Books don’t always sell in direct relationship to how much their authors love them. Sometimes that’s for reasons outside of our control (such as the pet care book that came out just before Sept. 11, 2001), but there’s often no reason for it at all.
Two of our books, “bowWOW!: Curiously Compelling Facts, True Tales, and Trivia Even Your Dog Won’t Know” and its feline companion, “meowWOW!” (both from HCI, $14.95, 224 pages), remain our little, almost-forgotten favorites: bright, fun and interesting, with illustrations by Molly Pearce so wonderful that we have them framed in our offices. We loved researching and writing these two books. Some fun facts we found:
• Dogs have been taxed for centuries, but the idea of a tag to signify that a dog was “licensed” seems to date to the late 19th century, when Cincinnati started issuing tags on an annual basis, and other cities and states soon followed suit. Although wooden tags for soldiers were used in the U.S. Civil War to help identify the injured and the dead, it wasn’t until World War I that American soldiers got metal tags as standard issue. The resemblance between the tags of soldiers and of dogs (along with a good dollop of droll military humor) soon had the men calling them “dog tags” – a term that sticks to this day.
• The cat has one up on the lion: Cats purr, but lions cannot. (On the flip side: Lions roar, which cats can’t.) No big cat can get his motor running the way our household kitties can, purring constantly as effortlessly as breathing, both in and out. Tigers can rumble a tiger-sized purr-like sound, but on the exhale only.
• All dogs have pink tongues, with two notable exceptions: the Chow Chow and the Chinese Shar-Pei, both breeds with tongues variously described as “purple,” “black” or “blue-black.” Black spots on tongues are common in many dogs, and are not necessarily an indication that there’s a Chow Chow or Shar-Pei in the gene pool, however.
• Most cats have five toes on their front paws, but only four of them hit the ground. The fifth toe is found on the inside of the front paw. This “dewclaw” is the feline equivalent of our thumb, and it’s used for grasping prey and climbing trees. Any number of toes over the norm (usually an extra one or two, but occasionally as many as three or four) makes a cat polydactyl, which means “many fingers.” Polydactylism is a dominant genetic trait, which means just one polydactyl parent is enough to make a litter of polydactyl kittens.
• Helen Keller, the blind and deaf woman whose triumph over her disabilities made her an international sensation, was the first American to own an Akita dog.
• Cats can hear nearly three times more frequencies than humans can. For you technical types, a cat’s hearing stops at 80 kilohertz, a dog’s at 45 kHz, and a human’s at a pathetic 20 kHz. Because cats can rotate their ears and focus each ear independently, they also can hear well from all directions. A cat can rotate its outer ear to locate a sound – such as the sound of a mouse’s footsteps trying to sneak by – 10 times faster than a dog.
• The phrase “Beware of dog” is so old that its Latin equivalent – cave canem – has been found on signs in Roman ruins. The word “watchdog” isn’t quite as old, but it has been around a long, long time. The first mention of it? By Shakespeare, in “The Tempest.”
• Cats’ heads come in three basic shapes: round, such as on the fluffy Persians; triangular, such as on the sleek, show-bred Siamese and other so-called “Oriental” breeds; and rec-tangular, such as on the burly Maine Coon. Most random-bred cats tend more toward the triangular head, albeit a less extreme version than on the show-quality Siamese.
• One final one, just for summer: The “dog days” of summer have nothing to do with dogs and everything to do with the brightest star in the night sky: Sirius, the constellation also known as the “dog star” that’s highly visible during some of the hottest weeks of the year.
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Stop Your Dog From Urinating In The House
Posted on August 10th, 2012No more dog urine in the house.
House training is a challenging part of dog ownership, and some breeds of dogs are more resistant to house training than others. Dogs urinate in the house due to inadequate house training, anxiety and the lingering smell of urine.
Dogs will also urinate inside if they are forced to wait too long to go outside. You can effectively house train your dog using positive, reward-based methods.
Follow these steps to house train your dog effectively:
Put your dog in a crate when you are not supervising it or are not home. Dogs are unlikely to soil the area in which they sleep unless it’s a true emergency, so keeping your dog in a crate deters it from urinating inside. Every time your dog urinates inside this encourages it to continue doing so, so preventing accidents is the first step in proper house training.
