How I am dealing with allergies

Sorry, buddy, no more sleeping in the bed for you.

Or at least how I'm planning to deal with it. For about a week ago I got ascertained that I've allergy for dogs (and all kind of fur animals for the matter), which was kind of a shook for me since I've grown up will all kinds of pets, horses, cats, rats, hamsters.... You name it. I've never felt allergic when I've had Beethoven, no sneezing, no red eyes, no nothing. But apparently the stress of the allergy have caused my body to attack the skin, giving it open wounds and generally made me sick.
Shelties are known for being kind of allergy friendly dogs, many with dog allergies doesn’t react on their fur as much as other types of shedding dogs. However they're not listed as allergy friendly and may most likely never be either since its very individually both for the dogs and the people. Maybe that's why I haven’t noticed much of it, I don’t know.

So to the dealing part.
When I came home from the doctors office, I started to do some research on the internet on how other people dealt with their allergies. I found one product (or actually a series of products.) that looked very promising. Apparently about 90% of the users got better after using this product. It sounded too good to be true. Hopefully it's not just a sales trick and it really does work. The product is called Petal Cleanse from Bio-life. Very simple to use, just grooming the dog and apply the liquid in the fur. Even a dummy could do that.
I've only been using the product once though, but it does look promising. My hands doesn’t feel as weird now after the treatment. Great bonus is that Beethovens fur became so nice and shiny, and it doesn’t seem like it has any negative effect on him either. I would never use it on him if it was bad for him.

Other things I'm doing for getting better.
- Vacuuming at least once a week. I could be better at it though, but at least I'm doing something. (Do I need to say that I wish for a robot vacuum for christmas?)
- Beethoven's not allowed on the bedroom anymore. Not even on the floor. Kind of hard thing to do, he has been sleeping in my bed since he came here. It has gone better than expected, both for me and him.
- Bathing the dog more frequently. I hate it and so does the dog. Bath time has never been any pleasure in this household, he doesn’t like to get wet and runs away then I even think about giving him a bath. But its for the better.
- Limiting contact with other dogs. I love dogs, I really do, but its not a good thing to be all cuddly with the allergy. One thing's my own dog which has been treated for allergens, an whole other thing about other dogs, specially those who are not allergy friendly.
- Renew the air in the apartment more often. Okay, this one would be a little hard to do now, it's -10C out and about 15 cm with snow. Not to mention how expensive it would be. But in the fall, spring and summer I should open up the windows to bring in some fresh air. It would be good for the work/indoor environment as well.

I think that's the most of it, except taking the meds and treatment, but I'm sure everyone with common sense would do that if they needed to. How do you deal with your allergies?

My thoughts about walking

Beethoven from last winter.

One thing I've been astonished about as a dog owner, other people and dog owners seem shocked that I walk my dog minimum 3 times a day. Why is that such a shook? 3 walks a day isn’t much in my honest opinion, and I wish I was better at walking my dog. All dogs should be allowed to go out of their home for a minimum of one hour. It doesn’t have to be a long walk in the wild woods and mountains, but at least a short walk on perhaps 15 - 30 minutes, 3 times a day. Everyone should be able to squeeze in that time in a day, if not, well you'll have to consider if a dog's the suitable pet for you.
I've a lot of stuff going on in my life, so it's kind of nice to have a break from it all. I'm pretty sure you guys feel the same too, lot of stress, nagging, plenty of things you have to do but never get to do anyway, worries, happiness which you can't deal with properly... that sort of thing.
 When walking the dog I leave most of my worries at home, turning of the mobile phone, leaving the computer who eats up way too much time of my life. Just walking around in my own thoughts and mind while the dog doing, dog stuff, I guess. To getting the mind in order and sorted out. Or just to dwell on some conversations from months back (wait a minute... did he call me fat? How dare he!) or coming up with awesome discussions and practice for them, even though you never get to use them any time or anywhere. Or perhaps think about things that you might think about in bed (Oh what will I've for dinner. Pizza sounds kinda nice. I love pizza. Do I've any in the freezer? Some mozzarella and ham would be yummy too, or do I've steak...) Suddenly I look down on my watch to realize I've been out for over a hour, time to head back home. Some cases coming back to my entrance door thinking «I'm already home? What the...»
Time flies while walking the dog, and after a good walk one feels more relaxed and connected. Maybe came up with some ideas how to untangle some things of personal matter or perhaps job related. I believe it's good for everyone to have that sort of break during the day. Just enjoying the sweet company of a fluffy ball of fur. It's good therapy. It makes me kind of sad that a lot of people don’t even give it a chance. After a few weeks, or perhaps a month or two, it feels like the most natural thing. You wake up in the morning, getting ready and take the dog out for a short walk before breakfast. Shortly it's just a part of your morning routine, like brushing your teeth or hair, or trying to get those beloved five more minutes in bed, your morning coffee with the newspaper.
I think many dog owners will be surprised how easy it really is to take the dog for three or more walks a day. Not only does it make your dog happy, it's also good for your and the dogs health. I know I get stressed when I'm not out with my dog or at least together with the dog in a social way , simply because I'm so used to it. I remember the dog was away for a couple days and it really did stress me out because I didn’t get to go out the way I was used to. I do know a lot of people who feel that way. I guess humans are habit animals, don't like much change in their daily routines when it's already set. It's just isn’t natural for us to stop doing what we do every day, not just every day, but multiply times a day.
So what do you think about walking the dog? How's your day with the dog? I would like to hear from you folks, so leave a comment or two if you want to, it would make me happy.

