List of Dog Blogs on Tumblr

So I’ve moved my list of dog blogs on Tumblr from a post to a page. Check it out! If you know of any dog blogs that aren’t on the list, please let me know! I’m happy to add any dog blogs I come across. The only rule is that they must be separate from personal blogs - they should contain a majority of posts or pictures of the blogger’s own dog(s).

It’s very time consuming to keep up on the list, so if you find any broken links please let me know so that I can try to fix them. Whenever a blogger changes the URL of their dog blog, I need to know about it in order to keep that blog on the list. Otherwise the links will redirect people to the original URL which is no longer in use. Feel free to share the list on your own blog. It’s fun to find other dog blogs to follow! I’ve organized the list by breed so that people can meet other bloggers with the same kind of dog(s).

What items do you keep in your dog’s crate?

I’ve decided to start asking my followers questions on various topics, for which we can elaborate on the different views and opinions of others. After all, I did say my blog was opinionated! So let’s get some other point of views! What items do you keep in your dog’s crate? 

Tie-Down Indoors vs. Crating

I had read about tie-downs on a Humane Society website. Apparently it’s like the indoor version of a tie-out. Since I’ve stopped crating in the last 3-4 months, I decided to try this method of containment after Helo’s surgery. He’s supposed to have limited activity for up to fourteen days. So for two weeks I’m supposed to keep him from jumping, running, and playing. I was initially going to bring in one of the crates to use during Helo’s healing process, but since I’m home all of the time to monitor him, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to put him on “tie-down” just until he has healed from surgery.

So for the last week he has either been tethered to me, or tethered in the dining room (particularly at night, as I have been crashing on the living room sofa for the last week and a half due to my cold). Helo started off with flying colors. At night, when he would be confined to the dining room, he would lay down and sleep through the night. But you try keeping a six month old puppy from his normal activity, and he’s going to build up a lot of energy and become restless. Going on the second week, Helo has started misbehaving at night. Normally I’m a heavy sleeper, but I seem to have an ear open at night and have been waking up to his antics in time to rush over and correct the behavior.

First off, he has started jumping up on the dining room table. He has pulled down and shredded countless envelops (thankfully I managed to save the bills). I’m not even sure how he managed to reach them, as I had pushed everything to the opposite side of the table specifically to discourage table surfing. It’s less interesting when there’s nothing to get into, right?

So then he decides to pick a fight with the Swiffer wet jet. He tears the wrapper off of the bottle that holds the cleaning solution (fortunately he didn’t puncture the bottle), and he also pulled off of the pad from the bottom of the Swiffer. He has done this not once, but twice so far! What did that Swiffer ever do to him!?

I think a tie-down indoors is good for some circumstances. For example, when you get a new puppy, many books suggest keeping the puppy on a leash and often tying it to yourself so you can monitor his behavior inside the house (this is supposed to help prevent accidents and bad behavior). Although I’m against tie-outs (namely because people often tie their dogs outside and leave them there, unsupervised and isolated from the family), I decided to give this “tie-down” idea a try. I’m always open to trying new methods, as long as they are humane.

Many people would say tying your dog up is inhumane, but I think in this circumstance, it’s acceptable. In no way does it harm the dog, and he is under supervision the entire time (although night time is questionable when I put him in the dining room, since that’s when I’m trying to sleep). However, it’s not like I’ve tied him outside and abandoned him. That, in my opinion, is not appropriate and should never be allowed. Dogs don’t want to be left in the backyard on a chain or tie-out.

And yeah, I’m sure Helo doesn’t want to be tied up inside the house either, but it’s only until he recovers from surgery and can go back to normal behavior. If I don’t confine him somehow, he would be running around and playing with Sam and Motley (which they have done a few times since his surgery when he was having time off of the leash like during bathroom breaks and feeding time).

The problem is, he’s as six month old puppy who is used to regular activity - constant running, playing, rough housing, and going out frequently (in the yard, to the beach, and to the dog park). When you take that away for two weeks straight, of course he’s going to become restless! That’s usually the number one reason why puppies become destructive in the first place. They aren’t getting enough stimulation and exercise.

This experience has really shown me why crates are so important. I stopped using crates about 3-4 months ago since I’m always home to watch the dogs now. However, I would rather crate a dog than tie him up indoors. I think a tie-down could be used in good ways (such as teaching a dog to lay calmly inside the house, an example listed by the humane society), but ultimately I’ve decided crating is a lot more effective. Not to mention safer, if you get some idiot who doesn’t watch their dog. I’ve seen a lot of footage of dogs being chained inside houses, and just left there. Sometimes for days with little or no interaction with people.

Despite my recent practice with the tie-down method, I do not support that kind of bad ownership. Never leave your dogs tied up and unsupervised, indoors or out! Dogs are pack animals and want to be with the family. At least Helo has been able to interact with his human and canine family members during this new experience, and I’ve tried to make it as pleasant as possible by providing toys to play with and bones to chew on since he hasn’t been allowed to play with his canine sisters.

I think from now on, however, I will just go back to crating whenever I need to confine or limit their activity for medical reasons. Overall, I think it’s just a lot safer and doesn’t require constant attention like tie-downs.

