OMG!  I have been so busy that I completely forgot to plug Bark in the Park at Turner Field this Sunday.

The Braves will be “digging” in to beat the Houston Astros.  Log on to Braves.com and treat you and your best friend to a Sunday in the park!

Just a reminder: on Memorial Day, which is Monday, May 31, the Beach Boys will be surfin’ into the Ted for a post-game concert. And on that note, you should check out Celtic Thunder’s Keith Harkin’s medley of Beach Boys hits. It’s great. And I hear that he actually surfs the waves of Ireland!

Better watch those rocks Keith!

Not long after publishing this article about how to combat a fear of thunderstorms and loud noises, Mom and I were contacted about trying a product specifically designed by Ceva Animal Health to combat this issue.  This Dog Appeasing Pheromone (D.A.P.) is synthetically produced in an effort to mimic a natural pheromone released by a mother dog to calm her pups to naturally control and manage erratic behavior associated with anxiety, fear and stress.

While I am not personally affected by anxiety that accompanies storms, I have a nephew, Harley, who is.  When a storm approaches his home, he hides, digs, climbs, runs, howls, and is generally a wreck until the storm passes completely.  To fully experience the effects of the D.A.P., we were sent:

1. An electric plug-in D.A.P.® Diffuser that comes with a 48 mL bottle of D.A.P.
2. A 75 mL D.A.P.® Spray bottle  that comes in a 75 ml spray bottle and can be applied directly on comfort surfaces for dogs (e.g. crate, bedding, etc.) in conjunction with the diffuser.
3. And a D.A.P.® Collar that stays with your dog, providing pheromone therapy during loud events that can cause fear and stress.

Having witnessed his behavior prior to and during storms, I had high hopes for the D.A.P. in keeping Harley calm as the spring storms rolled through.  Mom and I happened to be visiting his house the first time a thunderstorm tested Harley and his family’s new tools.  When it was apparent that the storm was imminent (and the point that he usually started to flip out), he remained completely calm, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.  The storm came, and at its peak, Harley left his normal spot and began to pace, but that was it.  There was no hiding, digging, climbing, running, or howling.

With the subsequent storms the next three weeks, Harley’s reaction was the same.  It was like he became a totally different dog when facing any stressful situation.  In addition to the tips included, as well as those discussed in the aforementioned article, this product really worked to keep him calm, but I would not recommend it without a veterinarian or behaviorist’s suggestion.  D.A.P. is available only through a veterinarian.

While I am happy to say that it works as described, the suggested retail prices of a complete package, like the one we received to try, would be pretty steep to maintain every month when you compare it to other ways to help control your dog’s behavior during the stress of thunderstorms and other loud noise events.

Have you met Morgan the dog?  You probably recognize him from his inclusion in Spike’s Pack in May 2009.  This August, he will be moving into an apartment/condo setting as his mom starts graduate school.  All of the graduate students I have met are pretty busy people, and Morgan’s mom is a little worried about the possibility of days where she may not be able to get home from classes and stuff to let him out before his needs trump her schedule, if you know what I mean.  She asked me my thoughts on litter boxes or potty box products like the Porch Potty.

I have seen many litter boxes in my day, since I have several feline friends, but until Morgan’s mom asked me, I had not even heard of the Porch Potty.

Getting back to Morgan, it is important to note that he is totally housebroken.  In fact, he handles potty time and potty spots so well, that when he he visits other people’s homes, he only needs to be shown once which door goes outside for potty time, and he will consistently ask to go out that door, holding it in until he is outside.

Since Morgan is a small dog, I think that a litter box could be a very cool thing, but it may provide some mixed signals for him, since he is so well-behaved about potty time.  There are some days, mainly the really hot, really rainy, or really cold days, that I would like to have a little box inside to protect me from the elements.  Unfortunately, we have not seen one large enough for me.  Ever wonder what a litter box for a 110 pound Golden Retriever would look like?  Let me know if you see one.

Dogs are pretty smart about this potty stuff.  In fact, most of the time when people complain about their dog’s potty habits, it is usually something that the people did, or did not do that is the problem.  Once you start unloading things in Morgan’s new home, place the litter box in its permanent location.  Show Morgan where his new potty place is, and if the new place is large, you may have to confine Morgan with the litter box until he figures out the new location and uses it on the “long days.”

