New Puppy Check list

So Your going to be picking up your new puppy soon, its very exciting to buy all the little bits and bobs, I'm buying little thing at the moment because I will hopefully be getting my own puppy mid to late July (I'M SO EXCITED), 

Do you feel you might not have everything that you will need? well here's a list of all the basics and some extra's.

• Dog Food and Water Bowl 
• Dog Food wet or dry (Most breeders provide some puppy food so your pup does not get an upset tummy as a sudden change can do this.
• Adjustable Collar
• Lead
• Soft groom brush (no slicker brush at first as puppy skin is very sensitive)
• Crate (If you choose to crate train) 
• Soft bed (something for the dog to lie on when not in the crate) 
• Blankets (great for the crate or in the car, also yo may get one from the breeder with mums scent on)
• Doggy seat belt (some people use crates or just have their dogs in the boot, just depends)
• Newspaper! great for toilet training, easy to recycle. I find them better than puppy pads as they have pheromones on them which don't help when moving from indoors to out doors. I MAY DO A SEPARATE POST ON THIS.
• Toys, Teeth toys, soft toys, balls, and indestructible ones when you are out. don't have them all out at the same time as they can get board.
• Kong, this will be your best friend, and will give your puppy a good association when being left for a small amount of time) 
• Doggy Shampoo, when your puppy has a muddy walk etc.
• Towels for drying (Obvious)
• Poo Bags, no explanation need haha

There are loads of other items you can get for your puppy, coats etc, but these are the basics of what you will need. I may make a PDF and make this least a bit more funky, or if anyone would like one, leave a comment and I will make you a check list FREE OF CHARGE!

I hope you enjoyed this post, I haven't actually posted in a while, work has just been busy also, car trouble so I have been getting a new one sorted out, which is now all sorted.

speak soon 

Cheap Dog Agility Jump Hurdles

I was just wondering around the local shopping center in my town with my mum, she wanted to go in Home Bargains to pick up some items, I was passing the pet section and saw at the corner of my eye, dog agility jumps, I was like " no way, that's not what I think it is?" looking at the box closer they were jumps. I was like "perfect, I might have to buy them".  The best thing about them is that they we £5.99p!! WHAT A BARGAIN! I couldn't walk away from them at that price so I picked up 2 sets.

The box comes with one hurdle, 2 jump stand with spikes and a pair of jump cups (with screws and bolts to attach them together to the jump stands). They are quick and easy to put them together which is great if you just want to hurry up and set up and start your training sessions. 

Now lets get on with when the jumps are up and ready to use. 

From the picture on the box, they don't look too small or too big

Jumps up in my garden, excuse the grass, the rain flooded it!

They are really sturdy, lightweight and so easy to put together, the only problem I did have was with the jump cups. The screw and bolts fit on one side perfect but when it comes to putting the other bolt on it does not seem to reach, I left it with just one bolt on each cup as it still held up the jump bars and I could adjust them no problem at all. 

Overall I think they are perfect for the garden whether your a beginner, a professional who competes in shows or even if your just want to have fun with your dog. 

So if you want to get some agility hurdles for your dog, these are perfect and you don't have to pay for post and packaging either (BONUS!). Get to Home Bargains ASAP!

Dogs and chocolate

Happy Easter Sunday everybody! have to say though, the weather is not very nice here in the UK, it was hale stoning before (typical England).

So many of you have probably opened your Easter eggs already, and maybe could not have all of it in one go, so you put it on the side for later. with dogs in the house, You have to be very cautious as chocolate can be very toxic to dogs and can make them very ill or even worse kill them! 

So what is in chocolate to make it toxic for dogs?

Chocolate has a alkaloid ingredient named theobromine, which is also found in other foods and beverages, Each kind of chocolate contains different quantities, especially in dark chocolate it is very high. Us humans can naturally metabolise this ingredient, but dogs metabolism of it is much slower, which is why it more toxic to dogs. Some people and websites say that in small amounts, chocolate will not be harmful, and depending on the dogs size, the amount of theobromine needed to cause harm is quite high, but this has never properly been proven, so do not risk it.

So what are you the owners responsible for?

• Keeping chocolate out of sight and reach of your dog is vital, so put it in your food cupboard or fridge
• making sure your visitors and children do not feed your dog any chocolate they are eating
• training your dog to leave any human food is a must, so booking on to a dog training class will help you.
• You can buy dog safe chocolate from pets shops, which the dog can metabolise quicker. 

I have seen some websites saying to muzzle your dog to stop them scavenging any food when out and about and in the house, but I think that this is a negative way of teaching your dog to leave food they should not be eating, instead do it positively which most dog training schools offer.

I hope you all enjoyed this small post, it came to mind when I was eating my Easter egg haha. Its always handy to know what is bad for your dog and why it is also. 

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TPDW