How powerful is a dog's nose? - Inside the Animal Mind - BBC

For all the Spaniel lovers out there! How clever is she?



Licks & Kisses

xxx

Can dogs tell the time? - Inside the Animal Mind: Episode 1 Preview - BB...

We went to visit Jameson this weekend and watched an amazing BBC documentary called Inside the Animal Mind. It's is a 3 part series on how magnificent the animal brain is and all the cool things they do with their senses, some of these totally alien to me! Needless to say, I now look at Salvador in a whole different light, after seeing all the amazing things his species - and others - can do! So clever. Above is but one section of the show about dogs being able to tell time - and how they possibly do this by smell.



The other bit that fascinated me was about the Spaniel sniffing out drowned bodies fro a lake through 6m of water AND some silt - I mean, HOW?!



You should definitely try to watch this show!



Licks & Kisses

xxx

BREAKING NEWS - GERONIMO!!!

We have a little visitor! Although, after a little bit of investigation he might not actually be a visitor, but more of a permanent resident that has been overlooked for the last 7 months...
Meet Geronimo!

We found him casually strolling around our garden this morning! Although he seemed like he had some idea of where he was going - perhaps back where he came from, we eventually found a big hole underneath some plants in one corner of our garden which now raises some suspicions as to how long he has been living here.

I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO PUBLICLY TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO APOLOGIZE TO SALVADOR FOR PREVIOUS OCCASIONS WHERE I SHOUTED AT HIM WHEN I FOUND HOLES IN THE GARDEN...

After feeding Geronimo some watermelon (for who knows how long this little traveler has gone without food and drink?!)I introduced Salvador to him. He was delighted!

I suspect that for some time now Salvador has been in desperate need of a pet. After following Geronimo all over the garden and then trying to communicate with him by howling and doing a few strange dust kicking maneuvers, he calmed down and now seem exhausted, yet contented with this new arrangement.

Happy Monday !!

Lick & Kisses

xxx

Balls...

The verdict on our ball dilemma is finally in! After many different kinds of balls and an extensive testing period, the judges (Salvador, myself and my manfriend) has made our choice based on:

-Durability
-Bounce
-Weight
-Size
-Range

These were the balls we tested

The Tennis ball

Now for many the tennis ball is the easiest and most affordable way to play a game of fetch with your dog. I personally have nothing against it (although you should make sure to get the pet friendly balls, any other tennis balls could make your dog ill if they were to devour them like Salvador (remember a certain post on cheap imitations ?!)
If you have a strong jawed pooch like mine, these won't last you more than one or two sessions. Salvador usually bites them in half, due to the 'fun' sound they make at this stage of breakage and he will then proceed to just pull the whole thing apart.

 Enter the next ball...

The solid rubber ball

In the durability contest, these come out on top of the list - a solid rubber ball that any dog would find hard to destruct, but I had two issues with them.
Firstly, they come in awkward sizes. This issue obviously does not apply to all of you as some of you might have larger or smaller dogs than Salvador.
Secondly, These balls seem to weigh a ton! There was no way that Salvador could lift this ball for the whole duration of a game of fetch. Again, this might just be because of the awkward sizing and I'm sure this ball would work great for a larger dog.

Last but certainly not least, in fact, this is our unanimous winner of the ball battle (?!)

The hollow rubber treat ball

Salvador's best friend, Jameson has a ball like this that we tried out and after one game of fetch we all decided that this was the ball for us! This hollow rubber ball has a hole in it where you can insert a treat of some sort so as to get your dog more excited about the whole fetching thing - the one I got from the store today has a bell in it which Salvador loves! They are extremely durable and they weigh a little bit more than a tennis ball. The size fits Salvador's mouth perfectly, but I recon it will work just as well for larger breeds AND they don't break the bank, taking into consideration the hefty price tag on one of the denser rubber balls previously mentioned and how much you will spend over the years on tennis balls...This is certainly the best ball for a game of fetch!

So there you have it! I hope this solves the problem of what ball to get for your dog for Christmas!

Licks & Kisses!!

xxx

 

Cool, Calm and Classical

While having a well deserved break (Christmas shopping...) and a cup of caffeinated something from Vida e Caffe the other morning, I paged through the Obrigado magazine (Issue 36, Spring 2014) and was delighted to read some Q and A's of local artists on their pets.

The article started by mentioning a study that was done on the effects that different kinds of music had on dogs, so I decided to read up about this and the research is pretty interesting!

Tests were run on dogs in kennels and dogs in their home environments and classical music came out tops - 70% of dogs in the kennels became calmer and in some cases the music seemed to reduce nervous barking too. 

A study was also done on dogs in their home environment to test the effects of classical music on how they persieve other dogs and children, new visitors into their home territory, excessive need for attention, separation anxiety and fireworks and it had a calming effect on dogs in all the above occasions - how amazing?! You can read the article here - there's a link on this page to the research summary too. 

So there you have it! Go and get your paws on some classical tunes and start reaping the rewards of Classical music therapy for you pup! 

Licks & Kisses

xxx

Happy 2nd Birthday Salvador! (& the improved Peanut Butter Dog Biscuit Recipe)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THIS GREAT LITTLE GUY!!

