Dogs Dig It | Portland's Largest Doggy Daycare since 2006

Feel empowered to take action with care

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:57:38 +0000

It’s hard for most of us to see dogs that live outside on chains. Some of us look away and others take action.
The reality of it is that it is not only sad but very dangerous for a dog to be chained up for long periods of time. Many things can happen to this wonderful creature: hanging themselves due to the chain getting caught or them jumping from high areas, collars becoming embedded into the skin, other animals attacking them and they can’t defend themselves, females attract males while in heat causing a litter of puppies. This list goes on and on.
Studies have proven that a chained dog is 3 times more likely to bite than an unchained dog. Frustration and not being socialized with other animals or people lead to lashing out.
Read up on your laws and feel empowered to help. Sometimes people are just in a bad situation and need help. The best way you can help is to educate yourself on the laws and know organizations that can help you.
www.fencesforfido.org
www.unchainyourdog.org/Laws.htm

Why Does Doggy Do That?

admin — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 02:19:36 +0000

Why does my dog sniff other dogs bottoms?

Anal glands are for marking territory and leaving scent trails. Dogs sniff each other’s rear ends to sniff these scent glands to see if they can identify the other dog. They can learn if the dog is dominant, in heat, male or female, and if they have met before.

Why does my dog eat poo?

Well, the correct term for this is Coprophagia. Although it’s a nasty behavior it also is a normal behavior in some cases. When a momma dog has her pups, this behavior has been used to keep their nesting area, or den clean. Once the pups have grown, momma usually will stop doing this.

If it’s a dog who isn’t a momma, then it could be cause by a few other things. Your dog might be eating poo because his food isn’t having enough time to digest. This causes the feces to taste much like his regular food. A suggestion here is either to increase the time between feeding letting it food fully digest.

Another reason might be that a the dog is under a great deal of stress. This may be a kind of self-soothing mechanism in some cases.

Once a dog has started doing this, it’s a tough one to stop. Suggestions to help you with the problem might be to leash your dog while it’s potty time, immediately pick up any waste in all areas and add a tablespoon of pineapple to their food.

Puppy Mills

admin — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 02:18:43 +0000

This is a very important topic and one that is hard for a lot of people to hear. In the United States there are almost no laws governing where and how that sweet doggy in the window gets to that window. Even newer, online puppy mills are the newest version of this decades old evil. Unclean, over crowded, horrible conditions are the norm for these types of breeding environments. The sad truth is that unless you’ve met the breeder and seen all of their operations you really don’t know if the puppy you want to buy is from a puppy mill or not. The AKC has a list of breeders that they trust and that’s a good place to start vetting your breeder of choice. The USDA considers dogs livestock and therefore they can live in very deplorable conditions and you can get a very sick dog as a result. The breeding stocking (the mommy and daddy dogs) live in filth, make litter after litter after litter with no human contact or love. Puppies have serious health problems and inbreeding is fairly common furthering the health problems seen in puppies. Many of the puppy mill dogs contribute to the over population of animals in shelter because they are either too expensive to keep because of their health problems or are just so inbred they make terrible pets. There have been a number of excellent documentaries on this topic if you’d like to continue your research. In the meantime DDI encourages you to adopt from your local animal shelter or to do your research when getting a pure bred dog from a breeder. Remember, you cannot ever “rescue” a dog from a puppy mill – you’re simply purchasing a puppy mill dog which is what continues the cycle.

How to Choose a Daycare that Fits Your Dog

admin — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 02:18:16 +0000

Not all dog daycares are equal to each other and even the best daycare might not be the best fityou’re your dog’s needs. The important thing is to find a place that you feel good about leaving your baby at and they feel good about staying. Here are some general things to look for at any place. It should be clean and smell good. If the smell is bothering you how bad is it for your super sniffer dog? Can you see your dog play? Are there web cams and windows for viewing? You should know where your dog is playing. Square footage can be important to a lot of dogs. It’s not the size of the space so much as it is square foot per dog. A 15,000 square feet place space that takes 15,000 dogs would be a place to avoid but a small place that takes just a few dogs might be just fine. Dogs Dig It is almost 14,000 square feet and we’re capped out at 120 dogs per day. That gives you almost 120 square feet per dog. Enough space to really play is THE SECOND MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF DAYCARE. Your dog is there to play and if they are squished up against other dogs they aren’t going to be allowed to play at a very high level because fights are much more likely to break out in a high stress environment. Also, indoors or outdoors is a matter of parent and dog preference. Most dogs prefer to be outside but for some dogs the closed in feeling of an indoor only daycare makes it not any fun at all for them. As far as the NUMBER ONE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF DAYCARE, safety you should look at how they separate packs and the training method by staff. Avoid at all costs any daycare that has a method you don’t agree with or wouldn’t use on your own dog. Other important questions to ask include the staff ratio to dogs (DDI uses 20:1), are the dogs kept in kennels during the day and if yes, for how long (DDI does NOT put your dog in a kennel except for pre-approved naps or 5 minute “time outs”) and what is the evaluation process.

Separation Anxiety

admin — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 02:17:38 +0000

Separation anxiety in dogs can come from many sources. Rescue dogs may be afraid you’re going to disappear like everyone else. Dogs who spend too much time with their people can get anxious when left alone since they aren’t used to it. Puppies who are used to having their litters can get scared when left alone at first. Here are some simple tricks to try to help your dog gain confidence when left alone. Play classical or easy listening music, crate train, purchase and use a Thunder jacket or tight fitting shirt.

Help your dog relax by mixing things up. Don’t do the same thing when you leave the house. Clues that you are leaving include grabbing your purse or keys. Mix up the routine by leaving the house briefly with and without these items and then come right back in.

A tired dog is a happy dog. Take your pooch for long walks before you leave. Remember dogs are social animals and want to be with a pack. Daycare is ideal for this as it not only gives your dog a pack it also gives them something to look forward to (if you come on consistent days) and helps them gain confidence outside of the family.

As always, with any training method, if you see dog starting to get anxious, ignore the negative behavior and praise the positive.

How to Greet a Dog

admin — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 02:16:42 +0000

It’s important for all humans, adult and children alike, to greet a dog in the proper way. You get scared when a stranger twice your size comes running up to you and dogs feel the same way (except you’re the stranger!)

If the dog has a human with them the first step is to ask permission. If the person says no there is probably a very good reason and you should respect that. If it’s ok with the human, turn your body to the side so you aren’t face to face with the dog. If the dog is extra nervous start about 2 feet away from them and crouch down holding your closed fist hand out to them. Don’t extend your fingers as these are easy bite targets. Avert your eyes and use your periphiel vision to see what’s going on with the dog. Let the dog come to you. This may take some time but you’ll be rewarded with a relaxed, happy dog. Let the dog sniff your closed fist and if they come closer to you then you can reach out and pet their chest or under the chin using slow and gentle strokes. Don’t pet a dog you don’t know on the top of the head. If they don’t come closer to you then perhaps this isn’t the best time to pet that dog. Respect their boundaries.