Take your dog outside at least every two hours when you first begin house training. You should also take your dog out when you get home, before you leave, after eating or drinking, after playtime and when your dog wakes up. When your dog urinates outside, praise him lavishly, click the training clicker and give your dog a treat. This teaches your dog to associate going outside with receiving a reward and will increase the frequency with which the dog goes outside.
Take your dog outside immediately if he has an accident. This helps your dog develop an association between urinating and being outside, and will discourage future accidents.
Remove the scent of urine from any places where your dog has urinated by using Clear the Air Odor Eliminator for Carpet/Furniture. Dogs are driven by scent and are far more likely to urinate in areas that smell like urine.
You can order our products online at www.cleartheair.com. We currently have a promotion for the month of August: Buy 2 Get 2 Free of our Carpet/Furniture Odor Eliminator. Simply add 4 canisters to your shopping cart, enter “carpetodor” into the redemption code and the price of two canisters is automatically taken away from your total.
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Why Your Dog Barks – Part 1
Posted on July 23rd, 2012If you have a dog, most likely there have been times he or she barks excessively for a reason you are not sure of.
Clear the Air would like to share some helpful tips on learning about the behavior of your dog and why he barks. This will be a two part blog touching on various reasons your dog barks.
This article was taken from the San Diego Humane Society.
Dogs bark for a variety of reasons:
1) Watchdog Barking serves the dual purpose of alerting pack members that there is an intruder and warning the intruder that they have been noticed.
2) Request Barking is the dog’s way of communicating to the owner that he would like something NOW.
Typical requests are “open the door NOW,” “pay attention to me NOW,” “let me out of here NOW,” “I wanna see that dog NOW” etc.
3) Spooky Barking occurs when the dog is uncomfortable about something in the environment and barks to say “I’m dangerous! Don’t come any closer!”
4) Boredom Barking can result when the dog’s daily needs for exercise and social stimulation are not met. The dog has gone essentially mad from boredom.
Controlling Excessive Barking:
Watchdog Barking
The standby technique is to teach the dog a competing response – such as fetching a certain toy or doing a down-stay on a mat (which cuts barking in many dogs) for tasty food rewards. Practice out of doorbell or “intruder” contexts first and then incorporate the game or command into real-life situations. The dog will need some coaching and prompting the first few times in the real-life situation so prepare to budget some time for that. Even better, set it up with a cohort to play “visitor,” so you can focus on the dog rather than being forced to attend to the person at the door. When the dog is more advanced, you can also incorporate penalties. If he gets it right, he is rewarded as usual. If he barks, he goes into the penalty box – a back room or crate that is far from the action.
Another technique – high effort but great result – is to teach the dog the meaning of the words “bark” and “quiet” (or any word you want to use as an “off” switch). First, you have to teach the dog to bark and quiet on command as a trick. To elicit the barking so that you can practice, you must use something you know makes the dog bark, like the doorbell or a weird noise outside (you may need a helper). Arrange the following sequence:
1) your command “bark!”
2) the doorbell or other prom
3) barking from the dog
4) praise from you: “good bark!”
5) your command “quiet”
6) showing him the treat
7) his (eventual) distraction from barking by the treat
8) 3-5 seconds of quiet during which you praise “gooo-oood quiet”
9) giving him the treat after 3-5 seconds of perfect quiet
10) repeat, gradually lengthening the duration of the “quiet” up to a minute
Do it over and over until the dog knows the game. He knows the game when he barks on the command and doesn’t need the doorbell anymore, and he quiets on the first quiet command without having to be shown the treat (you still give him one from your pocket, you just don’t show it anymore). If ever he interrupts a quiet with even one bark, say “oh! too bad” and start counting the quiet time from the beginning again. Barking during the quiet time will cost him his treat.
You must be able to yo-yo the dog back and forth reliably between bark and quiet before you try out your “quiet” command in real situations. The most common mistake is trying to use the quiet command before it’s well-enough conditioned in training sessions. Think of quiet on command as a muscle you’re making stronger.