Keep in mind that moving can be traumatic for dogs, since they do not really understand what is happening.  During the packing and moving activities, try to keep the new routine as close to the old one as possible.  Morgan will have to learn new doors to enter and exit, where his new potty spot is, and where his toys and bowls have moved.  Even with a dog as smart as Morgan, there may even be a few accidents at first, but do not get upset.  Morgan has not forgotten everything he learned, he is still figuring things out in the new place!

Mom and I have taught a few classes about dog litter boxes.  Here in Atlanta, there are many high-rise apartment and condominium buildings, and that number keep growing.  The people that live in those buildings do not want to run down stairs or catching an elevator when it is potty time for their pup!

One time, Mom taught a class and one of the students lived in one of those big condo buildings in Buckhead, a swanky part of Atlanta.  Although the class was specifically about potty training, it never fails that people have questions about all kinds of other dog stuff.  In this class, someone asked about flea control, so Mom explained the options available to declare war on them.  The guy from Buckhead decided this was an appropriate time to announce to the whole class that his dogs did not have any fleas, did not get any fleas, etc.  He further explained that the reason his dog was flealess is because he lived in the Buckhead neighborhood!  Mom, the never-ending comedienne, asked the man if the fleas in Atlanta jumped off of dogs when they passed the “Welcome to Buckhead” sign?  After class, I suggested that perhaps there was a very small sign located under the welcoming sign that read, “Fleas Not Allowed.”

Training for the Porch Potty will be much the same, and I suggest you start using it before the move, if possible.  In the interest of full disclosure, after learning about the Porch Potty and trying one out, I became an affiliate for their company.  As you may have noticed, Mom and I do not endorse just anything.  To get my pawed seal of approval, I have to make sure it meets my standards.  If you find that it fits your needs, you can get $15 off by entering “askspikeonline” in the coupon code field.

Relatively near our office in metro Atlanta, there is a fence company that does not actually build a fences.  They install Invisible Fence.  Are you skeptical too?  At first, I thought that Mom was playing a joke on me, because even I know that you should not buy a fence you cannot see.  I told her that I thought it was fake.  After all, what good is a “fence” going to do if there is nothing to stop me from running in places I am not wanted.  She explained that they install stuff  and attach something to a dog’s collar that keeps them from going outside the yard.  I still had my doubts, so I asked Mom if she would ask them a few questions for me.  I doubt that they know how smart I am, and there is no way they have someone in their offices that speaks dog as well as Mom does.

Since this was my first encounter with an “Invisible Fence,” my initial questions were pretty basic informational ones.  I found out that an invisible fence is actually a system where a wire outlines the areas that are meant to contain a dog, and that wire sends a radio frequency to a receiver on the dog’s collar.  That collar can emit a beep, vibration, or static pulse (similar to touching a doorknob after walking across carpet) when it receives the radio signal that the collar, and the dog it is attached to, come too close to the pre-determined boundary.  They use a “patented, vet & behaviorist approved training program” during and after the installation to teach pets to stay within the prescribed boundaries.

Since there are different correction methods, I was curious to know how it is determined which to use.  The fence company has animal trainers that come to train the pets about the boundaries set for them in the yard.  Apparently, this even works for cats or indoors.  The trainers that follow the installation team set an appropriate correction level, depending on the pet, often starting with a beep, working up to the static correction, if necessary.

Since I am such a smart dog, I figured out that once a dog got past the wire, the collar would just stop its beep, vibration, or static correction.  They must have thought about that too, because the correction is sustained for several seconds upon breaking the plane of the boundary, but it does not continue indefinitely.  Maybe they do speak dog after all, because I am sure a human did not figure that out.  They probably have a resident dog on staff to help them figure things like this out.

There is an animal trainer involved shortly after installation to work with the dog, as well as the family, to define the boundary and how to use their tools for containment.  Teaching the family and the pet is the most important part of safe containment, so the office has at least one full-time trainer on staff to make sure that everyone understands how to use the system, pets included.  Mom said they would not provide me with a wiring diagram or full details on how to dismantle the system, so my four-legged readers will have to try getting their parents to get that for them.  I think she may have some plans for Tax, Molly, and I and this “fence” thing.

I wanted to see if I could fool the system by running really fast past the boundary, but the receiver continues correcting for a number of seconds outside of the boundary, making the “break-out dash” completely useless.  The training program for the pets teaches them to return to home upon triggering the correction method.