It's that time of the year again - Salvador had his birthday yesterday (I'm still unsure if he actually realized this was going on, but...). As you might have seen, I really went all out this year(compared to last year, that is...) and baked him some dog treats. I have tried baking dog treats before and it was a slight disaster, so I gave up on it, until now. See below the improved version of the recipe I posted in an earlier post.
He was really wishing for a rubber fetch ball, but I have not been able to find the right one - as Salvador chews up balls at a rapid pace. I will have to look into this and let you know which balls come out on the top of our list!
I ended up getting him a bone filled with Peanut Butter, which is his absolute fave! He kept himself busy with it for the whole of last night!

Here follows that improved recipe:

PEANUT BUTTER DOG BISCUITS (Improved version)


1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup brown rice flour (which I made by blending some brown rice in my blender - super easy)
1 cup rolled oats flour (which I made the same way as the brown rice)
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 cup water

Preheat oven to 180'C.
Make your flour from the brown rice and oats, separately by blending it in a blender. Mix the 3 different flours with the water.
Slightly heat up the peanut butter and oil and add to the mixture.Mix together well.
Lightly dust a surface with some flour and roll out the dough. At this stage you can press out shapes and thereafter place it on a lined baking tray. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Make sure they are totally cooled before feeding them to you pup!

 The dough taster...

Finished product!

Possible Birthday Surprise Treat for Salvador #1 - Peanut Butter Biscuits

As you may, or may not know, Salvador celebrates his 2nd birthday this coming Thursday!

Last year I was in such a frenzy trying to find exciting things to do and make for this momentous occasion that it fell totally flat and I ended up with nothing exciting...this year WILL be different folks.
As of yet, I am still unsure of what this exciting day will bring (be it gifts, treats or outings...),

THEREFOR!!

I have decided to showcase some ideas I have in mind for this years barking bash!

First up, a recipe for PEANUT BUTTER DOG BISCUITS

Ingredients:

2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup of peanut butter
1/2 tbsp olive oil (fish oil, sunflower oil, coconut oil will do)
1 1/2 cups water

Preheat your oven to 180'C and prepare a baking tray by lining it with some baking paper.
Mix flour, oats and 1 cup of water until smooth.
Now add the peanut butter and oil to the mix. Slowly add the rest of the water until the mixture is thick and doughy.
Roll the dough out on a dusted surface and press out desired shapes (I'm hoping to come up with something a little less cliche than the standard bone shape...)
Bake for 40 minutes and allow to TOTALLY cool before feeding it to your dog.

Happy ba(r)king !!

Licks & Kisses

xxx

What a Mess!!! (Cleaned Up...Phew!)

Is there a dog in there?!

Oh, there it is...Rather scary, if I say so myself!

It is officially summer here in Cape Town and although some us couldn't be happier to welcome the season of sun, sea and selfies(?), there are others (ie. Salvador) who was hiding from it behind a blanket of matted, tangled, dirty, thorn-encapsulating hair.

But, that was last week!

I PRESENT TO YOU: THE NEW AND IMPROVED, CLEANED UP AND SCRUBBED DOWN SALVADOR OF THE PRESENT!

Doesn't he just look too handsome?!
Ever since we've had this haircut done, everything from swimming, running after the ball on hot, sunny days to drying after (mud)bath time has just been a breeze - I highly recommend it to all you medium to long haired dog owners!
Salvador got this cut in December of last year and it lasted the whole of summer so you only need to have it done once.
I booked him in at Jenni's Pet Parlour in Newlands and he was out of there in about 2 and a half hours, bag of treats in paw! The parlour is very well equipped, always busy(which I take as good omen) and the staff seems to manage the dogs and cats with lots of love and experience. All-in-all, a great experience for me and Salvador! Follow the link above to the parlour for their details.

PS: Someones birthday is around the corner...any party ideas for furry friends?!


Licks and Kisses!!
xxx

Let's talk diet...

I'm sure as pet owners, we all, at some stage, battle with the dreaded decision: What do you feed your most loyal companion? I therefor thought I would share the story of my long road to finding what works best for Salvador and I.

The very first day I brought him home is when I first battled this dilemma. As a first time pet owner or new owner, it's only natural to want to provide your pet with the most nutritious meals possible, but with all the variety around, ranging from low cost supermarket duds to bank breaking vet's choices, it's hard to balance peace of mind and your bank balance (no one ever said getting a pet would be a cheap outing...).

For the first 3 months of Salvador's puppy life I was feeding him a popular brand, bought directly from the vet. I felt that while he was still growing and eating relatively little at that stage, I would give him the most nutritious thing I could find,

UNTIL...

we hit the 6 month old stage. At this age he was quite a bit larger, way more energetic and his appetite sky rocketed! This is when I started investigating other options. I was looking for something that would take care of all his growing needs, that was more cost effective than the expensive food recommended by the vet and that was perhaps a bit more natural (I became aware of natural alternatives to dog food while working on a bio dynamic farm, where the cook made dog food weekly for the farm dogs...but more on this later).
At that stage, making my own raw dog food was not an option due to the sheer amount of time and sourcing of appropriate ingredients this required, so I thought that if I can't go totally natural with this food thing, the next best option would be going local.
I found a few brands of locally produced dog foods, but in the end I was most impressed by Montego's Karroo Puppy food .
Montego offers a range of solid food options, but I decided to go with the Karroo brand. This food is produced locally and originated in Graaff-Reinet, a small town in the Great Karroo. For those of you who does not know this area, it's well known for it's ostrich and lamb meat, which happens to be what this brand of food is made of.
The founder of the brand lives and works in the area and after investigating cost effective, yet nutritious options for his own farm hounds, he started developing this brand specifically for their needs. On top of this, it contains all natural macro materials and has no added colorants or artificial flavorants.