When you can turn barking on and off anytime, anyplace as a trick, you may now start commanding quiet after a few barks when your dog barks on his own in real-life situations. The first few times the dog will respond poorly to the command. Don’t give up. Have really good treats handy. Go back to showing him the treat up front the first few times. Practice makes perfect.
If your dog “goes off” for the smallest sounds and changes in the environment, it would help the cause to get him better habituated. Take him out more, invite people and dogs over to socialize, expose him to a wider range of sights and sounds.
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Tick Removal for your Pets
Posted on July 20th, 2012Removing ticks from your pets.
Ewe, it is flea and tick season! Need help on removing those pesky ticks your dog and cat pick up from outside? Check out ASPCA’s article:
So, you’ve found a tick on your pet—how do you deal with it? While it’s important to get these little suckers off quickly, ASPCA veterinarians advise that you stay calm and don’t rush it. Moving too fast when removing a tick could potentially create more problems, both for your pet and for you.
While the following instructions employ tweezers, be aware that there are some very good products on the market designed specifically for safe tick removal. If you live in a tick-heavy area or are taking your pets to a place where they are likely to get ticks, it’s a good idea to buy one of these tools and have it on hand. They generally work better than tweezers at getting out the whole tick, and are relatively inexpensive.
Step-by-Step Tick Removal Instructions
Step 1—Prepare its Final Resting Place – Throwing a tick in the trash or flushing it down the toilet will not kill it, and it’s actually best to hold on to it for awhile for veterinary testing in case your pet falls ill from the bite. Be ready with somewhere to put the tick after you’ve removed it—the best option is a screw-top jar containing some rubbing alcohol.
Step 2—Don’t Bare-Hand It – Put on latex or rubber gloves so you’ll never have direct contact with the tick or your pet’s bite area. Ticks can carry infective agents that may enter your bloodstream through breaks in your skin or through mucous membranes (if you touch your eyes, nostrils or mouth).
Step 3—Grab a Partner – You don’t want your pet squirming away before you’re finished, so if possible, have a helper on hand to distract, soothe or hold her still.
Step 4—The Removal – Treat the bite area with rubbing alcohol and, using a pair of tweezers, grasp the tick as close to the animal’s skin as possible. Pull straight upwards with steady, even pressure. Place the tick in your jar.
- Do not twist or jerk the tick! This may leave the mouth-parts embedded in your pet, or cause the tick to regurgitate infective fluids.
- Do not squeeze or crush the body of the tick, because its fluids (saliva and gut contents) may contain infective organisms.
Step 5—All that Remains – Sometimes, in spite of doing everything right, a tick’s mouth-parts will get left behind in your pet’s skin. If the area doesn’t appear red or inflamed, the best thing to do is to disinfect it and not to try to take the mouth-parts out. A warm compress to the area might help the body expel them, but do not go at it with tweezers.
Step 6—Clean Up – Thoroughly disinfect the bite site and wash your hands with soap and water (even though you were wearing gloves). Sterilize your tweezers with alcohol or by carefully running them over a flame.
Step 7—Keep Watch – Over the next few weeks, closely monitor the bite area for any signs of localized infection. If the area is already red and inflamed, or becomes so later, please bring your pet—and your jarred tick—to your veterinarian for evaluation.
From: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/pet-care-tips/how-to-remove-a-tick-from-your-pet.aspx
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Dog and Cats and Their Facts
Posted on July 17th, 2012Fun facts about dogs, cats – and stars
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Saving On Pet Expenses
Posted on June 25th, 2012Great article we came across from ABC News about saving money on pet related expenses. Check it out:
Caring for a pet can be a big expense, with owners spending between $600 and $3,000 a year depending on the breed and budget.
Josh Elledge from the Savings Angel.com has some advice to help save on pet-related expenses.
VETERINARY CARE/MEDICATIONS:
Veterinary care can be one of the largest expenses with medications for everything from fleas to heartworm to more specific medications for your pet’s ailments. It is possible to purchase medications through online pharmacies and save yourself a good deal of money. While critics may warn about the dangers of buying medications online, this is a particularly important option for families who might not otherwise be able to afford the medications their pet needs.
