find sweet meat

Alas- a rainy day, plenty of running with our house guests and one of two tired dogs...Find Sweets!

peepers and ducks

I've been routinely woken up by the "cardinal" alarm these days. A female cardinal that keeps flying or faux "fighting" with her mirror image in my dining room window. The first day, Tater mistook her beak hitting the glass as a, "knock, knock, knock", which sent him out of bed yodeling at the top of his Tater lungs. A few days later- hardly a head lift.

If you live in the country or near some water in the country, "peepers" may be a familiar term. No, we're not talking about the "Tom" variety, but rather small frogs- spring peepers. In late March, when you hardly think any frog would be a' singin' they start to sing at night. Probably some approaching spring mating ritual, because they barely make a peep after late May.

Laying in bed last night, I heard one wayward "peep" and could only assume that maybe there was a frog living in the "pond puddle" in the driveway...

This morning on our way down to the barn, we had a little surprise. A pair of ducks landing or fleeing into the water on top of the pool cover...Sweets was on a mission to eat grass and barely noticed, while Tater just stared, front paw raised as if to say...um...Mom...ducks... They soon waddled out of the water and back to the concrete and pebbles that surrounded the pool.

We also have a mourning dove nesting in the scraggly bush in the front that we'd like to cut down (but apparently not this year). She watches us come and go with a slight head turn and a blink of the eyes.

So, while we have nature happening all around us, Sweets and Tater are content to nap in the sun spots and soak up the rays.

Cold Weather Can be Fun

When it's chilly outside, may folks may see slip ups in house training, or simply more destruction from your run of the mill cabin fever. If you're dog certainly doesn't love to romp outside, here are a few things to ease the pain.

1. Try an all weather or rain coat. It may look silly, but can make all the difference.

2. Slippery sidewalks? Paw wax can be used as needed to give your dogs a little extra grip on the icy streets.

http://www.amazon.com/Shaws-Paw-Wax/dp/B00078Y2UE

3. Find it! If you have a pup or a dog that is new to the snow- toss bits of hot dog or cheese outside to make the outside a bit more attractive and a "good thing".

4. If you see an increase in house training mishaps, go back to basics and keep an eagle eye on your dogs (or simply use gates, crates and tethers to manage and prevent accidents).

5. Also if your dog refuses to go in the back or front yard- try mulch or a piddle pad to give them options outside (that may save the carpet).

Now that we curbed the accidents, let's look at what we can do to keep our dogs busy.

1. Feed your dogs from toys that dispense food- Kongs, Tricky Treat Balls, Kibble Nibbles or even containers headed for the recycling bin.

2. Play games- tugging, hiding treats, toys for shredding are great for stress relief.

3. Tricks and Training- 5 minutes of basic training is probably equivalent to about 10 minute walk. Train some tricks and tire out the dog.

4. Long lasting chewies- frozen beef bones can be a good 30-40 minutes of chewing!

Stay warm, and keep those puppies tuckered!