The Dog Bed Game

Where does your dog sleep? Does he have a dog bed? What kind of dog bed does he have? Sorry, too many questions.... But it is very important to have a place for your dog to sleep and he should have his own dog bed. There are so many to choose from and it will depend largely on where he/she will be sleeping.

Again, I am no expert but, currently I have 2 German Wirehaired Pointers (which I adore) and I can only tell you what has worked for me.

Now some people won't allow their dogs in the house. Personally I can't imagine having a dog and keeping it tied up outside. It breaks my heart to see how some animals are treated. I know they are only dogs but dogs have feelings and I know that they can feel sadness. I just have to look at the eyes of my boys when I tell them "you have to stay home" you would think that they are going to cry but when I get home....well, smiles on their faces and their eyes light up. So you just can't tell me that dogs don't have some of the emotions of we humans. But I have lost focus and should get back to the dog beds.

As for our house, even though we have a larger breed of dog, our dogs are house dogs and they sleep in dog beds. Well, at least most of the time! There are a lot of different kinds of dog beds and you will have to decide on your prefered style. I don't really think it matters what kind of bed you choose what is important is that your beloved animal have a place of his own. The dog bed will be a place he retreats to when he wants to be alone or needs a nap. When you first bring your puppy home and you use a kennel or crate you will need a dog bed inside the kennel.

Here are some suggestions.

#1 - Coolaroo Steel Pet Bed - Now this dog bed is built on a steel frame with a material mat to sleep on. It looks like an Army cot but in much prettier colors.
The advantages of this dog bed are the facts that it is easy to clean and the air circulates for cooler sleeping.Coolaroo Steel Pet Bed with Knitted Fabric

#2 - Midwest Quiet Time Pet Bed - Now this is a furry dog bed which works well in any corner of the room, it has sides which our dogs like. Some of the advantages of this bed is the fact that it is easy to move from room to room and it fits inside your kennel.Midwest Quiet Time Pet Bed

#3 - Solvit Deluxe Bench Seat Cover - Now this isn't a dog bed unless your dog sleeps in the car. This is a cover for your car or truck seat when bringing your best friend for a ride. This is a great cover to have. It is easy to clean, easy to install and best of all it gives your dog a little security because it doesn't slide around on the seat.Solvit Deluxe Bench Seat Cover


As for my dogs we have all of the above items at our house. Now Jack sneaks away in the middle of the day where his prefered resting place is my bed! I've allowed this to happen since he was a pup but if you don't want your dog to make your bed his dog bed keep him off when he is a puppy. Oh, and by the way our dogs, Jack and Joe, sleep in our bedroom at night but they are on their dog beds.

I guess the important thing is that you love your dog and it really doesn't matter where he sleeps, if it is on the floor, on a rug or in a dog bed. But, I can guarantee that he will want to be near you if he can be.

How to Care for A Dog

You might think it is easy to take care of a dog. But it isn't. Dogs are a lot of work, especially if you care for them properly. I am no expert in dog care but I do have some hands on experience with dogs as we have had several and I must say our dogs have always been well behaved and a joy to be around. I've loved dogs since I was a little girl and all these years later I still love having a dog (or two) around.

........................................TIPS ON HOW TO CARE FOR A DOG.....................................................

How to care for a dog #1 - LOVE.. You really need to love that puppy. You need to expect that there will be a few problems when you bring the puppy home. Imagine, he's been taken away from his mother and siblings for the first time in his short little life; he's in a new environment with new sounds and noises and he really doesn't know what is expected of him. So, even the discipline needs to be done with love. Your new puppy wants to make you happy and he will love you unconditionally!

How to care for a dog #2 - BE CONSISTENT.. That means with everything. You should feed your puppy at the same times every day and remember their tummies are small. A puppy should be fed 3 or 4 times a day and the feedings should decrease as the dog matures... Your training periods should be at the same time every day...and for heavens sake if you don't want your dog on the sofa then no means no everytime he tries to get on the sofa not just some of the time.

How to care for a dog #3 - TRAINING.. This is very important. Your puppy has no clue as to how you want him to behave. He's a puppy and all he knows is what he has been doing with his litter mates. Pick the same time every day and work on the basics. You know sit, come, stay and heel. These are the most important and your puppy will work hard to please you. Be firm when you are training. Don't over work your puppy when you first start you might only spend 5 or 10 minutes with him and then gradually increase the time, but never overdo you want him to enjoy this time not hate it.

How to care for a dog #4 - EXERCISE... Now this is fun time but it is also very important. This will keep your dog physically fit and mentally sound. This makes for a happy dog. The amount of exercise depends on the breed of dog. Now we have German Wirehaired Pointers and they need lots of exercise. We run them twice a day for at least an hour. They can't tell time but somehow they know when it is time to go for their run because they go sit by the door.

How to care for a dog #5 - GROOMING... Dogs need brushing and bathing, nail clipping and teeth brushing. Yup, teeth brushing! Again, how often will depend on the breed of dog. If you start getting into the habit of brushing and start when the dog is young you can both enjoy the experience. Generally speaking bathing is only needed a few times a year unless your dog has rolled in something that smells so bad you want to gag or if and when that skunk gets them. Yes, both my dogs have been skunked. As for the nail clipping, we take our dogs to the vet and have it done however there are good products on the market for home use and if your dog is patient and doesn't mind having his feet touched you can do this yourself. Now for the teeth brushing. I will say this again, start this right away and let him get use to the brush in his mouth. This is good teeth maintenance for your dog and his teeth are very important to him.