There are only 16 online pharmacies that are registered with the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. This association reviews the pharmacy’s practices to ensure they are compliant with all proper requirements.
While not completely fail-safe, experts I’ve listened to urge owners who wish to buy medications online to make sure they are doing business only with these sites. You can find the list atnabp.net
One option that might be a possibility is to ask your vet if she or he will match the pricing of an Internet retailer. Our vet has given us a nominal discount or recommended a rebate that was otherwise unknown when we’ve asked.
FOOD:
The second area that you can possibly save yourself a good deal of money is pet food. There are many options available for feeding your pet. Some owners opt for economy varieties. Economy varieties include Alpo, Beneful, Hill’s Science Diet, Kibbles ‘n Bits, and Purina. There are manufacturer coupons aplenty, which can add to the savings. In our database at SavingsAngel.com, we regularly see these brands for 50-70% off retail prices. Getting deals like this involve timing your purchase and applying a high-value coupon at the same time.
Obviously, these brands are inexpensive by comparison, but can contain a large amount of filler like wheat, corn and soy. It’s important that you review the labels and talk to your vet to discuss your pet’s needs. You can also choose premium brands like Iams, Eukanuba, and some varieties of Hill’s Science Diet. Large corporations own all these brands now (Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive). This is helpful from the standpoint in that coupons are available for budget-minded shoppers. Iams and Hill’s, for example, recently published a $3 coupon that can make for some very good savings. Hill’s is also offering a $12.99 rebate on selected varieties.
When purchasing, make sure to read the label. There are four things you want to look for:
1. The guaranteed analysis. (How much fat & protein in the food.
2. The nutritional adequacy statement
3. The ingredients (avoid foods with too much filler.)
4. The feeding guidelines
One website that you might find very useful in choosing a pet food dogfoodadvisor.com. This website is also very helpful in tracking pet food recalls. Sadly, recalls of pet food are fairly common.
If you own a larger breed dog, you may find that more expensive varieties are outside your budget (unless you are using your coupons!) This makes it very important to talk to your vet to talk about what ingredients to look for. Your vet may also be able to give you some ideas regarding supplementing your dog’s nutrition.
BOARDING:
The price of boarding can vary wildly depending on the quality of the care. If you want to get a great deal on boarding, the best deals on good boarding facilities will be found on the daily deal sites (Groupon, etc…). With some careful watching, you’re bound to find a deal eventually – though the deals tend to be geared more for short term stays.
Don’t be afraid to competitively shop the pet resorts – and ask if one location will match or beat the price of another – particularly if you are boarding for a longer period of time. Vacancy means lost revenue and pet boarding facilities are a business like any other who desire to stay busy. The best deals of all on pet care are going to come from exchanging pet sitting – or hiring a pet-loving tween. You can also ask for recommendations for reliable pet sitters at your local animal shelter or pet store. Pet sitters can charge a fraction of a pricey pet resort.
TRAINING:
Forget hiring the dog whisperer unless you have special needs. The Internet is FILLED with step by step instructions and video examples of how to train your pooch to do all the tricks you like – or overcome any naughty puppy behavior. A training class is helpful for socialization – but after your puppy is old enough, make sure the dog park and walks in dog occupied areas are part of your regular routine.
PET INSURANCE:
Pet insurance is usually not a good investment. “It’s common to pay $300 a year or more for pet insurance. Over the life of a dog or cat that might be $5,000 or more. Most people are not going to spend that kind of money on covered pet health care.
For its August 2011 issue, Consumer Reports compared of nine pet policies for Roxy, a healthy 10-year-old beagle who lives near the magazine’s office in Yonkers, N.Y. Roxy’s lifetime vet bills have totaled $7,026 (in current dollars). In every case, the total premiums that would have been paid to those insurance companies were higher than Roxy’s medical bills. It makes more sense to put a couple of hundred dollars into a household emergency fund each year for serious pet health issues.
From: http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=resources&id=8713519
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Feeding Your Older Dog
Posted on June 19th, 2012Clear the Air suggests anyone with a senior dog check out these tips from the ASPCA on feeding dogs older in age.
