Catching Up With Me & Holly & Hugo Module 1

I have been gone a while an did not fulfill my promise to start my blogging about the Holly & Hugo class. A lot happened and I was busy with the holidays, but now I have started my course and I will be posting about each module. I just completed Module 1: Where Did Grooming Begin?.

So, what is happening in my doggy life? Ava is good, she hates the cold and it is very cold here!! And, we have been taking care of a doggy named Zeke for about 2 weeks now. He is a very sweet mixed breed, my husband and I are thinking Lab/ Vizsla cross, he points when you take him for walks, super cute! He gets along well with the kids and the furry kids. He is super smart and very trainable! His only pitfalls, slight separation anxiety and he pulls on the leash. Both of these issues can be dealt with, the leash pulling more easily than the separation anxiety. He occasionally annoys CC cat, but nothing over the top.

Zeke!

Okay! Now down to the nitty gritty, Holly & Hugo, I just completed Module 1. It was about the history of grooming and some tips on starting your own grooming business. The history was pretty interesting. I didn't really know much about when dog grooming came about. I didn't think there was enough information an I would have loved to know more about certain facts they had in the section. I thought the content was very easy to learn. The part on making your own business a success/ marketing your business was informative, but a lot of info I already knew. Again, I think it could have been a little more in depth. So I thought all the information was good, but I would have liked to know more all around, perhaps in future sections it will delve deeper into subjects. That said, I took notes while going through my module, the module is like a slide show, then when I completed my module, I did the exercises. I felt confident because I thought the material was simple, so I decided I was ready for the exam. I ended up with a 89.29% and I was pretty disappointed. I think for the next section I will study a little harder. So although I thought it was going to be very easy, it was not as easy as I expected it to be.  It took me about 1.5 hours for this section so not too bad for time,

Initial sign up for Holly & Hugo is simple. You have 45 days to complete the course once you start, but you can purchase an extension. So far I see no reason why I would need an extension unless an unforeseen situation arose. You need a 55% per module to receive your certificate. You can retake each module once if you fail. Each module has the study slide show, exercises, and then an exam. I like the set up so far. I like that you can go at your own pace too. I will update my feelings on the course as I move on.

score/ progress

Follow My Holly and Hugo journey!

I love staying sharp and learning new things, so I decided to sign up for the Holly and Hugo class. Maybe I will learn something new! I think I will probably write a review at the end of each course section. I plan to start the class on Monday. I will let you guys know how it goes. 

I know I have not been blogging as much as I thought I would. I just have been busy, but starting next week, I will do the Holly and Hugo reviews and perhaps one additional blog about training. 

Quick update on me, it's chilly here and a little snowy. Ava hates it. I still miss my foster boy a little, but I am happy he is in his furever home! Everyone have a great Thanksgiving! 

Homemade Dog Food- Beef and Veggies

So my poor Ava is missing some teeth, so she has a tough time chewing kibble. I started making her food about a year ago, for a few reasons, one so it is easier for her to chew, two we live in a pretty remote area and there are no pet food choices that fit my preference in food (I will probably do a post about that at a different time.), and three it is fairly cost effective.

TBT When Ava was a young whipper snapper!

I make her enough to last two weeks, I keep one weeks worth in the fridge and freeze the rest. She's 7 pounds and doesn't eat much, for a large dog my recipe probably would not last as long depending. She gets a quarter cup in the morning and a quarter cup at night. I figured out the serving by starting with what I deemed an appropriate amount and adjusting it depending on if she still seemed hungry/ gaining or losing weight.

She really loves the homemade food and knows when I am cooking it, I let her lick the pan at the end (after it cools of course)! This is a pretty standard recipe I use, sometimes I mix it up, but I will share my beef and veggies recipe with you!

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup carrots diced small
1/2 cup peeled apples diced small
1/2 cup sweet potato diced small
1/2 cup broccoli diced small
A few sprigs of fresh parsley
1 Tblsp of coconut oil
The coconut oil is good for their skin and coat, you can also put some on their paw pads in the winter to avoid drying and cracking.
Then I use either a cup of oat meal or a 1/3 cup of brown rice.

Finally a supplement of some sort, I use GNC Ultra Mega Superfood Complex plus Joint Health, she's supposed to have 1/4 scoop a day, so 2 weeks worth is 3.5 scoops. This is to make sure she is getting appropriate vitamins, she also has pretty bad arthritis so on top of the Superfood Complex she gets a half a GNC Hip & Joint Health pill a day. Other good supplements are The Missing Link and Nupro.

