be able to escape when the door is opened and possibly run into traffic.
Communicating With Your Dog
Dogs are intelligent and learn quickly. They do not understand everything we say, however, they rely on our body movements, the tone of our voices and key words. Be patient with you dog. Provide motivation for him or her to learn. This can be in the form of a treat, petting or by giving verbal praise. Make sure you give your dog clear signals and use your body language and facial expressions. Dogs learn more through visual signals than auditory ones. Offer lots of praise and encouragement for a job well done and your dog will repeat it in the future.
Just how we express ourselves through the clothes we wear, we can let our dogs use dog clothing for expression also.
Dog Clothes and Dog Behavior
Two dogs wearing motorcycle jackets
Dogs are social beings. They have a strong desire to fit in with the pack. Pack behavior developed a series of natural displays, such as, body posturing and staring and growling. These behaviors settle conflicts without causing bloodshed. The body and facial language is a powerful form of dog communication. The animal with the best communication skills would wield the most control and power. So it is not really all about the biggest and strongest.
Isn’t it interesting when we compare that to human behavior. The similarities between the social structure of dogs and humans helps our relationship with dogs to flourish. In the domestic environment, dogs understand that humans get the best and they get the rest. This avoids conflicts between our two species.
So let your dog express his or her personality in the dog clothes he or she wears. The dog motorcycle jacket would be a good way to recognize dogs like power too.
Dog Communication by Visual Signs
When dogs get within a visual range, visual signals take over from scent signals. If you are at a dog park, take your dog off his or her lead from the dog harness and he or she will behave in a natural matter. If dogs are strangers, they will take some time to sum each other up.
They may attempt to initiate play, by pawing the air, or the “play bow” where they drop down on their front legs, or by barking. Play fighting may look rough, but dogs usually abide by clear social rules with no hard biting and little overt dominance.
In fact, most dog fights occur when owners try to get involved and disrupt the complex pattern of communication that dogs quite clearly understand.
Dog Communication by Scent
Dogs use scent to communicate. They mark off their territory with urine markings. As you walk your dog, you will see him or her sniffing areas that have been marked by other dogs. It’s a little like your dog is reading the morning newspaper. Your dog is reading messages left by other dogs. Some of the information your dog receives by its nose is the marker dog’s sex, health, social status and even hormonal state.
And please remember to always use a choke free dog harness when walking your dog. Dog collars can harm your dog.
Dog Communication
Our dogs communicate through a variety of methods. Understanding what our pets are saying is very important and can be fun too. The next time you take your pal to the dog park wearing his or her dog harness, watch how your dog communicates with the other dogs there.
Dogs communicate with each other through scent, visual signals, vocally and with body language. These communication behaviors come from the dog’s wolf ancestry. When your dog comes across another dog watch how they introduce themselves. They may stand still, then approach each other slowly and cautiously, using an indirect, circling approach rather than straight on. When close enough they will sniff each other starting at the head and face and then move to the genital area. This is where the scent glands are most productive. At this point one or both dogs may just walk on by and keep moving and the interaction is over.
More on dog communication to come!
Dog Tank Tops and Keeping Cool
It is harder and harder to stay cool in these very hot days of summer. Remember your dog still needs to exercise. You may consider taking your walks in the evening after the sun has gone down. No matter what time you take your walk, make sure you bring water for yourself and your dog. You need to be careful and make sure your dog doesn’t get over heated.
The dog tank top is light weight and cool to wear. You can matching tank tops if you want.
Dog Days and Dog Clothes
We have reached that time of the year known as “Dog Days”. The hottest days of the year in the Northern Hemisphere are between July 3 and August 11. Most of us are trying to find ways to stay cool and our best friends are suffering from the heat too. In ancient times the weather during this period was regarded as unhealthy and dogs were thought to have spells of madness.
Shadow has long black hair and when she is outside in the sun, you can really feel the sun absorbing into her black fur. We have found that when she wears a white dog t-shirt it helps reflect the sun off her back and she gets some relief from the heat of the sun.
Helping Shadow
As I mentioned in the previous story, Shadow has some problems getting around. The hardwood floors are causing her difficulty in getting up and getting around. After watching her struggles, we came up with an idea on how to help Shadow. We put some “booties” together, constructed of Fleece material with a non-skid grip patch on the bottom. The booties help tremendously.
Shadow is on the move now and a much happier dog. You can plainly see her smile because of her fashionable yet practical footwear. She loves her new dog booties!
Walking Your Dog with a Dog Harness
When walking your dog, you need to prevent him or her from pulling on the lead and walking ahead of you. Your dog should walk nicely by your left side. When training your dog to walk on a lead, be sure to use lots of verbal praise. Dogs respond best to praise. You can also keep some treats in your pocket to reward you pal when he or she is walking correctly.
Say the word “Heel” loudly and firmly every time your dog starts to pull ahead and gently tug your dog back to your left side. Pet your pal and praise when he or she is in the correct position. You will have to repeat this over and over until your dog understands the correct form for walking. Please use a dog harness when walking your dog. The choke collar is cruel and dangerous.