Dogs begin to show visible age-related changes at about seven to twelve years of age. There are metabolic, immunologic and body composition changes, too. Some of these are unavoidable. Others can be managed with diet.
- Since smaller dogs live longer and don’t experience age-related changes as early as bigger dogs, size is used to determine when it’s time to feed your canine a senior diet:Small breeds/dogs weighing less than 20 pounds—7 years of age
Medium breeds/dogs weighing 21 to 50 pounds—7 years of age
Large breeds/dogs weighing 51 to 90 pounds—6 years of age
Giant breeds/dogs weighing 91 pounds or more—5 years of age - The main objectives in the feeding an older dog should be to maintain health and optimum body weight, slow or prevent the development of chronic disease, and minimize or improve clinical signs of diseases that may already be present.
- As a dog ages, health issues may arise, including:
– deterioration of skin and coat
– loss of muscle mass
– more frequent intestinal problems
– arthritis
– obesity
– dental problems
– decreased ability to fight off infection - Older dogs have been shown to progressively put on body fat in spite of consuming fewer calories. This change in body composition is inevitable and may be aggravated by either reduced energy expenditure or a change in metabolic rate. Either way, it is important to feed a diet with a lower caloric density to avoid weight gain, but with a normal protein level to help maintain muscle mass.
- Avoid “senior” diets that have reduced levels of protein. Studies have shown that the protein requirement for older dogs does not decrease with age, and that protein levels do not contribute to the development or progression of renal failure. It is important to feed older dogs diets that contain optimum levels of highly digestible protein to help maintain good muscle mass.
- Talk to your veterinarian about increasing your senior dogs GLA intake. Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) is an omega-6 fatty acid that plays a role in the maintenance of healthy skin and coat. Although it is normally produced in a dog’s liver, GLA levels may be diminished in older dogs. Does your older dog’s diet contain GLA?
- Aging can affect a dog’s intestinal bacteria, which can result in symptoms of gastrointestinal disease. Senior diets for dogs should contain FOS (fructooligosaccharides) to promote the growth of beneficial bacteria.
- Antioxidants such as vitamin E and beta-carotene help eliminate free radical particles that can damage body tissues and cause signs of aging. Senior diets for dogs should contain higher levels of these antioxidant compounds. Antioxidants can also increase the effectiveness of the immune system in senior dogs.
- Routine care for geriatric pets should involve a consistent daily routine and periodic veterinary examinations to assess the presence or progress of chronic disease. Stressful situations and abrupt changes in daily routines should be avoided. If a drastic change must be made to an older pet’s routine, try to minimize stress and to realize the change in a gradual manner.
From: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/feeding-older-dogs.aspx
- Since smaller dogs live longer and don’t experience age-related changes as early as bigger dogs, size is used to determine when it’s time to feed your canine a senior diet:Small breeds/dogs weighing less than 20 pounds—7 years of age
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How To Prepare Your Dog For Your New Baby
Posted on June 7th, 2012Is there a new baby expected in your home?
Clear the Air would like to hare some helpful tips on helping your dog adjust to your new baby. If this is your first baby to come along and you already have a dog, it is pretty safe to assume your dog already thinks he or she is the “baby” of the family.
It is best to start early by making adjustments to your dog’s schedule before your baby arrives. Start by making a list of the ways your dog’s daily routine will be changed. If your dog is used to getting up in the morning and taking a walk right away, this may not be possible when the baby comes along.
If your friends have babies, it might be helpful to ask if your dog can be introduced to him or her. Having a dog listen to a baby crying before yours comes home will let your dog get used to the sound.
You can also bring home a baby blanket from the hospital before bringing your newborn home so your dog can get used to the infant’s scent.
The best way to battle against any undesirable behavior from your dog is through exercise. Make your daily walk a priority so your dog has plenty of time to make use of his energy. Reducing boredom will help make your dogs transition to having a new baby in the house a lot easier.
Make sure to schedule time with your dog. In order to make sure your dog still remains a priority, decide on times when you can give your dog a little extra attention, maybe while the baby is napping or having your dog accompany you on walks with the baby.