Snow day and Winter Care for Pets

We've got snow here today - I'm not sure how thick it is as I haven't been out, but at least an inch or two. By the time I go out the main roads won't be too bad, so I'd like to reassure all my clients that I will get out to all the dogs today!

Things may take longer - including the walks if we're having a lot of fun, but I will get round to everyone!

Winter Care

Young, elderly, ill or infirm dogs may need a coat when out of doors this winter. Wind can be particularly chilling. Short coated dogs may be fine on a walk, but standing still, such as at a training centre or while people chat or have coffee will feel the cold.

Dogs don't need more food in the winter unless they are kept out of doors, so don't be tempted to give extra food. Outdoor water bowls can ice over, and very cold water is not good for dogs. There is a danger of ice burns to the tongue if the bowl is metal and cold enough, or a ceramic bowl can crack. Float a ball in the water to help prevent icing over, bring the bowl in, or empty it on very cold nights.

It can be just as dangerous to leave a dog in a cold car as a hot one – make sure your dog is warm enough if you have to leave them for a short while.

Ice and hail usually lead to gritting lorries. The salt and other materials can irritate your dogs feet, so you may need to give them a wipe over when returning from a walk; try not to let your dogs lick their feet in case they ingest something that could make them ill.

Snow balls can form on long haired dogs. Even shorter haired breeds can gather these on their feet, and once they have formed they need to be left to melt (hairdryers can help if your dog will tolerate it). They are very painful for your dog to walk on, so if you spot them, take the dog home for a break. Vaseline between the toes, and keeping long fur trimmed can help. Leave some fur on, as is will help to protect their pads from frozen ground.

If we get heavy snowfall again this winter, watch out for snow on buildings or trees that might melt and fall – just as your dog is underneath. Check that the height of the snow in the garden doesn't open up an escape route for your dog.

Dogs, but in particular cats, have a great liking for anti-freeze due to its sweet taste. Keep it well away from your pets because it can be fatal.

Cats have a tendency to climb into warm places in winter, and this includes car engines. Please be aware and try to be sure where your cat is before you drive off.

Rabbits and guinea pigs are often left outside in the winter. Rabbits can deal with this as long as they are not in a draught or getting damp. For guinea pigs it’s pure misery! Bring your guinea pigs into a shed or unused garage, and give them, and rabbits, thick newspaper under the bedding to help insulate. Make sure they have plenty of extra bedding, changed more frequently as if it gets wet (either rain or urine), it will freeze. Bubble wrap is your furry friend’s Best Friend. Keep a spare water bottle to hand, and make sure to swap them over if one freezes. Don’t forget to spend time with your pets, even if it is cold and dark outside.

Chocolate and mistletoe are more in evidence at Christmas. Chocolate is toxic to dogs, although they may be able to tolerate a small amount of milk chocolate. Call the vet if you suspect they have been in the Quality Streets – cooking chocolate is much worse, so watch out when chocolate cakes are around. Mistletoe, and in particular the berries, are highly toxic, so make sure they are hung up carefully and can't be pulled down by the dogs. Watch out for fallen berries.

Older pets should have a soft bed with raised sides to protect them from draughts. Dogs can be very stoical so get down on the floor and see how their bed feels.

Arthritic pets may need slower, shorter walks. Not sure if your dog is sore? Do they lick the same spot a lot, are they slow to get out of bed, or stiff and perhaps a little grumpy if disturbed? Some limps are very subtle and may not be noticed. A trip to the vet could make your pet more comfortable.

Snow Day!

I love the snow - I love the way it makes all the dogs go a bit bonkers, although normally I'm too slow to catch it on the dogcam!

Here are some stills instead.

Christmas Eve at Thorndon Park

Our last walk before Christmas today - some highlights!



My son came with us today - he slipped on the ice, so the dogs gathered round in an immediate recall as I've taught them! Helped along by a generous dose of nosiness. Bramble didn't join in as I haven't played the 'lying down recall' game with him yet.



Jacob is standing up, so they're not really sure what to make of him...



Bramble got into this shot! I ended up using 'Bramley' as short cut for Bramble & Bingley but only Bingley took any notice, so it didn't really last long (although I had a jam sandwich when I got home and I'm not really sure why...).

I wish you all a very merry Christmas!

Even more snow!