They were really friendly to Mom and even talked to me for a few minutes.  They said that Web-savvy pups can find out more information at their website, but they assured Mom that the shut-off switch information was not included.

After discussing it with Mom, we agreed that we could recommend it for dogs that are generally well-behaved, especially if signage is utilized to inform passersby of the containment system.  However, if your dog is fearful or shows any signs of aggression, a more traditional fence will probably be a better option.

For years, humans have known that smoking is bad for them.  They have known that secondhand smoke is bad for humans that do not smoke.  This also applies to your four-legged friends.  In fact, they can be more at risk for cancers due to secondhand smoke than humans exposed to the same risk.  In fact, it is a “triple threat” for canines and felines that live in a smoker’s home.

The significant health threat secondhand smoke poses to pets is through oral cancer and lymphoma in cats, lung and nasal cancer in dogs, as well as lung cancer in birds.  There is also a strong correlation between secondhand smoke and certain forms of cancer in cats. There are higher incidents of mouth cancer in cats living with smokers over cats living in a non-smoker’s home. Dogs living in a home with secondhand smoke have a higher risk of nasal tumors. This increase was specifically found among long nosed breeds (like me, Golden Retrievers).  Dogs with medium or short noses did not escape, as they showed higher rates for lung cancer!  Typically, dogs affected with nasal cancer do not survive more than one year.

Be aware that animals may also pick up discarded butts off the ground and ingest them. This creates a problem with nicotine poisoning, which can be fatal.

Smoking is also a very costly habit.  Do you know how many homeless animals could be fed in one year if just one person quit and gave their savings to a shelter or a rescue?

If you were on Twitter last night, you know that the “#barkhunt” hashtag was flying around like crazy.  Paw Luxury, Best Bully Sticks, Four Legged Media, and I gave away twelve fabulous prizes to the hunters who played the game.  You can prepare for our next one by checking out the rules, take a look at our sweet prizes, and see who won.

I can’t wait for the next one!

This Thursday at 9 PM, I will be participating in Twitter’s first scavenger hunt.  The coolest part about it is that I will be giving away three items as one of the sponsors:

• One copy of “Idiot’s Guide to Positive Dog Training”
• One Premier Gentle Leader Headcollar (large dog)
• One Tug ‘n Talk Sports Talking Baseball Rope Toy

Paw Luxury, Best Bully Sticks, and Four Legged Media will be joining me as sponsors of the premiere of this one-of-a-kind event.  Check out the rules for hunters here, and take a look at all of the prizes being given away.

To keep up with the events of Barkhunt, keep an eye out for the #barkhunt hashtag on Twitter.

Today, we were featured in an article in the Atlanta Dog Examiner, to discuss our site, our side projects, and a little bit about me.  Take a look around at the article, as well as the work that Sandy Weaver Carman does.

Our thanks to her hard work helping to spread the word about what we do.

Yum!  I just finished a bully stick sent to me from friends at Best Bully Sticks.  Tax and Molly are still working on theirs, but I chewed through mine real quick!

Special “bark-out” to them, and a a thanks for their gift.

The folks over at the Clean Water Campaign want everyone to know that as a responsible pet owner, it is your “doodie” to pick up your dog’s waste.

Here’s the scoop on the problem:

• Pet waste can contaminate our rivers, lakes and streams.
• Pet waste contains harmful bacteria such as E. Coli and fecal coliform.
• Waters that contain a high amount of bacteria such as E. Coli are unfit for human contact.
• A single gram of pet waste contains an average of 23 million fecal coliform bacteria, some of which can cause disease in humans.
• Pet waste decays, using up dissolved oxygen and releasing compounds that are harmful to fish and other animals that rely on water.
• Pet waste contains nutrients that can cause excessive algae growth in a river or lake, upsetting the natural balance.
• Pet waste left on sidewalks, streets, yards or other open areas can be washed away and carried by rainwater into storm drains to nearby rivers, lakes and streams and cause many problems.
• Whether in your yard or walking your dog, you can easily do the right thing.  Purchase a “pooper scooper” or simply use a plastic bag.  Many parks and apartment complexes provide special posts with “pet mitts” or bags to help you clean up after your dog.  When finished, just place the waste in a garbage can.  Everyone will be happier when you pick up after your pet!

Did you know that in 2001, there were an estimated 6.5 million dogs in the United States?  That is 6.3 billion pounds of poop per year!

It would take a scoop 300 feet wide and 800 feet deep to dispose of all of that poop!