This whole back story appealed to me since we were living on a farm and the sheer amount of energy young Salvador was using up each day, 'working' the land, meant that he needed something more potent than the everyday supermarket kibble to sustain his growing needs.
We've since moved on form the farm and I'm still feeding him this same brand - we have tried others, just to change things up a little, but we keep coming back to this rich, nutritious food. I guess nothing beats ostrich and lamb....

Montego Karroo Adult

Licks & Kisses!

xxx

Sweet Sage

We had to say goodbye to cute little Sage today, our nearly 2 year old little visitor, and boy has it been an entertaining visit! I was not prepared for dealing with Salvador with a baby around, but in the end he didn't do all that bad! 

On Day 1 there was much excitement with the arrival of the new guest and their tiny little human. It took a while for Salvador to realize that he can jump up on her as he is most likely heavier than her. We decided to go to the beach, which went down well with both baby and pooch and the rest of the night was spent getting acquainted with the new guests. 

Sage and Salvador playing together on the beach

 On Day 2 Salvador battled to grasp the idea of sharing spaces (couch, room,everything etc) and his mom with the little new comer. As we all well know, Salvador is not that keen on sharing so he got a bit upset whenever little baby entered any of his areas - at which he would bark at her every now and then, but luckily he soon got over his territorial nonsense.

Very early on he learned that babies are a constant source of interesting foods (I can't even imagine what he has been eating for the last 3 day...everything from strawberries to baby formula) and followed her around EVERYWHERE, in case a morsel was dropped. 

All in all it has been relatively stress free introducing him to a baby. I can imagine that the thought of introducing a new baby to the family and its dog can be a daunting one, but I think it's something that will take a lot of time and patience. With a bit of both, it can be done!

Licks and Kisses

XXX

Beware of Cheap Imitations

We had a bit of a 'dog day' yesterday! 

Salvador and I decided to go and visit his friend Jameson in Franschoek this weekend and it was great apart from the scary Sunday drama we experienced...here follows the tale.

So the weather is balmy and it's great to be with a friend (after all, this week has been a bit lonely for Salvador with one of his favourite humans out of the country and the other one going off to work for a good part of the day). Naturally there are a few games of tug'o war going on and a few tennis balls scattered about, but unfortunately Salvador does not share balls and chew toys well and the game of blanket tug'o war is soon abandoned for a spot of 'who can fit the most tennis balls in his mouth'. Due to Salvador's little sharing issue, he naturally takes this too far and feels like it would be better for him to 

1. Rip up the tennis ball and, 

2. Somehow get it into a place where Jameson will never find it i.e. his stomach...

Unfortunately by the time we notice some suspicious behaviour going on under the table, half the tennis ball is already tucked away in it's desired hiding place (his stomach) and there isn't much to do. 

So the day goes on and later everyone is relaxing on the couch when the heaving and belching begins...At first I thought he somehow got hold of Jameson's food due to the large amount he was bringing up (sorry, I'm aware that this is gross...), but then we started noticing the little bits of black rubber...

After non stop puking and eventually just bringing up bile we phone the vet in hysterics! 

Luckily the vet assured us it is a good thing that he's bringing it up and that it's just his body's way of getting rid of the unwanted objects - if he is still throwing up in the morning then he should see a vet. Also no food for him that night! 

 

Fortunately he started to look a bit better soon after the call to the vet and the puking stopped and we had no issues during the night and this morning!

Now, the moral of this disgusting story is that apparently you should never give your dog tennis balls that are not bought from a pet store - YES! It seems like there is something like a pet friendly tennis ball!? I'm not sure what the difference is - obviously something that the balls are made of, but I gave one of those cheap and cheerful ones from yesterday a good sniff and it was pure chemicals! Horrible stuff! 

Be safe out there pet pals,

Licks & Kisses!

xxx 

Dog Language

Happy Friday!

Licks and Kisses

xxx

Sunday morning at Camps Bay Beach

Salvador and I went to the beach this morning with some friends. He's slightly down in the dumps because one of his best humans left the country last night for a brief work trip in the UK, so I thought the sun and sand might cheer him up.
This only being his 2nd time at a beach in his whole entire short life, he had a blast!

For some reason I thought that dogs were not allowed on Camps Bay Main Beach, but alas, I was very wrong! There were plenty of dog friends out early this morning and I'm telling you, there's no better way to start the day!

I'm slightly worried about how much he enjoyed digging massive holes though....and hoping this won't happen to our garden now...

Digging one's hole...

Protecting one's hole!

