Tips for hiking with your dog.

Hiking with you dog can be fun for you and your dog. You should pack dog and trail treats when hiking in the city or on the trail. Bring water too, especially in the summer. Not all dogs are suitable for long hike so you need to be realistic about your dogs endurance and capabilities. Always make sure that the trails are suitable for your dog.
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Spy Dog......What does he see?

Charlie the spy dog?

More Snow!

Interesting note. Cats and dogs were suspected of spying on WWI trenches by British intelligence officer. 

See article below from The Independent Newspaper

British intelligence officers in the First World War suspected two cats and a dog of spying for the Germans, in official army documents published by the National Archives today.

The three animals were observed repeatedly crossing British trenches, leading suspicious officers to believe the animals may have been planted by the Germans in order to relay messages across enemy lines.

The incident was recorded in an intelligence briefing from July 1915.

The report, prepared by officers from the 36th brigade of the 12th Division who were stationed in trenches on the Western Front states: “Two (2) cats and a dog are under suspicion, as they have been in the habit of crossing our trenches at night; steps are being taken to trap them if possible.”

Sadly, the document does not state whether the animals were ever detained on suspicion of spying.

David Langrish, records specialist for the National Archives said: “The case of the dog and two cats, shows the level of suspicion amongst military units at this time.

“Every detail was of potential importance for the planning of further operations, and so every possible suspicion would have been reported.”

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/cats-and-dog-suspected-of-spying-on-wwi-trenches-by-british-intelligence-officers-9189474.html

Would you like to take your dog to work with you every day?

Recently companies around the world have allowed employees to bring their dog to work. Not many in Canada. Below is a list of companies that allow you to bring your dog to work.

HootSuite, Softchoice, Modern Dog, Electronic Arts, EA Sports,Google, Kimpton, Kurgo, Tito, Mars Inc., Amazon, Etsy, Bissell Homecare, Ben & Jerry,

See SPCA tips regarding bringing your dog to work

Is your dog your child?

Many individuals are having a dog instead of having children. 

Some are calling their dog their child? Is your dog your child?

It has been found that the relationship between dogs and their owners is very similiar to those of a parent and child. Parent is the caregiver in both situations. Also the researchers found that the same hormone,oxytocin, spikes in both human and canine brains when a dog is gazing at its owner. So both dog owner and your dog benefit of living together.

But dog and child are treated different. My dog, Charlie is treated like a dog. Yes he does get our love and attention but he is still a dog. We put a leash on him when we go for a walk. He eats from a bowl on the floor, not on the table. Charlie is a important member of our family. He is involved in most of our daily activities but we all know he is not our child so he is treated as our pet.

As you can seen in the photo above Charlie is a happy, content dog :)

Charlie wishes he could Kite Surf. Maybe Charlie could try wind surfing instead this summer.

Winter Kite Surfing

Summer Wind Surfing

Photo Credit from http://islandlifebonaire.com/blog/take-your-dog-windsurfing/

Dog Park Rules you should follow.

There is some rules every dog owner should follow when bringing your dog to the dog park.

1. Make sure your dog is vaccination is up to date.

2. Don't try to get dog excited before he gets to the dog park. No one wants to deal with a hyper dog. So enter dog park in a calm approach.

3. Bring one of your dog's toys. Can't expect your dog to play with other dog's toys. Its good to share too.

4. Monitor your dog. If he is being a bully take appropriate action

5. Poop and scoop.

6. Have some fun with your dog!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day from Charlie. He thought the thing he loved the most in the world was bacon. Until he realized without his Mom he would  have no way to get the bacon!

Charlie likes Valentine's Day, but he doesn't really like the silly heart hat that was made for him.

Walking your dog is good for your health.

If you have a dog your likely walking more than non-dog owners. This is a good thing! 

You likely happier than non-dog owners too. Other benefits of having a dog is that you likely have an improved sense of well-being.Also walking your dog 30 minutes a day at least 3 times a week reduces your blood pressure, increases your energy and is likely to lower your weight by 5%.And on top of all that you get the love of your dog.

Dogs go into the snow with their snowsuits already on!

Most dogs like the snow. Check out Charlie, you can see he is loving it!

Even though your dog loves the snow make sure his ears don't freeze, especially if they are small or pointed. Also all that salt on the sidewalk and roads can irritate your dogs paws. If your dog licks his salty paws he could get sick. Try washing your dogs paws with some warm water when he comes in the house.

(Keeps your house cleaner too)

Dogs regulate their body temperature in part through their paws, so make sure your dog isn't exposed to the ice and snow more than a few hours at a time. Always keep an eye on your dog. Not all dogs are the same.

Coyote Sighting in Britannia park!

Although coyotes live in many types of habitat, they typically prefer open areas. This might be one of the reasons we are seeing coyotes along the Ottawa River in the City of Ottawa. 