Heartwarming video and the return of blogger

Long time, no see. I've been away from blogging in a long time and I'm really sorry for it. I've been long term sick and the blog just slipped through my mind. But I'll get back to writing shortly.
Beethoven's doing wonderful, he has grown into a great little dog with huge personality. Today he's about a year and a half, so still not completely full grown. Because of my illness, I've not been able to start with him yet, and he's not by far ready for that sort of thing. But he's a great house buddy and a wonderful motivation to get back into life and routines.
The rabbit's doing great too and they are coming along pretty well.
Today I came a cross a video which I would like to share with you guys. It's about a cute little dog called Derby which were born with deformed legs and got the help he deserves. It's very inspiring to see that the new technology today can help dogs, people or other types of animals such as little Derby. He looks so happy, don’t you think? It's so heartwarming and makes one wanna do more for these kind of causes. Anyway, this is all for today, I've to get going. Have a wonderful day and enjoy the video.

When 2 becomes 3

And I ain't talking about a baby. Some of you may know that I've been working for a long time to have some angora rabbits in my apartment. Now it's getting really close, and I can't wait to expand my little family. The first one will be a little over a year female rabbit with a silky and good wool. She sounds like a great addition for the family.
I'm going to pick her up tomorrow, pretty excited about it. I hope the deal go as pain free as possible. The lady I've been emailing sounded like a great woman, so I feel good about it all.

So today I've been making a cozy little home for Leia, the rabbit. A tunnel from Tunnel Haven, a litterbox, two hay racks of wood... Not that big, but it's a okay starting point. I'll post a picture down below.
Beethoven found the tunnel to be really interesting, been crawling through it and explored it to the fullest. Almost like I would like to get one for him too. But it should have been slightly bigger if that's the case. It's a little small for him.

I'm so excited about it all. I'm eager to learn more on these beautiful creatures, since I personally doesn't know much about them. Just the last year or so I started with research and studying them. Not just about them, but I've never drafted wool before, and it would be interesting to see the process in action from the rabbit to the final product. Maybe it won't turn out great to start with, but it's a learning process on everything.
I'm looking for a male rabbit as well, but so far I haven't been as lucky to find one. I think I'll have to travel south in the country to find one. For now, I'll just settle with the female and try to learn as much as possible from her.

Go Green with Dog bags

An average dog owner uses about 6570 dog bags per dog they own throughout their life. However normal plastic bags can take up to a 100 years to recycle, and being made they produce a high number of environmental release. Of course, you've to pick up after your dog, but why would you put something that's easily degraded into something that are really bad for the environment? Today, we've better solutions for handling dog waste, which also are good for the environment.

