1.Bonding

Spending time together with your dog builds trust, confidence, and love, and creates a feeling of belonging. Playtime can be a great way to show your love and attention for your dog. It creates quality time spent alone with one another. Playing and having fun together creates a bond and strengthens that bond between dog and human.

2. Exercise

This time is great for both dog and human to get in some physical activity. It’s great for the physical well-being and in maintaining musculature and healthy joints in your dog. Helps your dog burn calories as it works out their core muscles and gives them an appetite for their food, this will also combat the problem of obesity. Exercising your dog will help keep their joints lubricated and improves their overall balance and coordination. 15 minutes of vigorous play can be equivalent to an hours walk.

3. Training

Playing is a good time for some basic command learning like fetch, come, and sit. For some dogs; such as my Luna, you will need a lot of playtime to release some of that pent up energy before any type of training can begin. Try learning new tricks or give an agility course a try. You can always find a way to make training fun.

4. Mental Stimulation

During playtime you enable your dog to use all of their senses. It enables dogs to solve problems and to be inventive, which allows theirs brains to develop. Dogs that become bored easily are usually bright and quick learners, they get tired of doing the same thing daily. So help to keep your dog alert and give them something meaningful to do. Playing with your dog will help them to relieve stress and anxiety.

5. Behavior

Bored Dogs = Destructive Dogs. Bad behaviors such as chewing on everything, garbage can raids, digging, or just acting out could be signs that your dog is just simply bored and needs some playtime. Pacing, jumping, disobeying commands are some signs that they need stimulation or playtime. Dogs can become bored with toys, so be sure to have a few different types of toys to keep their interest. Vary the type of playtime.

What do you and your dog do for playtime?

The following link you will find 20 Fun Activities to Do With Your Dog to give you some other ideas of how to level up your playtime with your dog.

https://www.vetstreet.com/healthypet/reinventing-playtime-20-fun-activities-to-do-with-your-dog

The post 5 Reasons Playtime with your Dog is Important appeared first on Dog Fetched.

Why is that?

Well some dogs, just like us humans, avoid the rain because it is cold, wet, and can be just down right miserable. Think about it for a minute, when it is raining what do you do to go out in the rain? Grab an umbrella? Put on a raincoat or rain boots? Dogs, unlike us, cannot get prepared to go out in the rain. For some dogs it could even be a noise phobia. When it rains the sound of raindrops is loud and is even amplified to our dog’s ears which can make that uncomfortable for them as well. Or perhaps it’s the overwhelming scents that your pup is picking up. Rain intensifies the strength of scents because a scent needs moisture to survive which the rain provides. Whatever your pup’s reason may be, here are 10 ways to get your dog to go potty in the rain.

1. WET = FUN

This step should be started from the very beginning while your dog is still in its puppy ages, but it’s never too late to start. Try playing in, and with water in your yard using sprinklers, a bucket of water, a hose, or a pool. However, you should never force a fearful dog to get wet. Work slowly with them and be patient. Show your dog that getting wet is fun and in turn, being in the rain can be fun and not something to be fearful of. Be sure to praise them for getting wet and even reward them. Make it a game of getting wet and something that everyone can enjoy. You can also try feeding your dog in wet grass to get them used to having their paws wet.

2. BE A GOOD LEADER

Lead by example. If you don’t want to be out in the rain neither will your dog. Dogs can tune in to our emotions and feed off of us, so if you make it seem like such a horrible feat of going out in the rain your pup is going to feel the same way. So grab your umbrella, a few treats, and make sure to have your dog on a leash and head outside together. Having your dog on a leash is important because the weather is unpredictable. A leash will keep your pup close by in order to keep them safe from falling branches and even if there is a crash of thunder that spooks your pup, you will be able to keep them from darting away from you.

3. POSITIVE EXPERIENCE

Create a positive experience outdoors during the rain. Keep calm and patient with your dog. Patience and time is the key here. Spend some time outside when there is a light drizzle and try to play with your dog and make it a little more enjoyable for them. Reward your dog when they do go potty, even if it’s just in the wet grass. Praise them to reinforce their good behavior. Do not yell or scold your pet for not going potty. Keep things light, positive, and even fun.

4. COMMAND

Just like in your initial puppy potty training, you will use that same command you used for training your pup to go potty outside. For me, I use the “Go Potty” command. Whatever your command was during that training period you will use that same command now when trying to get your dog to go potty in the rain. But for this explanation of the command, I will use my command of “Go Potty”. Once you get your dog outside in the rain use the command “Go Potty”.  Wait until they are done going potty and then reiterate that same command, ”Go Potty”.  Reward your pup with a praise and of course a treat.

