Category Archives: Dogs

Picture of the back half of a small white dog digging to illustrate make dog life easier.

3 ideas to make dog life easier

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There are lots of ways that dogs are inconvenient. They dictate your schedule from the time you wake up to how long you can be away. There’s no such thing as spur-of-the-moment get-aways. But if you’re here, you probably agree with us that dogs are totally worth the time, bother, and effort. Even so, ideas to make dog life easier are always welcome. These are three of the things that we’ve found to reduce the joyful chaos and entertaining mayhem of living with our four hooligans.

Idea #1

Get a scratch board. We never even heard of them until a few months ago, so we’re betting that many people are in the same boat. It’s a way to get your dogs to help out with keeping their nails short. Most have a slanted board with a sandpapery top. Your dog just scratches on the board to keep their nails short and smooth. Some of them even have a compartment to hold treats, giving your dog motivation to scratch at it. 

Picture of the back half of a small white dog digging to illustrate make dog life easier.

If your dog has a tendency to dig and use their paws, you won’t even have to do much training to get them to use a scratch board. We’ve always had to use an emery board after clipping our dogs nails because we didn’t like how sharp they were after trimming. With the scratch board, that step isn’t necessary. 

There are lots of different shapes and sizes of scratch boards, at many different prices. We don’t have a specific recommendation for you, aside from checking them out.

Idea #2

Keep a package of baby wipes by the door your dogs go in and out. From eating dirt (Booker), to scratching in the mud (Simon), to not-quite-finished with business (depends on the day), they’re worth it. We choose a hypo-allergenic, unscented variety, but there are many choices available.

If you have a fuzzy dog, the wet wipes may not be your best choice. A useful hint we learned from a friend with Keeshonden is to keep a shaker can of cornstarch around. And a slicker brush. That way if anything gets stuck to your dog’s fur, you can dry it quickly and brush it out.

Both baby wipes and the cornstarch make it easy to clean up after your dogs go out. It’s certainly made taking the dogs out in the rain a less-dreaded chore.

Idea #3

Attach some hooks near the door for your dog’s collar or harness and leash. They don’t stick out too much if the space is tight, and you can easily grab the right dog’s stuff if you have a separate hook for each dog. 

Our crew doesn’t have the habit of chewing on leashes. Not even leather ones. But if your dog does, either loop the leash so your dog can’t reach it. Or use a shelf instead of a hook, if you have somewhere to put it. 

If you’re not handy, or don’t want to mar your walls, you can get an over-the-door hanger to keep your dog’s harness and leash. You can find them in any closet department. 

We hope you and your dogs have a happy, healthy, and less-hassled 2024. Happy New Year from all of us at Golly Gear. 

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Picture of a black Brussels Griffon dog to illustrate mysterious dog virus

Worrying about the mysterious dog virus

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Every day we see headlines about the “mysterious” dog virus that’s creeping its way around the country. We’ve noticed lower attendance in dog training classes. And a friend who owns a dog daycare and boarding facility tells us that business is half what it should be this time of year.

So how worried should you be? We’ve obviously been paying attention to what’s going on. Anything about dog health and wellness is always on our radar. This virus, so far, seems to have more bark than bite.

Pandemic phobia

Since the world was taken by surprise by the COVID 19 pandemic, there seems to be a “once bitten, twice shy” mentality. The least report of a new, or unfamiliar, respiratory virus gets a lot of attention very quickly. Even when the patients are dogs, not people.

Picture of a black Brussels Griffon dog to illustrate mysterious dog virus

The reports we’ve seen so far indicate that this virus is rather mild unless the affected dog is immune-compromised, either due to age (young or old) or illness. For people with dogs that fall into these categories, it’s probably a good idea to be overly cautious. If you have a vulnerable dog, maybe it’s not a good time to board them. Or take them walking in areas that many unfamiliar dogs use. 

Tango, Fran’s Brussels Griffon, is 14+ years old. Needless to say, after a rather difficult Autumn, he’s not leaving his own fenced yard for the duration. His health issues were stomach, not respiratory, but we’re not taking any chances.

