Summer Vacation for You & Your Dog

Summer time is here. The time of year many families like to take a vacation... with kids out of school, tv finales over, & the nice weather its sort of a tradition like apple pie and baseball. With the recent economic times though, summer vacations may look a little different this year.

I don’t necessarily think its a bad thing in many ways. Don’t get me wrong, financial crisis is something I wish upon no one. But when I look at the things that are happening to people and what is important... like really important... its becoming much more real these days.

I find that people are spending more time around home, with family and friends, and that also includes The Dog. Its kind of interesting that many Americans have been going with lack of sleep and spending most of their time working so they can do things away from the home that was the focal point of “having it all”. It’s all starting to come around and spending time around home is bringing more joy to people and their dogs.

The idea of vacation is also taking a new perspective. People are tending to get a little more creative about it and finding that there are so many places they haven’t been right around home to enjoy. Places where you can go with family and friends, including the dog, that are fun and even free!

Trail hikes are an awesome thing to do and the benefits are many. Not only do you spend time with one another, spend time talking that you normally wouldn’t, but you are getting fresh air, exercise and by taking the dog everyone is learning to hang out together and in the end have a lot of fun... for the attractive price of free!

The more time you spend with your dog, the easier the training aspect becomes. The more exercise you get with your dog, the easier it is to have an incredibly well behaved dog.

So plan a vacation around home... check out some way cool hikes you can take, then start doing a daily walk from your house for the “training runs”. I plan to post more articles on the practice training you can do to make planning some longer hikes and outdoor adventures more fun for your and your dog.

If you are in the San Diego area and are looking for some way cool places to go with your dog check out our book “Leave Only Paw Prints” for maps and details. Make it easy... get outside with your dog and have some fun!

For more tips and training tricks, cool dog photos, and dog news follow us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com and K9 Coach on Facebook. And of course feel free to contact us at K9 Coach for any of your dog training questions, private lessons, and dog training camps.

Do’s & Don’t z For Valentine’s Day And Your Dog

It’s the big warm fuzzy day .... Valentine’s Day. And because it such a warm fuzzy day and dogs have become such a part of our families they are becoming part of our Valentine Day celebrations as well. Especially since our dogs are so easy to love.

Chocolate and Valentines Day seem to go hand and hand. But chocolate is a no no for the your best friend with paws. So make sure to keep it out of reach. Don’t leave it sitting on the coffee table where you opened it, on the kitchen counter where your dog can stretch and reach it, and don’t give it to your dog as a little treat!

Should your dog get a hold of it, best thing to do is... get to the vet. Period.

Next on the list, cut flowers. Doesn’t matter if you are chick or a dude... we love to get fresh flowers and Valentines Day is big on it. Once again though, it might not be such a great thing for your dog. Though the intent was not to have the dog eat the flowers, (and we can talk about some basic training to avoid this later) sometimes it does happen.

So again, keep the fabulous flower arrangement out of reach of the dog. Some flowers are actually toxic to dogs. And some are just harmful for the digestive system. Most roses have been de-thorned but not always. Should your dog get a hold of the roses and herk down the whole thing.... the thorns can be not only painful but could do damage to the stomach lining or intestines.

Valentines flowers have branched out from just roses so a few other flowers that can be down right toxic to dogs are gladiolas, daffodils, foxglove, jessamine, hyacinth, jasmine, narcissus, and tulips. This is not a complete list so should your dog get a hold of the flowers and starts showing symptoms again get to your vet quickly.

Minor symptoms are upset stomach, lethargy, mouth irritation, and skin irritation. These may not need the full on vet visit but you should be aware of it and take measures should these symptoms get worse.

More severe symptoms are liver failure, shock, seizures, severe diarrhea, vomiting, convulsions, and hallucinations. These require the assistance of your vet right away.

The do’s for your dog. Get them cool dog treats made for dogs. Toys that can’t be torn apart and digested. I tend to shy away from stuffed animals simply because many dogs to shred them for the squeaky but eat the stuffing along the way... like my labrador retriever! If you are making a special dinner for your loved one, throw on a chicken breast and cut it up for a great special Valentine treat for your dog. That will produce big wags I guarantee it.

Even better, your dog will love a nice outing. Go for a nice walk with your Sweetie and your best friend dog. The outdoors, fresh air, nice conversation and big wag can be an invaluable gift for everyone.

K9 Coach designs exclusive dog training camps for your dog in the San Diego and Temecula, CA with a location in Taos, NM. Visit our website at www.SitK9Sit.com for more information and follow us on Twitter for fun dog photos, training tips & cool dog news at www.Twitter.com/GoTrainYourDog