Just wanted to show you the bottles in case you are interested...now let's get cooking!

Put coconut oil in pan and brown meat, while you are doing this steam veggies/fruit. If you are doing brown rice, cook your rice too. Once meat is browned add parsley, then veggies and your rice or oatmeal depending, if adding oatmeal, add water until desired consistency. If it looks too dry in general, I will add some water until I like the consistency. Then After all is said and done I mix in my supplement. I split it in half and freeze one container and refrigerate the other.

Typically ends up looking something like this. 

Ava eats it up, this winter she will probably be getting some wild game in her diet as well, to mix up her protein. You can use ground turkey or chicken as well. The nice thing about this is you know what your dog is eating.

Happy Thursday all and enjoy!

Bittersweet: A Foster Dog Finds a Home

I am kind of down in the dumps today. I was so happy that the foster boy found a fur ever home! But now the day after dropping him off, I kind of miss having him here. It is so fulfilling having a foster pet, you know you are helping out that animal. He was so lucky to have found a home so fast and I know CC is happy that he is gone, but it was fun having him. I love having a big dog around and I love having a dog around that I can teach new things. It was interesting having a blank slate. He really knew nothing and by the time he left my house, he could, sit, lay down, and come when called. I was very proud of him, what a fast learner! I know he will be a great dog for his new family.

The first few days were difficult, but he settled in soon. He had a very unique personality and I am happy I got to be part of his life even for just a little amount of time.

It was hard to say goodbye, I felt like I was letting him down, he was so sad when I left him, but I knew he was headed for a good life. There are so many animals in shelters looking for homes, volunteer if you can, and adopt!

PSA: Being Polite In Public With Dogs

This is a problem I often come across: person loves dog, sees dog, runs up to dog, dog does not like person.

I get it, I love dogs too, but you cannot run up to a stranger's dog. You know nothing about that dog and have no clue how they will react. The best thing to do when you see someone walking their dog in public is to ask if you can pet it. If the person says, "No." Do not be offended, the person probably has a reason for saying it. People always want to run up to and pet Ava because she's small, but she does not like to be snatched up by strangers. Think about it, she's seven pounds, you are over 10 times her size, it is terrifying for something that large to run up and grab you. If people ask I typically let them approach her nicely so she is not frightened.

The other problem is people sticking their faces in strange dogs faces. Again, we know that you LOVE dogs, but this just isn't safe and you are asking for a bite.

In addition, if you are going to be in public with your dog, have it leashed, it is safest for the dog, you, and others, and when you do have it leashed, don't just willy nilly walk it up to other dogs and say, "No, it's okay he's friendly", not every other dog is friendly, it is best to ask before you approach.

I am not trying to be preachy here, I just want everyone to always be safe and many times, bites and dog fights could have been avoided. So just be smart, and aware of yourself and your dog so you can have many fabulous doggy days together!

Introducing Pets to People (Kids) and Other Pets

On Sunday I brought home a foster dog, he is a 10ish month old mutt. He doesn't know a thing, not his name, no commands, not even "sit". That said, he is a pretty calm dog, he doesn't jump and he walks nice on a leash, always a plus in my book.

I live outside of town, so I picked him up in town. I knew I would first have to introduce him to my kids, 3 years old, and 3 months old, the 3 month old isn't really a concern, she isn't going to be grabbing him or anything, but it is nice to see his reaction to babies in a controlled environment. First he met my 3 year old, I told her not to grab him and let him sniff her hand, I had her stand to his side and told her not to stare and hunch over him so he didn't feel threatened at all. She is pretty good with animals. It has a lot to do with how the kid reacts that will set the mood. You don't want the kid to run up and grab the dog's face, we have no clue how he will react and of course you want to avoid any bites. She stood at his side and let him sniff her hand, I gave her a treat to give to him flat palmed. I had already tested and given him a treat. He wasn't snippy, but just to avoid any issues I had her just sit it on her palm so no fingers were snapped. I wanted to make sure he knew she was a good thing that came bearing gifts. I made sure the environment was controlled, so this was an on leash meeting, just in case he became tense or uncomfortable. I looked for early warning signs, ears back, whites of eyes showing, shifting eyes, excessive drooling, tail between legs. You do not want to wait until bearing teeth, growling, or hair up, those are late warning signs and a good indication the child and dog should not be interacting at that time. The nice thing about early warning signs is you can quickly diffuse the situation and possibly try again later, you do not want to push the dog too hard, especially a foster or shelter dog that no one has knowledge of their history. You really need to watch kids with dogs and make sure kids know how important it is that they are gentle and non-threatening around strange dogs. The number one way you are going to have a successful introduction is making sure the child is on the same page and understands how to approach a dog, not  pull on them, grab ears, grab tail, etc.