Use common sense

For the rest of us and our dogs, normal common sense should apply. For us, that means bringing our own dog crates to training classes instead of using “public” ones at the facility. We don’t let our dogs drink out of the courtesy water bowls wherever we are. Bringing our own training treats is a must. We pay attention to what our dogs are sniffing on the ground. If someone was rude enough to leave their dog’s excrement, we make sure to keep our dogs clear of it. If we’re carrying extra poop bags, we may even pick it up and toss it in the trash. And wash our hands as soon as we get home.

Another good idea is to keep your dog’s vaccinations updated. If your dog hasn’t had the canine flu vaccine, talk to your vet and consider whether it might be worthwhile. If you do visit the veterinarian, think about keeping your dog in your car until they’re ready for you. The one place you can be sure sick dogs hang out is there.

If you go somewhere and pet unfamiliar dogs, wash your hands before you pet your own. We all had proper hand-washing procedures drummed into us. Use what you know. And your common sense. 

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Picture of a white dog covered in mud to illustrate rescue dogs redux

Rescue dogs redux

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We got a surprise last week. Our blog post was about rescue dogs and it said there’s always a reason dogs are in a shelter or rescue situation. We didn’t say it’s the dog’s fault. We did say the reasons for rescue are either medical (people can’t afford care), physical (people can’t take care of the dog), or behavioral (people don’t or won’t train the dog). It is always, every single time, some human’s failure in some capacity, that lands a dog in the hands of a rescue.

And yet – we were slammed for being anti-dog, a shill for breeders, and all-around terrible people. Because we pointed out that every single rescue dog is going to come with some baggage. And that not every rescue dog is just a puddle of love waiting for a container to hold it. Some dogs are projects, not pets. And not every family can, or should, take on those kinds of projects. 

Let’s get real

Picture of a white dog covered in mud to illustrate rescue dogs redux

Dogs are not pure, perfect beings. That’s an unrealistic view. It reminds us of the philosophy of Rousseau and the idea that man, by nature, was pure and good, and society was the corrupting influence.

And it’s silly. Dogs, like people, are selfish, egocentric, complex beings who are capable of wonderful and awful behavior. When people say ridiculous things like “all dogs are good, altruistic, honorable souls,” they’re telling us they don’t really know anything about dogs. Dogs can be jerks. We know dogs are dirty, disgusting, and rude. They’re also capable of unconditional love, altruism, partnership, and caring. To acknowledge one without the other means you don’t really know dogs. You know and love the idea, not the reality.

If everyone had a dog

When we hear people say that the world would be a better place if everyone had a dog, we shudder. Not everyone has the time, patience, or capacity to love the way dogs deserve. In our training classes we tell people they have to spend 15 minutes a day playing training games with their dogs. And if they don’t have 15 minutes a day, every day, to devote to their dog, they shouldn’t have one.

If you really love dogs, you have to see all the nasty bits as well as the wonderful parts. Is it fun to carry a poop bag around? Not really. It’s also not a barrel of laughs to do laundry at two in the morning because you woke up to your best friend retching on your sheets. But you do it because you really love dogs. And you understand that love is accepting them for what they are, instead of looking at them through rose-colored glasses.

Dogs are perpetual juveniles who depend on us. It’s a big responsibility that not everyone can, or should, take on. A family of mature empty-nesters may want to take on a project and save a dog’s life. They may have the time and resources to devote to lighten that dog’s load.  The young family with a constant revolving door of friends and relatives may not be able to do it. It’s not fair to the dog or the people.

The reason for rescue

We’ve been supporting local shelters and rescues for many years. Rarely does a dog arrive in rescue with a full, truthful story. People lie about why dogs are surrendered. Whether to assuage their own guilt, or paint a prettier picture for themselves, they lie. And, if you adopt a shelter or rescue dog, you’ll have to accept that you’ll never, ever know what really happened to your dog before. You only get to treat the symptoms, because you’ll never know the cause. 