Dog Crates are NOT Cruel

Many people seem to have something against dog crates. Sure, I agree that dogs shouldn’t spend their lives locked in cages. However, using a crate doesn’t mean the dog is being locked up inhumanely, or mistreated. As long as the dog isn’t locked in the crate all day, with no interaction, exercise, play, training, or time outside of the crate, it is perfectly okay to crate them. I don’t think it’s cruel at all to crate a dog whenever you leave the house, whether you’ve gone to run some quick errands or had to go to work.

Crating is for the dog’s safety, but it is definitely something that shouldn’t be taken advantage of. Some people put their dogs in crates and just leave them there. This is improper use of a dog crate! Even with well behaved dogs, crating can protect them. My Aussie, for example, is very well mannered. However, she destroyed my cell phone today. She literally picked up off of the coffee table and chewed it to pieces! Something she has never done in the past (she doesn’t even chew her own toys).

Some dogs have been known to get into the trash and eat things that could potentially be harmful to them. As a child, my parent’s had a Rat Terrier who would get on the coffee table when we weren’t home, and she would take Hershey’s kisses out of the candy jar. She would literally lay under the dining room table and unwrap the Hershey kisses. That dog ate so much chocolate, it was a wonder she never got sick!

As an adult now, my household is very dog-proof and I’m extremely strict with the canine rules around here. No jumping on the furniture and no table scraps. But when I’m not home, I know Sammy likes to lay on the couch, Motley likes to drink out of the toilet, and Helo likes to surf the counter tops. Dogs will be dogs. They will follow their noses! I just can’t imagine what my house is like whenever I leave all three unsupervised.

People can try to tell me that I’m a cruel pet owner because I crate my dogs (which I haven’t in a very long time since I work from home). But I’m going to start doing it again soon, especially when I get a new part-time job. I am a supporter of dog crates, if used appropriately, and I’m not afraid to admit it!

Raising a Puppy and Working Full-Time

renae-laura:

And I don’t know this bit of information because I am friends with them/interact with them. I know this information based solely on the fact that they leave it alone for hours and hours throughout the day and all it does is bark and howl.

No offence but if you do not know that you cannot leave a puppy unattended for long periods of time, you are not an adequate owner. It should be mandatory for all new dog owners to take puppy classes or something.

I feel bad for the little angel! :(

In reality, people have to work — and in most cases, they work at least 8 hours a day. Just because people work, doesn’t mean they don’t deserve a dog. However, I do agree that people should only get a new puppy if they actually have the time to devote to it — someone should be checking in on that puppy several times a day.

Once he gets his second set of puppy shots, he should be taken out as often as possible to be socialized. Leaving a puppy alone all day, every day is not a good way to grow up. The puppy may also be whining because he or she is in a crate. It can take a few weeks for a puppy to get used to being in a crate.

It’s a scary time in life for that little puppy. One day he’s with his mom and his litter mates, and then suddenly they’re all gone and he’s with these strange people. As long as they take care of the puppy, leaving him at home when they’re at work is not cruel. If I could take my dogs everywhere with me, I would do it without a doubt!

I’m really fortunate that this new opportunity came along where I can work from home. If it hadn’t, I would still have to leave my house for 10 hours a day while my dogs (and my new puppy) remained home — and I just don’t think it’s good for a puppy to be isolated for so long at such a young age! Puppies that are 6-7 weeks old have to empty their bladders at least every 2 hours, and puppies that are 8-10 weeks old still need to go out about every 3-4 hours. 

It can be difficult to balance work and life with a new puppy, but people do it every day. I think for anyone who wants to bring a puppy into their busy life, it’s a good idea to consider hiring someone to take him out several times a day when you’re at work. Some people even enroll their dogs in “doggy daycare,” but I’m not really a big fan of such facilities. I’d personally hire a dog walker before I considered putting my dog in with a group of other dogs who I don’t even know are friendly or not. I don’t trust other people to watch over my dogs the way that I do.

If you can’t afford a dog walker every day, try asking friends and family you trust to stop by and spend a little bit of time with your new puppy.

Helo and the Crate

So, as you all should know by now… The crate is Helo’s sworn enemy. He hates his crate! The first week consisted of unrelenting whining — screaming, to be more precise. There seems to be some improvement, though. Yesterday he did exceptionally well in his crate. I’ve decided to put him in his crate a couple of times a day to get him more accustomed to the idea of spending time in his crate. So while I was home, I put him in his crate at random times. Once he’s done throwing a fit, I let him out and praise him. 

Whenever he would start whining, I would firmly tell him, “Quiet!” Each time he would start whimpering, I would say, “ah-ah!” He eventually caught on that I was going to interrupt him every time he wanted to whine. Now whenever I tell him to be quiet, he relaxes a bit. He still doesn’t like being in his crate, but at least he is starting to accept the fact that it’s an inevitable part of his life!

Some other techniques I have tried in order to get him more accustomed to his crate is 1.) put the crate next to the bed at night, 2.) attempt to sleep on the floor next to the crate, 3.) sleep on the couch with the crate next to it. These methods were not as effective as I thought they’d be.

He doesn’t care if you’re sitting right next to him — he wants out! He just simply does not like to be in his crate. I even opened the crate door and sat outside of it (telling him to stay, and moving him back into his previous position every time he tried to get up and walk out). When things don’t go his way, he whines about it. It’s that simple! Not even a teenager yet and he’s already defiant. :) I love him to death.