Bio bags are a good way to handle dog waste, and it takes only up to 24 months to degrade. They're better for the climate when produced as well. They usually doesn't cost much more than regular plastic bags, but the extra bucks are worth it.

Some brands that produce easily degraded waste bags
Earth Rated

BioBag

Don't be a prick, go green.

How to get a bulletproof call-in

© byrdyak - Fotolia.com

Many dog owners struggles with this part. How do you get your dog to come to you, when ever it's called, no matter what surroundings and distractions? It takes practice and a lot of work to get to this point. But on most dogs it's highly possible, though some dogs with high hunting instinct may be really hard to get.

Make up your mind on what your dog should do when being called in. By using just one type of method you'll not confuse your dog about what you expect of him. On large dog, hand targeting are a good choice, since it doesn't require much from the owner. A bonus's that a lot of dogs find targeting fun and it's easy to teach the dog. By using hand target, you also make sure that the dog get's all the way into you.

On small dogs, hand target's maybe not the best option. However, some have good results by using target on the leg. This method requires generalization. One day you may be wearing a skirt, while you normally wear pants. Or another pair of pants than you normally use while walking your dog. You won't meet this challenge while using hand target, since your hand will always be the same.

Okay, to the training part. Call-in are probably the most important signal to teach the dog. Many accidents could have been avoided if the dog had a good call-in. Therefore this signal should not be misused. Never use the signal before punishing or to take the dog back on leash again. Start the training in a calm and safe place with few to non distractions. Home in the living room are a good place to start.

The key for a good call-in is that the dog thinks you're the funniest person to be around. The dog always gets something positive out of being near and around you. Reward every time the dog comes to you randomly to start with. Add the signal when the dog are about to run or turn to you.What the signal should be's up to you, could be the dogs name, whistle or maybe flute. Whatever you choose, try to always use the same signal.

When the dog gets to 80% or more of the repetitions right, add slightly more distractions. If the dog gets less than 80% right, step back one or more steps to make sure the dog gets it right most of the time. This is to make sure the dog success in the task he's given. If the dog fails too much, the signal will get watered out. Add more and more distractions as the dog gets better in returning to you.

Suggestion for distractions (unranked):

• Helper.
• Helper with food.
• Helper with toy.
• Dog(s)
• Birds
• Wildlife
• In play with dogs.
• In play with people
• Random people
• Known people
• Smells
• Doggie-zen
• Noisy surroundings

Tips for call-in

• Always use high value rewards. Don't play halfhearted with your dog or give food that's just okay.
• Don't nag the dog. Just use the signal a couple of times. Give the dog time to explore as well.
• If you're in doubt the dog will come, don't call him, just go grab him instead. Remember everytime you call the dog and he doesn't come, the signal will get watered out.
• Never yell at your dog. If he doesn't come, he don't know it good enough yet.
• Always praise the dog for coming when called.   

How do you know the choice's right?

Some of you may know that I'm looking for a second dog. It's an really exciting time, I can barely wait to find the perfect dog for my little family. I've come to the choice of getting a sheltie bitch puppy. I feel like I've an pretty high standard for the puppy. First off, most of the bloodline should be tested for PRA and HD. Could accept some exceptions if the tests are clear for the rest of the line. I would like to be able to use her in shows and obedience, maybe another sort of sport if she likes it more. I don't want her to be related to Beethoven. Mentality are very important for me, so it's important that the dam and sire are stable dogs that aren't nervous and that they can handle new situations without much stress. I could accept barking and vocal use, as long as it isn't hysterical barking on everything that moves.
I plan on using her in breeding, that's why I'm keeping such high standard. Of course, things can go wrong, so she won't necessary be suitable for breeding purposes. But I'll try to get a good starting point as possible.
So the last months I've been studying pedigrees, health statuses, show results... All possible things there's to find about the dogs. I've found some promising dams, and also some that gave me goosebumps (not in a good way.). How do you really know you've found the right combination? It can look good on paper, but you never know. I guess it's just to follow the gut feeling if everything else seems to be perfect. No one are psychic, so just time will tell what the result would be. I still got plenty of time, so there's no rush on the decision. But it's nerve wracking this waiting and researching period.

Beethoven 8 weeks old.