It can be done. We’ve done it. But even the people chastising us proved our point – telling us how wonderful their rescue dogs turned out, because the people were “up to the challenge” those dogs presented. 

We’re not saying don’t get a rescue dog. By all means, if it’s right for you, go for it. But everyone should know that life with a rescue dog isn’t all peaches and cream, rainbows and roses, hugs and cuddles. It may take some time for that rescue dog to accept a hug. Or want to snuggle on the couch. Will it be worth the wait? Lots of us think so. But it’s for every individual to decide for themselves. 

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Picture of two dogs in a fenced enclosure to illustrate Rescue dogs.

Rescue dogs are “rescue” for a reason

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Rescue dogs are not automatically the perfect family pet. The “adopt don’t shop” people did their job too well. Since the movement started, the public has been brainwashed and guilted into thinking the only good way to get a pet is through a rescue. That’s just wrong. Rescue dogs are in rescue for a reason. And that reason is almost always some problem with the dog.

The reason may be physical, training, or personality. But almost invariably, the dog has issues. In our current class there’s a Newfoundland adopted from a rescue. They told the adopter that the dog was given up by the Amish puppy mill because she was “too small” to show in conformation. Poppycock. Amish puppy millers don’t show their dogs in conformation. There are only two reasons they surrender dogs. Either they’re sterile, or they don’t allow rough handling. Puppy mills consider dogs livestock and don’t tolerate dogs with opinions.

Pets not projects

Almost every single dog adopted from a shelter or rescue is damaged in some way. Almost always, they’re not pets. They’re projects. The ironic thing is that the dog’s true personality won’t show itself for about three months after the adoption. That’s how long it takes for a dog to figure out it’s home and doesn’t have to be on “best behavior” at all times. 

And in that initial “honeymoon” phase, the adopter falls in love with the dog and can’t imagine giving them up. 

Picture of two dogs in a fenced enclosure to illustrate Rescue dogs.

So they do whatever they know, and can afford, to “fix” the dog. And feel like failures when the issues don’t go away. Sometimes people become prisoners to the dog’s issues. It doesn’t only happen with big dogs. Two of the worst cases we ever met were little dogs.

A Chihuahua didn’t allow anyone except her owner to handle her, and even that was iffy. She went ballistic if anyone came into the house, so the woman’s grandchildren couldn’t come. She bit her owner repeatedly. And because the owner sort-of liked her dog “protecting” her, she chose not to do anything about it. Not even realizing that her dog was making her life smaller, not better.

Another case was a Shih Tzu that no one, including the owner, could touch. That was particularly problematic since it meant the dog couldn’t be groomed. Again, the owner was held prisoner because she loved her little jailer. It was challenging to fit this dog into a harness. We had to keep throwing treats to him, one in front throwing treats on the floor, the other getting the harness on the dog. We wore gloves and he still drew blood.

Why it’s happening

The large “humane” organizations have huge budgets and spend a good chunk of that money convincing the public to feel sorry for dogs. That rescuing them is always the right thing to do. It’s not. Not all dogs can, or should, be saved. Some are so damaged that it’s doing them no favors to keep them in a shelter situation. It would be even worse to unleash them on unsuspecting adopters.

One of the worst nights we ever had as trainers was when we told a family their adopted dog had to be returned to the shelter they got her from. It was, in fact, three months after they’d gotten the dog. And as the dog showed her true self, she became a danger to the three small children in the family, snapping and biting. We got bitten, the mother was bitten, one of the children was bitten.

But the little boy loved his rescue dog and couldn’t understand why we couldn’t “fix” her. It may have been possible, over time. If the entire family was willing to schedule their life around the dog’s needs. That’s a project not many people can, or should, take on.

Don’t feel guilty

Think about what you want for your family when you’re getting a dog. Realize that everyone has to be on board and willing to train, with a rescue dog. If you just want a nice pet for the family, do the research that requires. Don’t walk into a shelter and fall in love with a fuzzy face. The next decade and more of your life will be shared with this dog. You can’t choose your family, but you can choose your dog. 

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