Dog Playing

Are you planning on going for a swim with your dog? Many breeds of dogs, such as labs, love to swim and cannot resist jumping in every pool and river they see. But, much like children, you must be aware of a few tips to keep your dog safe while you both enjoy swimming in the hot summer months.

Never leave your dog unsupervised near water

Just like your child, never leave your dog alone near water. Some dogs can swim well, while others, especially those that are heavy and have short legs, may sink quickly. No matter how excited your dog is to try and swim, stay with him/her at all times!

Make sure your dog can get out of the pool

Again, this sounds so simple, but make sure your dog can easily get in and out of the pool without your help. If you happen to turn your back, your dog could drown trying to exit the pool.

Never force your dog into the water

Some dogs, even those breeds considered water dogs, do not like water. They may have had a scary experience or do not like it. Never force your dog into a situation that scares him/her. They could also panic and drown or even pull you under the water. Let your dog get used to the water at his/her own pace.

Consider buying a doggie life jacket

Life jackets designed just for dogs are becoming more popular with pet owners who have a pool or camp near the water with their pets. Many different types and styles are available so you can choose the best one for your pet. Be sure and check that the weight limit on the jacket will fit your dog.

After a swim in a pool, be sure to rinse your dog off

Just like us, a dog’s skin can become irritated by the chemicals in a pool. Your dog’s eyes could also become red from the chlorine in the water. After swimming, allow your dog to shake the excess water and use a garden hose to rinse his/her coat to help prevent irritation thoroughly.

Check for swimming advisories

Lakes can be unsafe for humans to swim at times, and an advisory will be announced. If the water is not safe for you, it is not safe for your pet. Keep your dog out of unsafe waters.

Check for strong currents in rivers

Even a dog who is a strong swimmer can panic if he/she is caught in a strong current. Do not let your dog swim in areas where he/she may be swept away.

Always carry fresh water for your dog to drink

Do not let your dog drink from ponds or lakes near farms. Run-off water may bring pesticides or other chemicals into the water that can poison your dog. Carry a bottle of water just for him/her.

Remember the undertow of the ocean

Some dogs get so focused on retrieving a Frisbee that they swim out too far, and an undertow can pull them down. Keep your dog close to the shore in the ocean.

Check for jellyfish

Jellyfish will sting dogs just like humans, so check for jellyfish before letting your dog run into the ocean.

The best thing to remember about keeping your dog safe while enjoying a day of swimming is to treat the dog like a child. Do everything for your pet that you do for your child, and keep everyone safe!

Why does my dog lick my face? Why does she cock her head to the side when I speak to her? And why does her leg go crazy when I rub her belly? Trying to figure out these quirks can be a never-ending process. So here are some of the most unique and strange things our canine friends do.

Licking Your Legs After a WorkOut

You just finished a tough workout and feel tired and sweaty. Walking through your front door, you’re greeted by your dog, but it could be more business. Instead of excitedly circling you, she goes straight for your legs – her tongue lapping up the dried sweat from your trip to the gym.

Gross and strange…

Why does she do this? My sweat can’t taste that good. One idea might be that your dog can smell “you” in sweat. Your dog’s keen sense of smell may be drawing her in and piquing her interest in the new scent. Another theory is that your dog may be expressing affection and love. Dogs often lick their leaders as a way of bonding.

Staring blankly at the Walls 

Is there an answer to this question? Every dog has been caught doing this at one time or another. Often, a dog will sit in a corner or on their bed, face the wall, and stare. No whining. No begging. No panting. Just a simple space out. That’s the most likely answer. Your dog is simply spacing out or daydreaming. Dogs are incredibly bright creatures with highly active brains. They like to daydream as we do. And often, a blank wall is a perfect canvas to stare into.

Sitting Directly on Top of Your Feet

We’re trying to understand why they do it. Some say it’s because they are “claiming” you. Others say it’s insecurity and your dog wants to be near you. Or touching you. We think our dogs sit on our feet because they love us. Dog size doesn’t matter – big and small dogs make this move. And the best part is when they sit down on your feet and look up to you to say hello.

Spitting Food on the Floor

Your dog cries when she’s hungry. She begs and stares at you until you fill her bowl. And once you do, she takes a mouthful, walks towards you, and promptly spits the food on the ground. She then strangely proceeds to eat the bits from the ground. This action is repeated before she consumes her meal in her bowl. Why does she do this? I’ve never been able to find an answer to this question, but I like to think of it as show and tell.

Call them strange actions. Call them interesting personality quirks. Either way, we love them all. If your dog has any unique personality traits, let us know below.

Summer months mean long days in the sun and weekends in the water. The best part about the warm months is the time we spend without dogs. Between camping and grilling, dogs love the weather as much as we do. You know your favorite summer activities, but do you know what your dog loves about the summer?

