Weaning time!

It is that time of year where all animals are weaned.  Here at countryside dog retreat, we not only have 6 puppies, but we also have a 5 month old Thoroughbred filly.  Picture (or rather hear this) - 10 pm, 2 pm, 4 pm, 6 pm - everyone is calling for MOMMY!  The Beagle puppies are howling, Cassie (the mother) is asking to go outside to make sure they are all right, and then we have Hurri Coin (the mare) looking for her baby, and her baby (who stills needs a name) calling for her mother!!!  For 2 nights all I was doing was putting a pillow over my head and BEGGING for sleep.  Fortunately it is all over.  Now Cassie plays with her children and disciplines them.  Hurri Coin is happy not to have someone by her side and the 5 month old filly has adopted my yearling as her "new" mother.  All is well and peaceful again. Weaning is over for another year.

Washing your dog - fun or dread it?

Ken's crazy pic of Pooka

I had the pleasure of having one of Pooka's puppies come back for a visit.  He is a 6 month old 9 lb ball of long white haired fur - cross between a Bischon and a Cockapoo.  Odie had a great time running in the yard, playing with the cats, saying hello to the horses in the morining and helping in the garden.  Of course one of those days it rained.  Imagine a dog black with dirt from the underbelly down and white body and head.  He was enjoying every minute of freedom but I am shaking my head.  I will have to wash him before his family returns.  I can not let him go home looking like a ragamuffin.  The problem I always had was finding a shampoo that does not dry out their skin.  My Pooka would always be itchier after than before.  Laura at Plain Jane Ink suggested I try an organic wash (orange & Pawmegranate).  Odie does not like having baths - so both of us had a bath if you get my meaning - but this shampoo really cleaned him up and did not leave any soapy residue.  I followed up with a Perky Pawppermint coat spritz.  In the end we were both clean and content.  He went home a very tired and CLEAN dog.

New puppies!

I have not had puppies born in summer before.  What an experience!! I found it was important to set ground rules for visitors to come over - no picking them up, just looking.  Even that was enough to stress out my overprotective mother and she had decided she had enough and was trying to move them. Since my dogs know the difference between regular visitors & not so regular visitors I have been alerted MANY times on new arrivals.  This could start to drive my neighbors crazy with the barking.  The puppies are now 2 1/2 weeks old and are starting to walk.  Am still feeding Cassie (new mom) 4 times a day, brushing her out daily and ensuring she gets plenty of  exercise & time away from her babies.  In another couple of weeks the puppies will be romping around outside, get their vaccinations at 7 weeks, then new homes at 9 weeks old.  By then, I will welcome the neighborhood children over just to wear them out!!!  Puppies are a joy but only when I know they are going to safe & caring homes.

DOG AGILITY

Have you ever tried you dog in agility?  Well neither have I but I decided to try building my own dog agility course to give my dogs something new. 
What the heck right :)

Normally they get the run of the yard (I live on an acreage) and we go for walks.  Otherwise, they sit outside waiting for me to do something with them. 

So when I was forwarded this site: “How to build your own dog agility course” without spending a fortune I went for it. 

It shocked me on how relatively easy it was. 
The material can be purchased at your home building center & in the matter of a couple of hours it was done. 

I now have a teeter board, weave poles, tire jump, standard jump, & a pause table (still thinking of building the A frame jump).  The trick now is to teach my dogs – Cassie & Pooka – and the dogs I board to use them....time to put those homemade dog treats to good use!!

I am up to the CHALLENGE!

 

Just send me your dogs :)

 

HOME-MADE DOG TREATS

Today I made dog treats... at home, and from scratch! 
I have given up trying to purchase dog treats that after the third (if I’m lucky) time, my dog just turns her nose away.  She will not even try them. 

So, I thought, it’s about time I used my book on homemade dog treats. 

So far I have tried 3 recipes and ALL A HIT!!  

Amazingly easy to make and all if not most of the ingredients are found in my cupboard. I didn't even have to go shopping for special weird stuff :) At least I know what ingredients are in each treat. It’s no different than making cookies for your children. We just have to remember they are DOG TREATS! Although they'd be perfectly safe for human consumption, I'm thinking they're probably not all that appealing to our palettes!

Don’t want to heat up the house?  I found a recipe that you just freeze!! 

I am going to continue making my own dog treats from now on, and lucky you, you'll be able to buy a bag the next time you drop off your dog(s).