My windscreen cover made no difference to the van last night! The wind was so strong it just kept blowing loose.

I've cancelled my early walks this morning, it's not sensible to go out early today. I drove past two accidents yesterday, don't want to make myself and the dogs another one!

Hopefully the dogs will come out at lunchtime instead, when the morning commuters have cleared the roads a bit!

It's days like this I'm so glad for the skidpan training I did when I became a taxi driver back in 1991! Those memories never fade...

Winter 09 Newsletter - Winter Care for Pets

News from the Team

Fred is now a cover star! He has worked very hard to overcome his bad start in life, and walking with so many dogs over the past year has really helped him to settle down, so I was very pleased that he earned this honour!!

In case you can’t read it, the book is called ‘100 Ways to Solve Your Dog’s Problems’. Unfortunately I’ve been included in the photographs inside, but there aren’t many!

Mud!

I apologise! Some of the dogs seem to have an inbuilt mud magnet. I’m happy as long as they are enjoying themselves, but I do what I can to leave the mud outside. Please leave an old towel out for me to give your dog a final ‘polish’ before I leave them. If you’d like to leave newspaper, cardboard, plastic sheeting etc on the floor, I’ll happily walk on it.



Special Requests

Dog training - I’d like to extend an offer for basic training- I am able to teach the dogs, but need experience teachingpeople to teach their own dogs, so if you think you and your dogwould benefit from one or two sessions for basic exercises, sit,down, recall, lead walking, please get it touch. This will be alimited offer!




Food labels and empty bags

As part of my training I’m researching dog food and ingredients, so it would be really helpful if I could have empty dog food and treat bags, labels from tins etc. Just one or two of each would be great.

Winter Care

Young, elderly, ill or infirm dogs (sighthounds such as Greyhounds, Whippets or Salukis in particular) may need a coat when out of doors this winter.



Wind can be particularly chilling. Dogs with short coats living in centrally heated homes don't grow a winter coat in the same way an outdoor dog would. If you turn your heating off at night or while you are out, consider whether your dog might be cold, even indoors and think about getting a separate coat for night times.

Dogs don't usually need more food in the winter unless they are kept outside, so don't be tempted to give extra food. Outdoor water bowls can ice over, and very cold water is not good for dogs. There is a danger of ice burns to the tongue if the bowl is metal and cold enough, or a ceramic bowl can crack. Float a ball in the water to help prevent icing over, bring the bowl in, or empty it on very cold nights.

It can be just as dangerous to leave a dog in a cold car as a hot one, because the car keeps cold air in – make sure your dog is warm enough if you have to leave them for a while. Dogs, but in particular cats, have a great liking for anti-freeze
due to its sweet taste. Keep it well away from your pets because it can be fatal.

Cats have a tendency to climb into warm places in winter, and this includes car engines. Please be aware and try to be sure where your cat is before you drive off.

Chocolate and mistletoe are more in evidence at Christmas. Chocolate is toxic to dogs, although they may be able to tolerate a small amount of milk chocolate - small dogs are more at risk as they don’t need to eat much to be ill. Call the vet if you
suspect they have been in the Quality Streets – cooking chocolate is much worse, so watch out when chocolate cakes are around.

Mistletoe, and in particular the berries, are highly toxic, so make sure they are hung up carefully and can't be pulled down by the dogs. Watch out for fallen berries.
Rabbits and guinea pigs are often left outside in the winter.

Rabbits can deal with this as long as they are not in a draught or getting damp. For guinea pigs it’s pure misery! Bring your guinea pigs into a shed or unused garage, and give them, and rabbits, thick newspaper under the bedding to help insulate,
and plenty of extra bedding, changed more frequently as if it gets wet (either rain or urine), it will freeze. Bubble wrap is your furry friend’s Best Friend. Keep two water bottles, and make sure to swap them over if one freezes. Don’t forget to spend
time with your pets, even if it is cold and dark outside.

Snow and fur is not a good mix, and sometimes snow balls form on long haired dogs. Even shorter haired breeds can gather these on their feet, and once they have formed they need to be left to melt (hairdryers can help if your dog will tolerate it). They
are very painful for your dog to walk on, so if you spot them, take the dog home for a break. Vaseline between the toes, and keeping long fur trimmed can help. Leave some fur on, as is will help to protect their pads from frozen ground.