Running on the Beach

It doesn’t get much better than this. Freedom. Water. Wind. People. With the sand under their feet and the waves to chase, the beach is always a highlight of the summer. Even more so if you’re lucky enough to have an off-leash beach to visit. I’ve never seen a sad dog at the lake. Just remember to bring water and a dish for your buddy.

Car Rides with Open Windows

Why turn on the AC when you can roll the windows down? Even more so when fido is in the back seat. One of the best things about the warm months of summer is the ability to roll down your windows, put on your sunglasses and go for a drive. So head out the window; tongue flying in the air is the best place to be.

Sprinklers: Friend or Enemy?

Can you water your lawn without your dog trying to eat the spray? Watching dogs attempt to chow down on the moving target is always worth the laugh. Even more so if you have a dog on the smaller side. Summer is the hilarity of watching a pair of puppies try to nom on a sprinkler head.

Avoid smiling when these two golden retrievers are playing in the water. The house has become more a friend than an enemy. There is likely a nap in the future for these two.

Just make sure to bring enough towels.

Napping in the Sun

Speaking of naps, a siesta on the living room floor is always a dog favorite – especially when the nap can be had on a nice patch of sun on the living room floor. So many hours have been spent sprawling out on the carpet, soaking up the sun inside the house. It seems like a dog’s favorite way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. If only life could be as relaxing for the rest of us.

Camping with Family

The best part about being with family is the memories; summer camping is one of the best ways to create them. Building tents, hiking, campfires, and s’mores are just the beginning. The memories are even better when you bring your dog for the trip. Chasing rabbits, exploring the brush, and finding dropped hot dogs, only to name a few. At the end of the day, when the family is gathered around the campfire, dogs love nothing better than to curl up at your feet and soak up the warmth. And once it comes time to retire, the best place to be is in the tent with you – in a bed of his own.

Nothing beats owning a dog. They make you smile, keep you in shape, and give you the best memories. We hope you enjoy your summer and have a great time with your dog. Cheers!

Believe it or not, humans are not the only creatures that dream at night. Our furry pals share our same nighttime adventures. While you may dream about flying over a city or having a million dollars, your dog may have dreams just as big. Many dog owners have described their dog’s dream actions as twitching, howling/growling, or attempting to run while lying on their side. All of these can be indicators of increased mental activity while asleep.

Did you know that dogs sleep 10-12 hours per day? They wake up more often than we do but sleep a lot more. That gives them plenty of time to dream about the things that excite them most. Do you know your dog better than anybody else? What do you think his favorite dreams are?

Past Experiences

Just like us, dogs remember situations from the past. Researchers have concluded that dogs learn quite well from experiences, positive and negative. When a dog is asleep and enters REM, his brain is racing, and any experiences from the prior day can run through his mind. Maybe he’s thinking about an exciting time at the dog park. Or maybe he remembers the squirrel he almost caught in the backyard. Regardless, if you’ve ever had dreams about a particular situation or experience, you can be assured that your pal often dreams about his.

Scary Situations

We’ve all had them. Dreams that cause us fear and anxiety. Nightmares. We aren’t the only creatures to experience this phenomenon. Dogs can have scary dreams, just as we can. While we cannot tell what a dog is specifically dreaming about, we can measure his physiological response. Particular signs indicate fear in humans as well as dogs. Increased heart rate, heavy breathing or panting, and elevated perspiration indicate fear, anxiety, or stress. These have all been measured in humans as well as dogs while asleep. Humans can awake and explain that they just had a nightmare, but unfortunately, we cannot communicate as easily with our pets. Our best bet is to infer that these particular biological signals are indicators of the same emotions humans share.

Fun Times

Meeting new friends. Tasty treats. New smells. Chasing a ball. All wonderful times in a dog’s mind. These situations are all remembered vividly by dogs. Have you ever pulled your dog’s leash off the wall only to see him jump for joy? Or you pulled a Chuck It from a box, and the look on your dog’s face went from bored and sleepy to ready and alert in 2 seconds. These are examples of a dog remembering past fun times and looking forward to another positive experience.

Just as easily as dogs recall these great experiences while awake, they often recall them while asleep. For example, does your dog run freely at the beach? Or his favorite pastime is rolling on his back in a patch of grass. Either of these would make for great doggy dreams.

What Else Do Dogs Dream About?

Does your dog dream at night? What about during the day? If you’ve seen your dog twitch, howl, or rapidly move at night, you can be assured he’s dreaming. Please share your story below, and let us know what your dog dreams about the most. The best stories will be shared in a future blog post.

We all know that dogs love to chew. Shoes, sticks, and remote controls are just a short list of the objects that will eventually end up in your dog’s mouth. Try as you will; you probably can’t stop them. So why do they do it? Plastic can’t taste good, and splinters don’t feel good. It’s something we’ll always need to understand about our furry friends.