5. QUICK WALK

If your dog is like what mine was like, then you will spend a good 10-15 minutes just staring at each other. He/she is probably nowhere near ready for business because they just want out of the rain. In this case, take him/her for a quick walk. Going for a walk will help to get things going.

6. REWARD, REWARD, REWARD!

As with all kinds of training we reward and praise our dogs for good behavior and it’s no different now. You are literally training your dog how to go potty in the rain. A small treat will let your pup know that they did a good job with going potty out in the rain. You don’t have to give your dog a treat to reward them, you can play with them and praise them, but be sure to reward in some way. You will want to  reward your dog while they are still outside in the rain, and right after they are done doing their business. In doing so, this will help them to make the connection of Potty when Raining =TREAT!

7. QUICKLY DRY

As soon as your dog gets back home be sure to dry them quickly and thoroughly as possible. Don’t forget to wipe the paws, the tail, and head as well. Keep a towel near the door when it is raining so that you won’t have to go running around the house trying to find the dog towel while your dog is in the house shaking and shivering.

8. FIND COVER

When you go out in the rain, try to find an area that is covered. An area that would serve as a suitable spot for your dog to do their business at. A few areas to consider would be a covered patio with artificial grass/turf, a balcony with puppy pee pads, under a tree (may not cover completely but lessens the rain some), or use an umbrella and attempt to keep it over your dog.

9. DOG RAIN GEAR

If your dog tolerates wearing clothing, you can try out a dog rain coat, rain boots, or a pet umbrella. Dog rain coats will keep your dog drier and warmer. You can choose a raincoat with or without a hood. Doggy rain boots will also help to keep your dog warm and dry; added bonus of no mud on the paws. The pet umbrella is just like our umbrellas, just kind of upside down since our dogs can’t hold them. You will  attach the umbrella to the dog’s collar which has a built in lead, so in essence, it becomes an umbrella leash.

10. STAND YOUR GROUND

Don’t give in or give up on your training. Given enough time, like all training, you will have your pup going potty in the rain. So when those sad puppy eyes are looking at you just asking to go back in, stand your ground. Even when it starts to rain a little harder, stand your ground. And especially when 15 minutes have gone by and nothing has happened yet, stand your ground.

What are other things you have tried to get your dog to go potty in the rain? Please comment below.

The post 10 Ways to Get your Dog to go Potty in the Rain appeared first on Dog Fetched.

1. Unwanted behavior

Feeding your dog people food may cause some negative and unwanted behaviors. Such as; refusing to eat their own kibble, begging, and whining at the table or whenever food is near them.  To help keep these negative behaviors at bay when feeding them people food, only give the food to them when they are sitting or lying down quietly and patiently nearby or in an entirely different room. Do not feed them or reward any bad behavior such as being pushy, whining, begging, or barking.

2. Extra Calories

Keep in my mind that you are feeding your dog extra calories in addition to the calories that they already receive from their kibble. Moderation is key when feeding people food. Feed your dog less of their own food when you factor in the extra calories that they will receive from your food.

3. Too fatty

Some people food can be too fatty for our canine’s digestive system which can result in severe upset stomachs. Fatty foods cause weight gain due to the extra calories; which can lead to obesity. Small dogs have a higher risk of obesity when you feed them people food, as it takes very few extra calories to cause weight gain. Oily and fatty food can also lead to diarrhea, vomiting, and even pancreatitis. Some high fat foods to avoid include bacon, sausage, gravy covered meat, beef trimmings, and chicken skin.

4. Carbs

Be careful with feeding your dog too many carbohydrates as this is an excellent source of highly digestible energy.

If you do decide to feed your dog people food; one of the most important things to know and remember, is what foods to watch out for. The following foods can be toxic to your dog:

• Avocado
• Chives
• Chocolate
• Citrus
• Coffee/Caffeine
• Cooked Bones
• Fruit pits
• Garlic
• Grapes
• Macadamia nuts
• Onions
• Raisins
• Salt and Salty foods
• Walnuts
• Xylitol

There are some foods that you can feed your dog that would be healthier for them. The following list is not a full list of all foods but a sample of some. Such foods would include:

• Bananas
• Cooked Chicken/Turkey
• Cooked eggs
• Oatmeal
• Peanut Butter (watch for Xylitol)
• Plain rice
• Pumpkin
• Salmon
• Seedless Watermelon
• Sliced apples
• Steamed and Unseasoned vegetables
• Steamed/Baked potato
• Yogurt (watch for Xylitol)

There is no right or wrong answer to whether or not it is OK to feed your dog people food. The only answer is your own choice and belief about the matter. So, feel free to feed your dog from your plate but be responsible about it and beware of the dangerous and toxic foods.

What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you feed your dog from your own plate?

The post Is it OK to Feed your Dog People Food? appeared first on Dog Fetched.