I'm also happy to inform you that Salvador was extremely well behaved towards other dogs - meeting and greeting everyone happily! Great improvement!

Licks and Kisses!
xxx

The Mysterious Case of the Dog Stealing the Tennis ball in Broad Daylight

Salvador has had many adventures, but I see the following as a true adventure in that I was not part of it and can merely speculate on the exact happenings, yet might never find out what truly happened yesterday. Here follows a brief telling of what I think might have gone down...

Yesterday I took Salvador with me to work since the girls have been asking me to do so for some time now. Upon arriving at the school, I realized we were pretty early and it being extremely hot in the car, I decided that we would go and wait out the extra half hour on a forest clearing just across the road from school - there being lots of shade and a little stream for him to catch a dip in and all. When we arrive he runs off sniffing and I find a shady spot to sit in while he explores. With this area being not very level, I lost sight of him for a while, but eventually he returns with tennis ball in mouth and all is well. At last it's time for us to go and collect the girls and the tennis ball is left on this field - I presumed it belonged to some other dog that also just left it there.

Skipping the rest of the afternoon's shenanigans, we arrive at the girl's bi-weekly tennis lesson whereupon the tennis instructor asks me, "was this dog at school today, I'm sure this dog came into the school today and stole one of my tennis balls!". So I tell him that Salvador was indeed at school this day, but he was on a lead the whole time and we were at the Primary school section, which is separate and quite some distance from the Pre-School area, where he couches the toddlers. So he says,"Strange, because a dog exactly like this one ran straight into the Prep school, took one of my tennis balls and promptly ran out again...", to which I said it must have been someone else's dog and we laughed. Although, upon further pondering about this funny story, I remembered Salvador returning to me earlier that day on the field with a RED and YELLOW tennis ball - the colors of the tennis balls the tennis teacher uses.

It then occurred to me that Salvador was indeed the culprit! This means in the space of a minute he crossed the road from the park to the school, slipped into the school parking lot, bypassing at least 3 security personnel, went into the prep school through two slam-lock type doors, which means these doors must have been opened by unaware parents at just the right moment, ran into the quad where the tennis lesson was in full swing, ran through at least 30 excited little girls (for which he has a large soft spot) and 2 fully grown human tennis couches, took a ball in his mouth, exited by way of before mentioned entrance and made it back in time to make it seem like he was responding to my 'COME' command!

No that is what I call a true adventure!
Makes you wonder what your dog gets up to when your aren't around....

Licks and Kisses

xxx

Training tips through the looking glass

Hi all,

If you live in Cape Town - how amazing has the weather been this past week and weekend?! But in all seriousness, I'm not here to remark on the weather - there has been some serious breakthroughs with Salvador this week, but alas, also one breakdown...

Last week I was on the verge of calling in a pet behaviorist due to Salvador's selective anger towards some dogs, especially when on the lead and ESPECIALLY towards puppies (I suppose it has something to do with the fact that they show weakness and with Salvador being a rather dominant and arrogant fellow, this does not always go down well).
Yet, as you might or might not have read in my previous post, we made quite a substantial amount of progress as far as meetings with other dogs go so in light of this I have started trusting him a bit more when we go to the local park and I just let him go off the leash, dogs or no dogs. I'm also feeling way more confident that he will respond to my commands as we've actively been reinforcing them over the past two weeks.
So the breakthrough occurred on Monday morning when we were on the park and a fellow park goer came along with his ball obsessed Collie X and a tiny wee Lab X girl puppy. At noticing these two, Salvador was already off the lead so tensing up and running home wasn't an option and to my amazement he promptly ran over to the older dog, stole his tennis ball and proceeded to run off with it in the direction of the puppy...I'm not sure if the thought of dropping the ball and in the processes losing it was too much to deal with for him, but he ended up running a few circles around the puppy, sniffing at her and then ran off again!
This morning the same two was at the park again and they both came up to meet him while he was still on the lead and instead of growling and aggression, he met them as if they were old friends!?
No more behaviorists needed here!!

What we've learned this week:

• Stick to your teachings, it takes time, be patient and reinforce them by giving a treat where a treat is due.
• Distraction is a great training tool! If your dog loves balls, take some to the park and use them to distract your dog from a situation where you feel there might be some tension.
• Stay calm - having a monologue ( because as much as you think so, your dog does not understand fully articulated sentences...) with your dog at his aggressive behavior towards another dog does not help. Stick to the single word commands he/she knows.

I guess it's time to tell you about the breakdown...

So Salvador has this new thing where he wants to sleep next to my bed, but due to extremely loud snoring on his part I chased him out last night. At 5 my boyfriend woke up because of noises, only to find Salvador is busy chewing up the contents of the recycling bin...I don't think I've told you that he only ever does this kind of bin destruction thing when we leave him alone at home for a while, almost like he's doing it out of anger or throwing a tantrum. 

Does your dog do this and what are your thought about his strange behavior?  

Licks and kisses!

xxx

Happy Spring Day Cape Town!!

Licks and Kisses!
xxx

Training Tip #2 - Always carry a bag of treats with you, single word commands & Some random observations on what we've been doing

Hi all!

