Angel and Her Bathtime

Angel really enjoys her bath. She pretends to not like it, but I know better. I would usually bath her outside however, it is January, 30 degrees and raining. The grandaughters are coming over to spend the night so I thought it would be nice to bath Angel so she can sleep with the girls.

While I was getting everything ready for the shower, Angel would pace back and forth in the hallway. I get the water regulated before she enters the shower so it won’t scare her by turning it on. Anyway, I get everything ready and call for Angel, and call for Angel, and call for…you get the picture. I had to go get the leash. Once I put the leash on her, she goes straight to the shower and right in the stall with no hesitation whatsoever.

She got a good bath including her ears and teeth. What a sweet dog she is. She will be thrilled to have the grandbabies tonight. She loves the girls. I think it’s because of the attention they give her.

Anyone who thinks the Doberman is a mean dasterdly monster has never spent any time around one. Sure, all breeds have their bad apples but I have owned two female Dobes in my life and can attest to their loyalty and intelligence. They are easy to train and eager to please.

Angel poses for the Big Dogs Only Store.com Photographer

Recipes Recipes Everywhere Recipes

It’s simply amazing how many doggie treat recipes you can find in cyberspace. Not only dog treat recipes but real dog food recipes too. Seems there are many dog owners out there that don’t trust the national brand dog food. We will be experimenting with some of the doggie treat recipes from time to time and will post the outcome on this blog. We’ll use the “Paw Rating System” to rate the recipes, one to four paws, with four paws being the best. Here’s the first recipe we’ll be trying.

“PEANUT BUTTER BUSCUITS”

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup quick cook oatmeal
• 2 tablspn Flax Seed
• 1 & 1/4 cups of warm water
• 1/4 cup peanut butter

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 350
• In a large bowl, mix the oatmeal, flour and flax seed
• Add the peanut butter and stir in the water

Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface. Little by little, add in more flour until the mixture is no longer sticky. Roll out the dough until it’s about 1/4″ thick. If you have them, you can use the bone shaped cookie cutters or cut the treats into pig ear shaped tri-angles or even squares. It’s your choice. Your dog doesn’t care. Bake for twenty minutes @ 350, turn the oven off and leave the treats in the oven to cool. This makes the treats extra crunchy.

OK. I made the first batch of homemade doggie treats on Tuesday evening, October 12th, 2009. The recipe is really quite simply and went together quickly. From start to finish, the whole process took less than one hour and only dirtied one large bowl and one spoon. I was able to get 40+ treats from the recipe and I cut them for large dogs. We do not own any cookie cutters so I resorted to cutting the treats in a triangle shape (pig ear). You could probably get close to twice that many if you cut them in a size for small dogs. Anyway, the taste test went very well.

When I bit into one, I found it to be rather bland. It was crunchy and had an up-front peanut butter taste and smell. Max the Beagle liked the treats but they really didn’t trip his trigger the way they did Angel the Dobe. She went absolutely bonkers over the peanut butter treats. I think I may be able to teach the old girl some new tricks using the peanut butter treats as a reward. She likes them that much. So now I’m going to make sure my neighbors, friends and family get to try these treats on their pooches. By the way, I have named the treats “ANGEL CRACKERS” (Peanut Butter Doggie Treats).

My Neighbors’ Black Lab

Dave and Kristy are terrific dog owners. They adopted a black lab puppy last year and in fact she turned one year old on September 1st, 2009. Anyway, Beast (named by Kayleigh, Dave and Kristy’s 5 year old daughter) has it made. If it’s not raining she gets long walks/runs most every morning through the woods and then gets a bath from Kristy when they get back home. I see a Dirty Dog Washtub  in Beasts’ future. She enjoys a large yard to romp in, a cozy home and a family that loves her and takes really good care of her. Beast will be trying out new products from time to time and we’ll be writing reviews on those experiences. This weekend, Beast will be sampling our homemade “Peanut Butter Doggie Treats”. We’ll let you know how it goes.

Dave Kristy and Beast

Training Tips

Training Tips

HOLE DIGGERS

 

To stop your dog from digging up the yard put his poop in the holes. He will eventually stop the digging and who knows, he might even cover the holes back up.

SIT UP

From the sit position, hold a treat just far enough away that the dog can’t snatch it and while you repeat “sit up” raise the treat over the dogs head until he sits up naturally. Praise your dog.

Max the Beagle/Sheltie

What a great little companion. Max reminds of the movie “Sounder” ’cause he barks at every little move he sees or every little sound he hears. He’s one terrific watch dog. He shares his large fenced in yard with Angel the Doberman and they absolutely love one another.  Occasionally, Max will slip out of the yard and that’s when the Beagle side really comes out. Keeping his nose about a quarter inch off the ground and his tail in a rigid C shape (he resembles a portable vaccum cleaner) he’ll be a couple hundred yards down the road before he looks up. No matter what you say or how loud you say it, he will not look up. When he finally realizes where he is, he hightails it back home as fast as his short legs can go.

Max with Jordan

Bronx, The Blue American Terrier

Bronx, the Blue American Terrier, was born on Saturday July 25th, 2009. Our family adopted him on August 27th at barely five weeks old. He is so small right now that it’s hard to imagine him full grown and weighing up to 100 lbs. Then he’ll be needin’ some large dog products. As all puppies are, he is adorable with a tan colored coat and a white chest. He’ll be raised in a home with two small children, Jordan and Jayla who love him and treat him like their baby.

Today, 09/02/09, Bronx received his first shots and a deworming. He goes back for his second shots in three weeks. Bronx’s immediate family will be going to Florida for the Labor Day Weekend and chances are better than not that Bronx will be taking his first road trip.

Bronx did great on his first road trip. He had his own little carry crate and slept most of the trip to Florida and back. It’s been quite a while since we’ve had a puppy around and it’s easy to forget how sharp a puppies’ teeth are. They can draw blood very easily. It’s better for a puppy to bite and chew on a toy than a person. Bronx is developing a little personality and his house training is…..well…..coming along.

Today is January 6th, 2010. A good time has passed since I’ve written in this blog because we lost the puppy in an accident. He was replaced with another male pup from the same litter and named “Bronx”.

The new pup is light brown with a splash of white on his chest. He has a laid back personality and appears to think alot. He’s a good dog and with a good family.

Two couch potatoes

GSHS DOG OF THE MONTH

This is where we will feature one of the many fine large dogs the Grand Strand Humane Society has up for adoption. First of all, GSHS stands for the Grand Strand Humane Society and they are located at 3241 Mr. Joe White Ave., Myrtle Beach, SC 29577. The contact information is: Office 843-918-4910 * Public Relations 843-915-4913 * Fax 843-445-2821 www.grandstrandhumanesociety.com .

We visited the shelter on Saturday August 29th, 2009 and I was sad to see a dog that I thought would be adopted within a week, still there. “Rukus” a female Australian Cattle Dog mix really made an impression on me the first time I saw her, I think it was August 1st. The day GSHS had their adoption drive. They’re always puttin’ on fundraisers. Anyway, Rukus is a fine specimen of a dog. Her markings are beautiful, she is very friendly and eager to be adopted. She would make someone a great companion. It’s a shame she’s been at the shelter since May.