How to protect your dog from coyotes. 

1. Monitor your dogs when there are outside, even inside fenced yards.

2. Keep your dog on a leash when walking in park areas where there has been coyote sightings.

3. If you do see a coyote approach while walking your dog try yelling at the coyote, act      aggressively and walk back slowly from coyote.

4. Keep a lid on your compost containers and secure your garbage containers.

5. All individuals have to be careful in areas where coyotes have been sighted. Coyotes have not only killed dogs,cats but humans too. 

Charlie Tests Out Hammock Camping

A Hammock Adventure!

Testing out the new camping hammock and Charlie did not want to be left out of the fun. 

Charlie was so happy when he got up and got to be apart of the hammock fun!

Charlie contemplating camping, hammocks, and all the sticks surrounding him.

Dogs hears things that you don't.

A dog hears a frequency range of 40 to 60,000 Hz while a human range is between 20 and 20,000 Hz. Most dogs can hear sounds approximately four times further away than humans.  

Due to this your dog may have a difficult time with many different and loud noises that you find acceptable. 

Dog Parks City of Ottawa

Below are some guidelines from the City of Ottawa-Dogs in Parks website.

Parks can provide a pleasant and safe environment in which to exercise dogs. Safety for other park users is also a consideration however. The Animal Care and Control By-law provides for a variety of park usages or "designations" for dogs (below) and there is a Dogs-in-Parks Designation Policy (DIPDP) that applies.

Click link above to get a map of dog parks In Ottawa

• Dogs Allowed: Dogs may be off leash

• Dogs on Leash: Dogs are allowed but must be on leash at all times

• No Dogs: Dogs are not permitted

Don't try to rescue your dog if falls in the cold water.

Dogs are clever but many times a dog has run on a frozen river and fallen through. And I know that some people will instinctively try to rescue their dog in trouble. Before you do anything, think first. Are you prepared to die trying (many have).

So keep your dog on a leash when walking near a river or other bodies of water in the winter for you and your dogs sake.

Tips to teaching your dog to wait.

Teaching your dog to wait is very beneficial for dog owners. We tell Charlie to wait while we put on our shoes, when we are putting his leash on, when we are opening the door to go outside or when we stop for a second to pick up something off the ground. Wait is a very useful command.

To teach a dog to wait, give the command consistently through out your day. Eventually your dog will understand.

Bad Charlie :(

We started to let Charlie on the couch to look out our new window when we were out. It did not turn out well. He still allowed on couch but we insure we leave some special toy or bone when we go out.

Doing what Tollers do best.

The ducks before Charlie saw them.

Charlie, the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, doing what comes naturally.

Nova Scotia Duck Tollers are named for their ability to entice or lure waterfowl within gunshot range, called "tolling". 

The hunter stays hidden in a blind and sends the dog out to romp and play near the water, usually by tossing a ball or stick to be retrieved. The dog's appearance is similar to that of a fox. Its unusual activity and white markings pique the curiosity of ducks and geese, who swim over to investigate.When the birds are close, the hunter calls the dog back to the blind, then rises, putting the birds to flight, allowing him a shot. 

The Toller then retrieves any downed birds. They are particularly suited for retrieving in cold water climates because of their water-repellent double coat. 

References https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nova_Scotia_Duck_Tolling_Retriever

Instant Meditation

What's happening Man!  Charlie taking a Instant Meditation break.

According to www.nowhealing.com/instant-meditation, you too can do Instant Meditation like Charlie.                                                                                                                                                      
"Now, for two seconds, get in touch with your mental/emotional center – a place of peace. (Don’t feel into it, or try to experience it – just find it and connect to it, at the speed of light. That’s sufficient!)

"Find your spiritual center – your soul  – and connect with it, for two seconds.
And finally, sense your energetic center with its meridians, chakras and auric field.

Now bring them all together: sense your vertical Center, and say the command: “Center.” Stay in your Center, while bringing your focus up, up, up… above your head. Now move your focus up and outward, towards infinity, for a few seconds – at light-speed.

You’ve just made instant, multi-dimensional connection to wholeness. Compare that to how you feel after meditation. Different – yet instantly whole. Check out the full article at https://www.nowhealing.com/instant-meditation/

Chase!

Charlie loves to have the ball and if he doesn't have the ball he chases the other dog till he gets it. Charlie also chases everything he sees especially squirrels and cats. The main reason Charlie chases the wildlife is because it's enjoyable. He loves it! 

It was recommended that we hide treats for Charlie to sniff and find them at home to curb his chasing. Charlie loves this game, but it has not stopped Charlie from a good chase.

Another recommendation was to keep my dog on the leash whenever he is in a situation where there may be animals he may give chase. In my neighbourhood there is many squirrels.

So how do you stop your dog from chasing? I would appreciate any tips!