The new Bark magazine is here! It’s always a great day when I arrive home and get to peruse through the newest issue of Bark. I love all of the pictures of dogs. I love the many helpful hints from readers about how to enjoy my dog more. Sometimes I even agree with some of the articles. But I always find inspiration for blog entries. There are some things I don’t like about the magazine. For instance, they are adamantly opposed to anything Cesar Milan says or does. I love Cesar. I think he has brought responsible pet ownership and bonding between dogs and people back to the forefront of conversations. He has empowered ordinary people to have a better relationship with their pets. Go Cesar! But…Bark Magazine takes every chance to dis Cesar because he will sometimes say that owners have to be stronger (discipline wise) than their pets and he believes that the pack mentality works for families with even one or two animals. Enough of this soapbox for now…
In this month’s Bark I read two articles that inspired me. One article suggests that our dogs give us so much happiness and we often forget that we also need to give them some happiness in return. I agree. The article continues by giving 10 things that we can do for our dogs in return. So here are my 10 things to do to make my dog happy.
1.) Beeks often reminds me that I forget to play. So I should play with him more. Dance even!
2.) Beeks loves to chew and he has only ever chewed his toys. So I should give him stimulating toys to chew for his enjoyment and novelty.
3.) Beeks loves to go outside with me in the morning on our walkabouts. Dog’s love to smell the roses and any other thing. So I should continue to allow Beeks to be all that he can be and remember that an essential part of any dog is his nose. He needs to explore with his gorgeous nose including smelling as an adventure and stimulate his brain.
4.) Beeker is a well behaved dog and sometimes I forget that he needs reinforcement for his good behavior. I expect him to follow my commands but now rarely reward him for doing so. So I need to give him the rewards he loves and remember to appreciate how well he responds when I ask him to do things.
5.) Beeks loves my attention and sometimes I neglect him because a quiet and well behaved dog is easy to neglect when I am busy. So I need to focus on him each night for a little while at least, giving him my undivided attention with a good petting or brushing.
6.) All dogs need good clean bowls of water and it is easy to walk by the water bucket without changing it if it still has water in it. So I need to change out the water bucket at least twice a day. We have a well so water is cheap here.
7.) Dogs love to go naked. All dogs want to live sans clothing. Beeks loves to go without his collar. So I need to take his collar off him at night. I would hate to hear a restrictive collar while I tried to sleep (especially with metal tags hanging on it). Some people would say dogs should only wear their collar and tags when they go outside…
8.) Beeker loves to be outside and loves to go on walks even more. He needs exercise and is happier when I take him on regular walks. So I need to get back to regular walks for both of our health. ( A tired dog is a happy dog and walking tires out Beeker).
9.) Beeker loves other dogs. He loves Maxie and he loves his cusogs too. So I should try to get him together with other dogs as much as possible. He’s always happy when he gets to play with his friends.
And # 10…
Beeker loves to go for rides in the car… and his favorite car destination? Of Course… Ice Cream. So I need to take him to Micky D’s all of the time (Okay every so often).
That’s my top ten things to do for Beeker to let him know that his happiness is important to me. I don’t think they are very difficult to follow. What are your top ten ways to show your dog his happiness is important to you?
1. I take Jessejames in the car when I run errands because he loves it. In the heat of the summer, it is a hassle to find parking in the shade, but it is worth it.
ReplyDelete2. I make special dog treats with all our favorite foods (like meat and peanut butter) and I make them small so Jessejames can eat lots of them.
3. Sometimes I drive around our block an extra time when Jessejames is with me just so I can point out all the squirrels.
4. I point out wayward spiders, ants, and various bugs that I know Jessejames would find interesting to "befriend" (until they quit moving from being over "befriended")
5. I leave the window blinds open on the best windows so Jessejames has opportunity to look out for cats and squirrels and other invaders.
6. I let him bark and bark without scolding when we get close to Nana's house and he realizes where we are going.