If we get heavy snowfall again this season, watch out for snow on buildings or trees that might melt and fall – just as your dog is underneath. Check that the height of the snow in the garden doesn't open up an escape route for your dog.

Snow, ice and hail usually lead to gritting lorries. The salt and other materials can irritate your dogs feet, so you may need to give them a damp wipe over when returning from a walk; try not to let your dogs lick their feet in case they ingest something that could make them ill.

Time for Bubble Wrap

If you've got rabbits out of doors, they may need some extra help with some bubble wrap, or other insulation around their hutch. My own rabbits lived outdoors all year round, out in their runs every day, and only coming into the shed or house if it snowed. Couldn't have made it without bubble wrap though, so if you haven't been saving it from packaging materials all year, it's an ideal time to nip out and buy some. Storage companies often have a good supply. A windbreak can be put up around the hutch to keep things a little snugger.

Hutches should be raised off the ground (ideally it would be on legs), bedding materials should be increased so the rabbit can snuggle themselves right inside it if they need to, and make sure water is always available. Keep a spare bottle indoors ready in case the outside one freezes, and seriously consider a thermal covering for the bottle. If you use a bowl instead of a bottle, it shouldn't be on the floor, but raised so bunny can't sit in it and get wet fur. A wet rabbit will find it very hard to stay warm, plus without water it won't eat food, and it needs to eat more food than usual to keep warm.

If you don't already clean the litter every day, make sure to do so now, it will be cold and wet and not nice for bunny to sit on! Just because it's cold outside, your bunny should not be neglected.

Don't panic! Rabbits can survive the winter, they just need a little help.

I don't have rabbits anymore, but I've been bubble-wrapping one of my wormeries. It's in my north-facing front garden, so could do with some help.

Both wormeries are doing well, the worms in my much warmer back garden shed are munching their way through quite a lot of poop. Slower in the front, but there were less worms to start with. I'll move a few around early next spring! They aren't able to manage all the garden poop just yet, but these things take time!

Rain Doesn't Stop Play

We don't care if it's torrential rain or not. I take extra care when driving, try to persuade the dogs to stop steaming in the van so I can see through the windows, and carry lots of towels, but otherwise, it's business as usual.



The rain made the tiny stream (so tiny it dries up if it doesn't rain for a few days) on our usual walk not only very fast, but it burst its tiny banks in a couple of places!



Very refreshing! Although it was raining, it was quite warm once we got moving.

Wet Weather Walking

Nothing gets in the way of a Good Walk. Even the torrential rain we had on Tuesday of this week.

I got to try out my new winter wet weather gear (Australian Bush Hat and Millet's waterproof trousers), and enjoy a virtually empty country park!



The rain came down so hard there were puddles everywhere as the ground couldn't soak it up fast enough. I couldn't take many photos as the camera was getting too wet! Scarlet got out of the van, then jumped straight back in. Every time I let another dog out she tried to get back in! Poor girl!

Dilly, being a Labradoodle and very furry got completely drenched, and I expect she's still drying out now.

I do give the dogs a rub down when they get in the van, then again when they get back out at home, but I think they all go home a little damp in that kind of weather. I will be asking the owners to leave towels out at home, so the dogs can have a last rub down with a dry towel before I leave them!

Tongue of the Month

With this hot weather I am seeing a lot of dog tongues. For those who may not know, this is aircon for dogs - wet tongue, hang out in preferred style, and pant. Try to get in a snog if possible. Dog walkers love doggy snogs.

So it is important that they can drink frequently when out for a walk in the sun, or if they have to travel in the van when its warm. They need to replenish their saliva to help keep themselves cool. Their other preferred option - paddling in muddy ponds and puddles - is not always looked on with delight by humans. Dogs see mud as their back-up aircon, but humans see it as a terrible mess on the floor/trousers/shoulders depending on the size of the dog.

Keep plenty of water around the house and in the car if travelling - I'd recommend more than one bowl in case they spill it or dig a hole in it (terrier owners will know what I mean!). Some dogs will not drink once the water goes below a certain level, so having two means they won't go without.

Now, back to the tongues, in reverse order!

Enzo - 6 month lab, a young rising star in the tongue stakes, hampered by being walked through the woods before the sun has really warmed up. Not really a contender for the TotM title at this stage.


