How to tell your dog is cold.

Some dogs have a great coat to keep them warm in the winter and other dogs don't. So how how long can they endure the cold?  You need to look for signs and recognizing when it's time to go home.

First Signs of a cold dog.

1. Ice between their toes or on their body
2. Dog is shaking or shivering due to wetness, cold or both.

If you don't take action early your dog will have blisters and/or swelling as well as some frostbite.

Second Degree 

Second degree frostbite will result in skin blisters. Skin turns a very pale/gray colour on their ears, feet,toes and tails.

Third Degree

Third degree may result in gangrene resulting in amputation of affection area and sometimes death.

Dogs like Charlie have a double-coated fur to protect him from the cold weather and wet weather but they too have their limits. If you have a hairless dog, a dog with little fur, or you live, walk and run in a very cold climate, I recommend a coat made for your dog. You can also buy boots for your dog as well.

Always monitor your pet. Keep them safe. They rely on your judgement.

A beautiful feathered tail, constantly moving back and forth.

Duck Tollers are known for their beautiful flashing tails. Some tollers have a white tip at the end of their tails. Charlie's tails is long and always up when walking or excited. Toller tails are full of action depending what the toller is thinking or doing,

Charlie enjoys chasing his tail as well.

Downward dog..........why do dogs love this stretch?

Dogs do the downward dog bow for two reasons. First, it's a good stretch that feels good. It's also signal to other dogs and humans that I want to play!  Dogs will bounce and up and down in these positions when excited as well. So enjoy your dog. Have some fun.

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

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/

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.

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. 

Hope Mom buys treats for me when she is in the grocery store.