Wow! What a great weekend in Cape Town it has been! Spring has sprung and everyone is outdoors having fun (with or without furry friends). If the change of season has made me realize one thing, it has to be that I want to spend this summer out and about - and possibly have Salvador in a semi trained, calm state so as the both of us can enjoy it.

This week we've stuck to our 'walking on the lead' trick and I even had some family and friends remark on the improvement he's made! We have by no means perfected it yet, but I feel confident that it's the way to go and that soon our gagging, disastrous walks will be a thing of the past!

Jameson stayed with us this week - as you might or might not know, he is one of Salvador's ultimate bestie's. He is a huge, cuddly and sweet nurtured 9 year old Golden Retriever that belongs to my boyfriends mother.

Salvador and Jameson

Jameson has assisted me so helpfully in keeping Salvador calm on walks - when you have a dominant dog, it helps a lot to have a calm old timer walking in front of you. I found that previously Salvador would always want to be the leader and by keeping him next to Jameson or even slightly behind, he calms down a bit.
Salvador also responds differently to other dogs in the park when he is with Jameson, almost as if he mimics his friend's behavior - which is great because Jameson is everyone's friend!

What I'm most excited to tell you about is this weekends adventures! On Saturday morning we took Salvador to this great park just up the road from us called Keurboom Park.

Image of Keurboom Park in Rondebosch from Foursquare

It is one of the two parks in Cape Town where dogs can run free - the other one being DeWaal Park in the City Bowl. It boasts some pretty cool features such as a skate park, kids play area, walking/running loop, a channel that runs through it and it's adjacent to a soccer and rugby field so all in all, it is a very large park with ample exercise space for you and your dog. 

This Saturday I decided to let Salvador off the lead as I have noticed that his behavior towards other dogs are much calmer off it than on it...it's strange, but this is apparently a thing - I'm not saying that you throw caution to the wind and let a very aggressive dog loose in the park, but if you have a manageable dog that possibly picks up on your nervous tension, perhaps you should give it a go.
Salvador happily met all the dogs that came on our path and we then proceeded to do some training with him on the rugby field - commands like 'COME' and 'DROP'(crucial for playing fetch). We are trying our best to stick to single words, for instance, when we call him, we say 'come' and not 'come Salvador'. All our commands are just single words - this makes it so much easier for him to learn!
He was so good on this walk that this morning we decided to go for a walk along the Promenade - on the lead most of the time so we just reinforced Tip #1 and I must say, we were pretty happy with the result, until, on the way back he promptly found the nearest puddle of muddy water and rolled in it...I guess you can't have it all in one day...

Happy training!

Licks and Kisses
xxx

Surely all Spaniels do this...

Training Tip #1 - Walking on a lead

I'm just going to start off by saying that I might or might not have been in denial about my dog's training, or lack there of...In my defense though, I would also like to make it clear that most often than not it can be quite a curse to own a really cute, handsome dog! He is never more than a few steps away from someone who wants to cuddle him - even though he doesn't always conduct himself well in these occasions...O.K, no more excuses, it's time to face the facts! Salvador is in need of some serious training! Being allowed to roam free (back when we were living on the farm) and jumping on guests and couches alike has taken it's toll on my lenient nature (when it comes to him...) so I'm currently in the process of trying out some training tips and techniques.

Our biggest issue with Salvador at the moment is walking him on the lead. He really struggles with this as he grew up running around on the farm freely. I was hopping that after a few months of living in the suburbs he would settle down and become accustomed to walking on the lead although this has not been the case.
It starts with barking and extreme excitement at the mention of the 'W' word and then the barking and leash biting turns into a chocking game of tug'a war down to the park - not exactly enjoyable. In desperate need of some help, I started doing some research about dog training and I've come across clever training aids and collars, although I've decided to go with a training tip I read on a blog; about training your dog to walk on the lead without pulling.

This is how it works:

First things first, you want your dog to be in a reasonably calm state when embarking on the walk. This is easier said than done though so what I've been doing for the past two days is I walk the front door and take the lead off the hook. I then ask Salvador to sit. This is often greeted with barking and excited shuffling around, but I take care to stay calm and only clip the lead on when he is sitting and in a semi calm state.

We now try to exit the house without any wild jumping around and barking. If he fails to sit still while I lock up, we simply walk back into the house, do a loop through the house, and attempt going out and locking up again. I regret to say that you might be doing this a few times over the next few walks, but it has to be enforced and whatever you do, DO NOT GET IMPATIENT!

O.K so we are now setting off on the walk. Salvador is by my side (it helps to keep them on one side always so as to avoid any confusion) and as soon as he starts to pull forward we immediately turn around and walk back a few steps. The fist day I did this it took a while to sink in, but after a while I noticed him looking up at me more regularly as if he has become aware of my presence (FINALLY!). Two days in we are already having a much calmer walk although I'm not going to get too excited yet!
If you are going to try this technique out I would suggest doing it for a few weeks on a known route, somewhere where you know you two won't get too distracted by other dogs or people.
The more progress you see, the more you can venture out and try different walks.

P.S I'm by no means a dog training genius, merely a fellow owner in desperate need of training my dog.

Goodluck with your training and let us know how it goes!

Licks and Kisses
xx

Just to be clear,EVERYTHING belongs to Salvador...