We took some time and polled 25 dog owners to determine what items and objects dogs love ego chew on the most. You may think that a Kong or a Nylabone is the top dog, but you’d be surprised.

I See London; I See France

It could be more comfortable. And it only seems to happen when you have company. You know what it is – your underwear. One of the most common items that our dog owners listed was their skivvies. It’s hilarious, but the item was so popular that it had to be first on our list. So why is it that our dogs love to grab our underwear sneakily? As gross as it sounds, it likely smells like us. And our dogs love us.

On the other hand, our dogs are looking for attention. And there is no better way to get our attention than to grab our most sensitive possessions. A quick game of keep away, anybody? Do you have company over? Your dog likely sees no better time to play than now.

R-O-C-K in the USA

There are many items that we allow our dogs to chew on. Sticks, toys, and ropes are all fair game. But when it comes to safety, some items are bad news. And just like children, our dogs seem drawn, like moths to a flame, to the items they shouldn’t have. One of the most mentioned items is rocks. Yes, rocks. Stones on the ground. They don’t taste good. And they smell pretty plain – so we’ve been told. But our pets love them. The dog owners we surveyed explained that their dogs almost always picked up and chewed on rocks and stones. We can’t explain it. They can’t explain it. So maybe we’ll have to leave this one to a difference between dogs and humans.

Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

What do all of these items have in common? The parts our bodies most likely to ache after a day of skiing? Maybe the body parts that a baby first discovers? Or some of the most commonly listed areas that dogs love to chew on. The most commonly mentioned item that dogs chew is their bodies. Not included in the list are tails, stomachs, and legs. Our dogs constantly groom themselves, so it is no surprise that the most commonly chewed-on item is the dogs themselves.

Dog Your Dog Chew?

Some dogs stick exclusively to their toys. Others can’t wait for you to go to work so they can eat your shoes. So, where does your dog stand? We’d love to hear from you, whether you have a puppy that never breaks the rules or a dog that loves mischief. So, take a moment and let us know what your furry pal chews on.

Give a dog a regular and squeaky ball, and you’ll instantly know the dog’s preference. Likewise, if you visit the toy aisle of any pet store, you’re likely to see row after row of toys with built-in squeakers. There is no doubt that these toys are popular with our pets. But why are they so popular? What is it about squeaky toys that dogs love so much?

The most common theory as to why dogs love these items is their pre-domestication instincts. When a dog is hunting in the wild and catches prey, the squeaking noise emitted signals injury or distress. The instincts of a wild dog and a domesticated dog are very similar. The squeaking sound from the toy resembles the squeaking sound of a successfully trapped animal. All dogs are natural predators and love the thrill of the hunt.

Should Squeaky Toys Be Avoided?

Many dog trainers discourage the use of squeaky toys because they believe that they encourage aggressive behavior and actions. However, other trainers say that dogs love squeaky toys because it gives them a response to the action of chewing. Bite the toy, and hear a squeak. Bite the toy, and hear a squeak. The thought is that it’s interactive and provides the dog with mental stimulation in addition to the action of chewing.

If either of these thoughts concerns you, please do not hesitate to keep squeaking toys away from your dog. Any responsible dog owner who has done their research should understand the concern. If squeaky toys do not bother you, then the sky is the limit when choosing a new toy for your pup. On the other hand, many dogs do fine with their squeakers and exhibit zero signs of aggression or hostility.

A Squeaky Toy For Everybody

One of the most popular squeaky toys on Amazon is the KONG Air Dog Squeakair Birthday Ball. You receive 3 balls in a single pack. They look like colorful tennis balls, but a common squeaker inside will keep your dog entertained for hours. We’ve personally given these toys to our dogs and can attest that they’re a fan favorite. The squeaker is hidden deep inside the ball and is incredibly difficult to remove. This is great because it keeps the dog’s teeth/gums safe and ensures that the toy won’t break after one or two chews. It’s also ranked #1 on Amazon in the Dog Squeak Toys section.

If you’re interested in an actual toy, as opposed to a ball, the Kyjen Hide-A-Squirrel Puzzle is a great choice. It’s a plush toy tree stump with three included squeaking squirrels. The squirrels are hidden inside the stump, and it’s your dog’s job to find a way to get them out. It’s a problem-solving toy in multiple sizes for your Jack Russell Terrier or your Chocolate Lab.

Final Thoughts on Toys

The bottom line can be summed up in one sentence – choose the toy that makes your dog happy and you feel comfortable with. A toy that entertains one dog for hours may bore another dog to tears. It’s up to you to select the toys that your dog brings into your house and plays with. Make sure to buy items that you’re comfortable with and that your dog enjoys.