These are a few tips on how to care for a dog and I hope they are helpful to you. We love our dogs and try to take very good care of them. The time spent with training is well worth the effort and it will make your dog a joy to be around.

Dog Collars

DO YOU HAVE A PUPPY? If you do this is a very busy time for you. Or is your dog fully grown and becoming your pride and joy (after the children of course). I can only tell you about the experiences we have had bringing our puppies home.

After going to the breeder and picking River Jackson, our German Wirehaired Pointer, out of the litter we soon found out that was the easiest part and that wasn't easy at all. So many cute faces and little round bodies all clamoring for you to touch them. Well, once we got home and reflected on the little one we choose it was time to go shopping. Thats right. SHOPPING! The first on the list was a dog collar and leash. I think the dog collar is a very serious decision. So many colors, materials and styles. Dog collars really do come in all shapes and sizes and selecting the right one for your pup is important. We selected a nylon collar with a nylon leash as our first dog collar. It was lightweight and easy to clip on and off plus it adjusted as he grew and believe me puppies grow fast. The next dog collar was chamo, just because he was a hunting dog and he needed to be "cool". Once he was out in the field hunting he just had to have a hunters orange collar and the best dog collar of all is the DOGTRA Training or Hunting collar.

Here are a list of things that should be on your shopping list.

1. dog collar and leash

2. dog food and water bowls

3. dog crate and crate pad (this is for training purposes and a place to sleep)

4. dog toys (very important because puppies are teething and they like to chew)

5. dog food

Once you get your puppy home the "potty training" starts and it starts immediately. You will want to have a good cleaner so that when the puppy has his accidents, and he will, you can immediately spray the area to eliminate the odor. A good one that is reasonable priced is Pee

Away.

You will want to put his dog collar on right away. At first it will be an irritant to him and he will want to scratch it off but keep the dog collar on and he will adjust to it very soon. Now with Jack since he had his dog collar on all the time, day and night, it was easy to attach his leash and take him outside for his "potty calls" and for his fun time.

THIS WORKED FOR ME! To show Jack what his boundaries were, and where he could and could not go, every time I took him outside with his dog collar and leash I would let him investigage our yard and if he went to an area that was "off limits" he received a firm jerk of the leash and told OUT! To this day he knows where his yard stops and the neighbors begins plus he stays out of the flower garden. What a good boy!

Jack was out in the field guiding pheasant hunts by the time he was 8 months old and yes he was pointing and putting out pheasants. From his very first hunt we knew we had a very special dog.

Jack needed a good hunting dog collar and we selected the DOGTRA. It has a button on the remote to beep the dog so you can find him in tall brush and you have the "zing" button if you need to use it.

I hope some of these tips are helpful to you and your new puppy or even your adult dog.

Hunting Dog Collars

Don't you just love dogs. We do in our family. We have two German Wirehaired Pointers. The oldest one is Jack. Jack is 3 years old and he has a very serious personality. He is all business all the time. Whether you are throwing a frisbee, a tennis ball or a stick he is very determined in what he is doing. You've heard the term "shop til you drop"....well this dog would "hunt til he dropped!" You can't say the word pheasant or hunting without him going totally beserk (we now have to spell words we don't want him to hear)and whatever you do don't let him see his hunting dog collar. You see he has his everyday collars, like the blue one you see here in the picture or his hunters orange collar, but that hunting dog collar means he gets to go hunting. When that hunting dog collar comes out he won't even eat!

Now you might ask "What's the difference between a collar and a hunting dog collar?" Well, it is a huge difference. The hunting dog collar is two pieces. The collar itself and then the remote control. Something like the TV remote only with fewer buttons. With some remotes you can "tone" your dog or if he is doing something you don't want him to do like chase deer, you can give him a little zing. The hunting dog collar we use has a locator button so if your dog gets out ahead of you or if the brush is too deep and you are having a hard time finding him, you just push the locator button and it will beep. This collar also has a "zing" button. We use the DOGTRA hunting dog collar and just love it.

This is a wonderful tool for you as well as for the dog. Jack learned very quickly what the tone meant and what the beep meant and the best thing is that he knows when that collar is on he had better be very obedient. It's like having invisible fencing, only less expensive. We even use it at the house when we are outside. It keeps Jack in his yard and out of the road. Like I say, Jack has learned to be very obedient with his hunting dog collar on. But then Jack is the serious one and has always been a great dog. A quick learner and very social.

Now our youngest German Wirehaired Pointer is Joe. Joe has a totally different personality and is not so serious unless he is hunting. Joey is just 1 year old. He likes to make you laugh and you can just see it in his eyes that he will get into mischief any time you are not looking. We put the hunting dog collar on Joe anytime we take him outside. He knows that if he doesn't mind he gets a little zing. Joe was out in the field guiding a bird hunt when he was 4 months old, of course he had his older brother Jack out showing him the ropes but he was pointing his first birds and his points were picture perfect.

The DOGTRA collar we have is a double collar. So we have 2 hunting dog collars with 1 remote. The hunting dog collars are waterproof and very durable.

I can't wait to tell you more about our two GWP's. There is so much to tell and so many great pictures of them.