Any leads?!

Dear all,

I am in some urgent need of advice! As you all know, we moved to the city a while ago and all is going well except for one little problem...Salvador is not at all used to walking on a lead. On the farm he rarely went on a lead since he could run free without me worrying about him running into the street. This has all changed though. Suburban life definitely calls for leads and he is finding it a bit troubling. We've now been living in the city for about 4 months and although his lead walking has improved slightly, it is still a struggle, so I've taken it upon myself to look into some alternative training devices and came up with a multitude of interesting options - the only problem I have now is, Which one do I choose?!

My first find was the Halti, otherwise known as the Gentle Leader. In a nutshell, it was designed by a gentleman, who himself is the owner of a rather large, rather strong dog, and having had some troubles with his back and being afraid that struggling with his massive hound would put his back out, he devised this 'head collar' to see to the problem.
On a recent walk I met an elderly lady with her large Red Setter that confirmed this product actually works and that she too was afraid of hurting herself, as her dog used to be rather excitable and strong. Said dog is now a very calm, well behaved senior that seems to have come off well from his training with the Halti.
BUT, as with all things in life it seems, there are some who think that this collar is ineffective...I'm no expert so I'm not at all sure why, but it sent me forth on my search for some more training contraptions.

Next I stumbled on a slightly similar contraption called the Infinity Lead by Bold Lead Designs. It is similar to the Halti in that the dog is still able to pant, drink etc, yet it provides the handler with more control over the dog's head - as with horse halters, by being in control of the animal's head it is easier to control the rest of the animal's body and the direction you want it to go in. This lead focuses on bringing the dog's head up as soon as it starts pulling so that it's more aware of the owner. What made me like this one was the fabric it's made off - it just seems a bit softer and more flexible than the Halti.

So as you can see I'm in a bit of a bind over my options. Have you used any of the following products, do you have any advice! Please share!!

Licks and Kisses!

xx

Howling at the moon - and stars in this case!

The book post of the other day (Books to Bark about) inspired me to read up on Salvador's star sign a bit more. The one book, Treats for your dog, contains a section on dog star signs and although it was extremely funny, it was also very accurate. So I looked up Salvador's star sign on a few pet astrology sites and I'm still amazed at how accurate they are!

The following is said about the Scorpio dog:

• They are intuitive and can read your mind
• They love hiding they're toys in lots of different spots
• They can be possessive and jealous; being the only pet suits them
• They are courageous and will guard their family no matter what 
• Strong and energetic, very clever and easy to train although they don't forget anything
• They appreciate having their own space, like a bed or blanket somewhere in a corner where they can be alone
• They have a certain charm that makes them irresistible to anyone they meet, although they are not afraid to make their likes and dislikes clear
• They want to know what is going on at all times, yet sometimes when you most need them to listen they will adopt and air of complete ignorance

Salvador displays ALL of these characteristics on a daily basis! If you want to go and look up your pet's star sign, you can find it on The Dogington Post. I'm sure there are many other sites too.

Licks & Kisses!

I've always been a Chocolate Box Dog kinda girl!

While on a recent work trip to Kenhardt, my boyfriend spotted these lovely old tins in the kitchen of the farmhouse they stayed in!

I fondly remember seeing similar ones as a child in my aunt's kitchen. They are the reason why Spaniels are sometimes referred to as 'Chocolate Box Dogs'. I guess at some stage certain cookie and chocolate manufacturers decided they will get a lot more attention by placing a few adorable puppies in front of a backdrop of something resembling the set of The Sound of Music, on the tins of their cookies or chocolates - well, it worked!

Other breeds on the 'Chocolate Box Dog' list?

• Scottish Terriers
• Collies 
• German Shepard
•  Schnauzer

Licks & Kisses!

Salvador on the job

I've always thought that Salvador is the kind of dog that needs a job - Spaniels being working dogs and all. Unfortunately for him, we aren't anywhere near hunting grounds with any retrievable game on it, so I decided a day at work with me could only do him good - and this is what happened...

He got rewarded richly for protecting the car for 15 minutes while we went into the shops. He then decided to chew on said reward for most of the working day...

He went for a leisurely stroll along Sea Point Promenade...

And then he got portraits of himself drawn by two budding young artists?! I mean, how was that even work?

Oh...Salvador is looking at me now as if to say, "don't conveniently leave out the bit where you made me come with you to meet a friend after work, and I had to sit in the busy street all that time you guys were chatting away!"

(I can explain...I had to meet a friend after work and we decided to go to The Power and the Glory, which is a great place in Cape Town to go to if you happen to have your dog with you, as you can sit outside. Although, at this stage Salvador had 'lost his sense of humor'-I guess it's usual after having had such a busy day at 'work' and all- and started getting a bit annoyed with all the strangers walking past...)

Books to bark about!

I found these amazing books in the pet section of Bargain Books this weekend! Next time you're in there and you don't know what exactly you're looking for, keep an eye out for these!

