Keep your dog active in the winter.

Four ways to keep your dog active this winter

1. Long walks are always good. 

2. Try to make mealtimes fun and stimulating. Put treats and wet dog food in a Kong and freeze. 

3. Play find the treat. Hide treats in the house and tell your dog to find. 

4. Look for a winter agility class.

Playing in the snow to snoozing on the bed. What a hard day!

Charlie hiking

Charlie loves, I mean really loves a good hike. 

Yesterday we went to Shirleys Bay-P2 hiking trail. The trail does a loop to the Ottawa River and back. If you like to hike below is a list of 7 dog breeds that like hiking too.

1. Labrador Retriever 2. Bernese Mountain Dog 3. Siberian Husky 4. Portuguese Water Dog
5. Alaskan Malamute 6. Australian Shepherd 7. Border Collie and Mixed breeds

Charlie enjoys the snow

Charlie at the park

Charlie at the playground

Charlie is a hot dog!

Some dog breeds are blessed with thick fur that keeps them warm naturally, even if the weather is below freezing. Dogs with a thin fur coat may need a coat or sweater. 

How much sleep does a dog need?

The average amount of sleep for adult dogs is 12–14 hours per day.

Charlie loves to sleep. He can sleep anywhere but usually sleeps in the room I'm in. So now while I write this he is in the office/bedroom on the floor. When I leave the room he will follow me. 

Dogs sleep in short and long stretches throughout the day and night. Dogs almost spend half their life sleeping. It is important to teach children and guests to not approach your dog while its sleeping. A dog that is startled can jump or bite.

Why is Charlie so darn cute?

Lots of dogs are cute but why?

Humans find dogs cute because of their soft and furry coat and the sad puppy eyes that you can't help falling in love with. Just look at Charlie. You can't help yourself saying "awww-how cute".

Many say we like to be a surrogate mother to our dogs forming long loving friendship. But being cute can be a bad thing too. Many dogs get adopted because their cuteness and later brought back to the dog shelter. So before you adopt a dog do your research. Find the right dog for you, looking at temperament, how much exercise it needs, how big will it get. Does everyone in the family want a dog? Getting a dog is a big commitment.

Dogs can be cute but they can also be destructive, aggressive, dangerous, high-strung, fearful, shy, hyper-active, temperament and dominant to name a few.

Helping dogs get along

According to Cesar's way, the best way to introduce a new dog is to first meet in neutral territory and take a long walk together. This will allow the dogs to get to know one another.

My experience at the dog park is that dogs are quick to run and greet the new dog. Dog owners seem to know their dog. Sometimes holding their dog back to sniff and then release once everyone is comfortable. At times some dogs can get aggressive and dog owners should be quick to intervene.

Why do dogs look so sad?

Your dog may be sad because you're sad. There have been studies that determined that dogs can tell when you're happy or sad. Dogs pick up on cues and behavior through facial expressions and body language. See link for more info

Charlie going for a hike

Ottawa has many hiking trails. Some trails dogs are not permitted. For more info see link Ottawa Hiking Trails

Charlie loves sticks

Charlie loves sticks

First thing Charlie does at the dog park is 1. Look for other dogs to play with and 2. Look for sticks. Charlie loves sticks, short sticks, long 4 feet sticks. He likes to share his sticks to as can be seen in the picture below. You can't see the stick but 3 dogs have their teeth on the stick.

Charlie loves sharing his sticks