Peanut, cute, but not really what the Judges are looking for. Also, he's sleeping on the job.


Conrad - getting to the main contenders here, nice loll * to catch a cooling breeze, but not really all the way there...


Scarlet - doing well, just look at all those bubbles! This is A Serious Cooling Tongue


Sadly though, she was beaten to the title by Benson. Who won simply because this was terrifying! I half expected to stick to the end and disappear forever.


Well done to Benson, our Tongue of the Month Champion!

And here's a quick shot of Fred, as this is a very devilish 'I'm looking forward to eating that stuffed toy' tongue.







* NOt 'LOL - Laugh Out Loud', but 'hang loosely' for those who were born post 1994.

Short Week but No Break for Walker

I've reminded all my clients that it's a four day week this week, and that next week I'm off.

I won't be getting the bank holidays off, as Max is coming to stay. There's a really nice dog show down in Kent on Saturday I want to go to, which I think will be good for Max as he's a bit funny about walking on the lead - he can see lots of dogs doing it! If the weather is rubbish we'll be staying home the whole weekend, so fingers crossed for nice weather!



Next week I won't be walking, but I've got a lot of paperwork to catch up on, an essay to finish so that I can start my next course (with a different and better company), I want to observe some obedience classes, get back out to Kent to investigate crate/partition options for the van I have in mind to replace mine, and visit an accountant now we're at 'year' end. Plus I have to plan what I'm going to be doing on my stand at the Greyhound Walks dog show in a few weeks, get posters made, etc. Selling a service can lead to an empty boring stall, so I've got to get around that somehow! So no actual holiday for me.

Well, I get to see Priscilla Queen of the Desert at the theatre at the end of next week so I'm looking forward to that a huge amount!

Home Dog Boarding in Brentwood - Nutmeg

Nutmeg came to board this weekend, my first boarder, as well as being the first dog I walked when I started.

Here are some highlights of the weekend (click on images for a larger version), the weather was so lovely we went to the beach.

Kicking back her heels at Southend-on-Sea

Mingling well...

I did have two tennis balls, but they both wanted the same one (of course!)

This is what happens if you follow a terrier chasing a ball. You get wet. Look at the colour of that sky! How clear the water is (especially for Sawfend)! A really lovely day out. But I digress...

Nutmeg's fabulous impression of a seal.

Practising staying calm and NOT barking just because someone is not within touching distance.

Giving Teddy the Kiss of Life. Or possibly eating his head.

Please Aunty Linda, I'm asking nicely, just give the camera a rest. I really need some sleep!

Completely zonked out. Despite being inches from my smelly feet and a very noisy Xbox... (Oops, I uploaded that one the wrong way round. Tilt your head!)

I would recommend Linda to anyone needing help with their pet. She is completely reliable, flexible and seems to really enjoy what she does. Nutmeg can be a little terror sometimes but I feel that between us and Linda we're getting her under control!
Katherine B, Weimaraner

Summer is Here!

From my vast experience as a Dog Walker (6 months now), I recommend the following for the sunny weather:

* Slimline backpack/water bladder carrier
* Bumbag for all those things normally stuffed in the (now discarded) coat pockets
* Water in the car, for me (there is always some for the dogs) as anything other than water means being in and out of the loo all day - something I learned when I was a cabbie!
* Silver screens to put up in car while out of it
* Factor 30 SPF
* Insect repellant
* Carabiners just in case
* Bit of nice lippy

I also recommend NOT throwing a ball (not matter how gently as it WILL bounce and go further than expected) for an enormous and powerful dog while he's on a lead.



That bruise has now developed into something two inches long. Ouch. Idiot!

Sledges!

Okay, so not much to do with dog walking, other than these are the things I see while...

The snow we had this week is either a) the worst we've had for 18 years, or, b) the best we've had for 18 years depending on your point of view. So because it's been such a long time, there are loads of under 18 year olds who don't have sledges. They don't let that stop them though - it seems they will hurtle down a hill on anything!

As I am at the age where I am scared of teenagers (in another 20 years I'll get back to being annoyed by them, as I was up to about 5 years ago) I didn't walk in some of my usual places around Brentwood until they'd gone back to school (HA HA!). Here are the sledges they've left behind...



None of these items were in the fields the day before the snow.

Sorry about the awful layout - it looked better in preview!