From top to bottom: Treats for your dog, Shake, A letter to my dog - All available at Bargain Books

Treats for your dog - by Jane Burton

This little book is so amazing! It contains everything from DIY dog collars and clothing, to making your own dog house and gourmet dog meal recipes. One of my favorite things in it would have to be the multitude of interesting, yet healthy recipes you can treat your dog with (things like Canine Coleslaw and soups!?). My ultimate though, is the section on dog Astrology and Star Signs! Find out what your dog's star sign is and look it up in this book, because Salvador's was freakishly accurate!

Shake - Carli Davidson

This is a great book to just have lying around! It provides endless amusement and is guaranteed to cheer up anyone experiencing a 'dog day'! It's filled with up-close photo's of various breeds shaking - and that's it! Just a whole book full of flappy, sloppy, slobbery shaking dogs!

A Letter to My Dog: Notes to Our Best Friends - Robin Layton

This is such a beautiful book and it will probably make you cry, laugh, feel nostalgic, or all of the above. It contains lovely photos by Robin Layton and letters to dogs by their owners.



Licks and Kisses!

Winter Weekends

Lately there has been very little for us to do-it being winter in Cape Town at the moment. Not many adventures to be had...Yet this weekend has been rather eventful since the weather was playing along. Here are a few things we got up to.

When forest walks don't pan out...

In and around Cape Town there are some amazing places to go walk your dog! There's the famous Newlands forest contour path, Tokai Arboretum and Silvermine East, to name but a few. We were super excited to take Salvador to Newlands forest this weekend although, upon our arrival we were notified that you need a permit to walk your dog here...so I'm assuming you need a permit to go into most of the surrounding nature reserves. If you are like me and missed this very important notice on the website (that's because I don't think there is anything on the website about needing a permit...), click here to find out more on the My Activity Permit (and don't be foolish and drive all the way to Tokai forest to go and get one just to find out they are closed onn weekends!)

Since the forest excursion didn't exactly work out well for us and we still had a very excited, energetic Spaniel in our car, we decided to try out a park that I've been driving past a lot lately. It's called Paradise Park and the entrance to it is right next to Paradise Motors in Newlands. 

The park has a stream running through it and boasts many interesting and beautifully handcrafted swings and seating areas that I'm assuming people from the surrounding area made in an attempt to spruce up this previously neglected space. There's a little play area for children and the walk way is just long enough for a quick sniff about. 

Cape of Good Hope SPCA book sale at Canal Walk

I should have said something about this earlier because now it is slightly late, but there is a book sale hosted by the Cape Of Good Hope SPCA in Canal Walk shopping center this weekend. All proceeds go to this great organization. If you are in the area, go and have a look!

On getting another dog...

We've decided that now is not a good time for us to get another dog...AAAAH yes I know, it was a very exciting prospect, although we really thought of what getting another dog entails and we came to the conclusion that Salvador is enough for now! He has just started to settle into suburban living and the other thing is, being the age we are right now and trying to sort out what the next couple of years entails makes it hard to imagine if we can provide a stable living arrangement for another dog. House hunting in Cape Town was enough of a nightmare with one dog, so just imagine two! 

So right now we will just enjoy what we have, but if you are interested in getting a dog please go and check out the lovely creatures on the Cape of Good Hope SPCA website! Another place to look when considering adoption is DARG - they are in Hout Bay.

And that's it from us for now! 

Note for the week ahead : GET A PERMIT FOR SALVADOR TO GO EXPLORING THE FOREST!!! I'm sure your dog will want one too!

Licks and kisses!

Soon there might be reason to extend the title of this blog....

I've been thinking about getting another dog for a while now...and for the past few days I've REALLY been thinking about it!

Salvador is almost two now and being the 'only child', he loves to soak up all the attention, yet I can't help but think how happy it will make him to have a friend around all the time, needless to say that we could provide an otherwise homeless creature with a very loving home. 

That brings me to the next point - to adopt or not to adopt? I'm pretty set on adopting a dog from the Cape of Good Hope SPCA in Grassy Park, and not just any dog, an adult dog. Animal shelters everywhere are overflowing with adult pets, but I, just like many of you, used to be of the notion that it's better to get a puppy. I'm not sure if this is because we feel like we will have a stronger bond with it or that they are easier to train. To be honest, I think the biggest reason I would usually have chosen a puppy is because of the idea of how amazingly cute they are! And just like that all, resistance crumble and all rational thoughts fly out the window! Done! 

Yet I went on the adoption website last night and there, staring back at me, were numerous gorgeous, and some rather quirky, dogs in desperate need of homes... For many of them this is their last chance of happiness, and I instantly had a change of heart! If we are getting another dog, it will have to be one of those old timers (and by old timers I mean any dog between the stages of having lost the charm of 'puppy-hood' to geriatric). 

Many of us forget that getting an older dog is so much easier than getting a puppy! They often come house trained and they've had time to 'develop' their own personalities so you basically know what you're getting in terms of calmness, temperament etc. And most of the time the folks at the shelter will be able to help you choose the right dog for you, since they spend time with the dogs on a daily basis. I seriously think it's the way to go! 

If you're still keen on getting a pedigreed pooch you might even find one at a shelter or you can join many groups on Facebook dedicated to specific breeds. Spaniel Rescue South Africa  is just one of the many groups with breed specific re-homing programs. There are similar sites for many well known breeds. 