So, it turns out that my daughter and the foster boy get along pretty well, that does NOT mean I will leave them alone together. I strongly believe young children and dogs need to be supervised. As far as my 3 month old goes, I held her, he sniffed her a little, I didn't let his face in her face, after the sniff he walked away and has no interest.

3 yr old and foster boy

Next he was due to meet my dog Ava, she gets along with most dogs, especially if they are calm. Ideally you want to introduce on neutral territory, I didn't have that option because I was the only adult with no help. I tied foster boy outside and went in and got Ava because we were not a neutral spot, I opted to take them for a walk together. Again, ideally when doing the walk approach, you want two people so one can walk each dog, I did not have this luxury. I walked Ava up to him where he was tied up and had her sit and wait while I untied him. Her hair was up a little, but he seemed nonplussed. Do not force the dogs to interact. They need time to relax, Ava had the one up because she has lived with us for seven years, you could definitely tell from body language she was more comfortable; ears up, relaxed prancing gate, relaxed tail. Meanwhile, foster boy had his tail tucked and ears back, he walked slowly and unsure. I walked one on each side, I did not force Ava in his face, as the walk progressed his tail relaxed, which is great! As soon as he appeared more relaxed, I turned around and headed back to the house. You want to look for a relaxed tail and face, even a play bow, remember a wagging tail is not always a happy tail! Halfway back to the house he decided to sniff Ava, Ava hates being sniffed and tucked her tail, but tolerated and then she decided to sniff him. We got back to the house and I separated them with a gate just to make sure they were good. They appeared fine, both were relaxed.

The other reason I put up the gate was because I didn't know how he would be with cats. CC sauntered down the hallway to see what was going on. She immediately puffed up and hissed. It would have been very helpful if foster boy would have known some commands, like "sit", "stay", and "leave it"...well he doesn't and I did not have time to teach him these things before he came in. He was not aggressive in any way, but very interested and playful. CC did not like this. They both seemed to calm down a little, so I walked him out of the mudroom on leash, he laid down, so I let go of the leash, but kept it on so I could have quick access in case he decided to chase her. Make sure when using this approach not to yank back or yell at your dog, you want it to be positive, so try redirection if they do decide to chase. He doesn't so much chase as just can't leave her alone and she hates it, she does not want to be sniffed or be around him, so she hides and he follows. I would say he isn't a very good fit in my house, but I do not think he has an issue with cats, I just think he is feeding off of her energy and in the right household with a more laid back cat, he would probably do well. For now, I just watch very closely and make sure to try and redirect if he is annoying her. I want to make sure he has positive experiences so he doesn't develop any aggression towards cats.

foster boy and Ava

I hope I thoroughly explained the introductions for everyone, if you have any questions or perhaps I should explain something further, don't hesitate to post a comment!

I was going to do weekly, but I think I will do 2 a week, look for my next post tomorrow or Saturday!

Side note: He is a really sweet dog and up for adoption, if anyone is interested. :-) He is very food motivated and knows sit now. He isn't jumpy or high energy at all and likes to hang out outside.

New Dog Blog

So, my goal with this blog is to bring you weekly anecdotes and advice for dogs. I want an outlet where I can give my advice because people often PM or call me with questions. I plan on focusing on an issue a week, just telling a dog story, or maybe my thoughts on a recent event involving dogs. If it starts to take off perhaps readers can tell me what they want to learn more about and I will do blogs on that. So anyway, hopefully tomorrow I will let you guys know about my foster dog and introducing him to the other pets in the house! Introductions are important!

Resident dog Ava, before she turned grey. :-(

Resident cat CC, looking for a belly rub...maybe.

Thanks for stopping by!

P.S.  Not satisfied with the layout. I'll work on it.