So...I might just have some exciting news for you tomorrow. I think the plan is that we are going to visit the shelter in the morning and spend some time with the dogs. I guess the right dog will pick us - I think that's how it works. 

(Lets hope there isn't more than one otherwise the title of this blog might just become a VERY long one!)

Licks & Kisses!

Montagu

This weekend Salvador and I went to visit his gran, who recently moved to Montagu. If you've never been there - it's amazing!
It's situated roughly 200km's out of Cape Town and is well known for it's dried fruit. The town itself is tiny and everything seems to have started up around the main road that runs through it - as is the case with many old towns. There is no shortage of restaurants and guest houses in beautifully renovated old houses.
Salvador and I didn't have much time to explore the many walks I'm sure one can have in and around the town, but we did find a lovely one leading to a huge picnic spot called 'Lovers Walk'.
Dogs are everywhere to be found in this town so yes, this is definitely one of our favorite pet friendly outings!

This is how you know you've arrived!

Beautiful little town

                               

Salvador exploring the ICY water!

More exploring

AND we're back!!!

My word has it been a long time or has it been a long time?!

Let me start off by saying that Salvador is doing very well! We have now been living in the city for almost 3 months, yet there are still a few minor things we struggle with when it comes to 'how to behave when one is a city pooch', otherwise all our hair is still intact and our tails are still wagging.

From my side, as the mom of a city dog, IT HAS BEEN HARDER THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE! There, I said it...
The issue has not been the fact that Salvador spends more time inside, or has less free running space. He has always been more than happy to potter around after us, being a very 'nosy' dog (in every sense of the word). Some of our biggest issues have been getting him used to walking on the lead properly and meeting new dogs. And squirrels....but that's a whole new post!

There's another suburban terror that lurks in the park at around 5pm every day - one I like to call 'The circle of Trust'.
Now, at first 'The circle' seems like a lovey thing to be a part of; It could be a source of meeting new people (us being new in the area and all), people we would automatically like due to our common interest being our dogs. Furthermore, the circle consists of quite an array of young and old, breeds of all kinds and is great for getting rid of energy with other doggy friends. In short 'The circle' seem great!
 UNTIL your dog doesn't get along with one of the dogs in the circle and you are shunned for the foreseeable future and perhaps branded forever as 'the owner with the wild, aggressive and out of control dog'.
O.K, perhaps I'm over exaggerating ever so slightly about the shunning - 'The Circle' is very much real though - but I have found that park life for a dog can be ruthless.
The third time we went to the park, Salvador found one of the dogs at the park, which happens to be a dog twice his size, to be a bit too much for him to deal with and started a bit of a rumble. There was just something about this particular dog that he could not deal with. The morning after, we tried the park again and next thing I know I'm being approached by a rather upset neighbor and her dog, telling me how I'm not Alpha enough (Ceaser Millan was definitely being quoted all through that conversation) and that I would do well to take my dog to a pet behaviorist.
Now I'm not sure, but isn't it a normal thing for some dogs to not get along? It might be a smell or a body language thing?

Lucky for us, there are at least two more parks in the area where the owners seem to be less intense and Salvador gets along with all the dogs.

You know you've arrived in Suburbia when your dog's drama's starts to become another one of your every day worries right?!

Smooth Move!

We have swapped the life of running around wherever one wants, rolling in cow pats and having mud baths for one of leash walks, dog friendly parks and carrying ones poop around in plastic bags...Although these two worlds are miles apart, I think we have made quite a good transition (and we've only been here for two days).

We unpacked, Salvador gathered
bubble wrap...

Salvador came with me and the first load of furniture to the new place and had to stay in his new garden for a good bit of the day while things were being moved in and out. The previous owners had dogs so he kept himself occupied with the new smells and sounds of suburban living.
He never really showed any signs of stress and was happy to just potter around behind me wherever I went. He slept well too, only barking every now and then at some night noises.

This morning we visited one of the many dog friendly parks in the area and although this is not well fenced off, he stayed where he could see me, UNTIL a girl friend came along and it was friendship at first sight!
She was tall and lanky and fast, so many races were run, but eventually we had to come back home to unpack.

Earlier, before it became dark, we attempted going to the park again, but it started raining half way there and we came back just as the neighbors arrived home. They insisted having a meet-and-great with Salvador and their two Dachshund girls. This didn't go too well with their one very fierce and protective girl, but we managed to keep it civil and we think in time, after a few walks together, we might have a nice friend next door!

P.S. The internet connection at our new house is currently hovering somewhere between terrible and non-existent so therefor there might be less news till it's sorted out...

Another glorious Franschoek excursion

We visited the amazing Franschoek again today and Salvador had such a fun day with Jameson (his new best friend)! We thought of going for an exciting walk - swimming in the dam maybe, but then it was too much of a lazy day so we decided to just go to the grassy patch that we usually go to except, this time we met a horse! Here are the pics!
                          

Jameson and Salvador's 'can we leave now!'faces...so we eventually left and went up the road past this gorgeous view....

   

...until we got to the grassy patch where we met a horse!

 

         

We don't know this guy's name, but he eventually(after ignoring some barks from Salvador...) became a friend.

It's been a good day and now it's packing time because we move in two days time...?!