What's In My Eyes?

Car Safety For Your Dog

            Most dogs love to join their family for car rides and trips, which is great! Dog owners should bring their four legged friends with them whenever they can. With this being said it is important that people know the dos and don’ts of car safety for your pet. Below are some tips and tricks for keeping your dog safe while on the road.

Keeping the dog in the backseat:

           Keeping your dog in the back during car rides is important not only for your dog, but also for your own safety. Dogs can get spooked or make sudden movements that distract the driver and could put you both at risk of a collision with other vehicles on the road. By restricting your dog to the back you are making sure that you can remain focused on getting safely to your destination. It is also important that you do not drive with your dog on your lap as this can be extremely disappointing and if pulled over you can get a ticket, which makes no one happy!

• ·      Tip: if you are having trouble keeping your dog in the back a great solution is some sort of barrier, we find that baby gates are cheap and a great means for keeping your K9 contained to the back of the vehicle. Or, most pet stores sell dog barriers such as the one seen below.
  

Window awareness:

            Many people put down the windows for their dog so that they can enjoy the outside while driving. Although this may make your dog happy, it can be very dangerous for them. Due to animals sometimes being unpredictable, if the window is down too far and your dog sees something it wants, it may jump out (even while you are in motion). Also, think of all the bugs that hit your window and slat on to your windshield from the speed and impact. Well, this is what happens when your dog’s head is out the window. Not only can bugs hit your dog, but also rocks, glass, sticks and anything else that decides to fly into the air can hit them.

• ·      Tip: if you feel like you must let your dog put their head out the window then make sure that it is only in areas where the speed limit is no more than 50-60km/hr.
• ·      Tip: there is also a product that can be purchased for your pet that allows them to have their head out the window without you having to worry about most of the dangers that come with it. That product is Doggles (See video below for an example of Doggles)!

           

          Your dog loves to travel with you, just remember to keep both you and your four-legged family member safe out on the open road!

Happy Travels!!!!

Tail Wags, 

The CompleteK9 Teams!

15 Fun Facts About Dogs That I Bet You Did Not Know!!

Did you know…

1. When dogs greet one another by smelling each other’s backside, they are saying hello politely.
2. Three dogs survived the sinking of the Titanic – a Newfoundland, a Pomeranian, and a Pekingese.
3. When dogs communicate they do so using not only vocal but also visual cues through body language. This means that a human can train their dog to act on a command without using words. It also means that dogs may to communicating to one another through body language, which most humans are unaware of.
4. The longer a dog’s nose is, the better it’s natural ability to cool itself is.
5. The earliest dog-fossil dates back to nearly 10,000 B.C.
6. Apple, pear, poppy seeds contain arsenic, which may be deadly to dogs.
7. It is much easier for dogs to learn spoken commands if they are given in conjunction with hand signals or gestures.
8. A person standing still 300 yards away is almost invisible to a dog. But a dog can easily identify its owner standing a mile away if the owner is waving his arms.
9. Different smells in a dog’s urine can tell other dogs whether the dog leaving the message is female or male, old or young, sick or healthy, happy or angry.
10. If your dog’s paws smell like corn chips, it’s most likely because dogs only have sweat glands in their feet! That smell is their ~natural~ body odour.
11. It has been established that people who own pets live longer, have less stress, and have fewer heart attacks.
12. Dogs Poop in Alignment with Earth's Magnetic Field.
13. Dogs often get bored of the same areas and routes when outside, just like humans, they like to see and explore new areas. So change up the walking route and keep your dog stimulated, not only will this keep you more interested, it will tire your dog out faster!
14. Dogs need and crave not only physical stimulation but mental as well (for example, toys that allow the dog to use its brain to get the treat or food as seen below).
    
15. Body harnesses actually encourage pulling. While they may seem like they give you more control, the pressure points on a harness make your dog respond by pulling forward, making the dog in control of the walk not the human.

Hope this helped you learn something!

Tail Wags from the CompleteK9 Team:)

Dog Walker Problems

Dog Walker Problems… 

1. When you are walking multiple dogs at once and the leashes get tangled and twisted together into these inescapable knots.
2. Or when you are walking multiple dogs at once and they all wrap themselves around your legs, trapping you all together in a web of leashes!
3. When the dogs are off leash and rather than play in the abundance of space they play right by your feet, constantly bumping and knocking into you.
4. When it’s a beautiful seemingly dry day but the longhaired light coloured dogs all some how manage to get covered head-to-toe in mud.
   
5. When you have a specific wardrobe dedicated to walking dogs.
6. When it’s a torrential down pour but you are still out walking the dogs (well hello there deserted trailsJ).
7. When your vehicle has SOOOOOO much hair that you could literally create a dog-hair wig.
8. SOOOO MUCH DOG HAIR EVERYWHERE ALWAYS
9. When your car windows are ever so nicely and constantly decorated with “nose art”.
10. When it is soooo hot that you go swimming in the pond/lake/river/creek with the dogs.
11. When you have the most awkward shoe, sock, shirt, face tan lines because you always wear the same dog walking clothes.
12. When you have a dog first aid kit but not a human one. #priorities
13. When you are walking multiple dogs at once and everyone stares at you on the trail, some even pointing.  
    
14. When you’ve got any number of dogs over two…Passerby: “looks like you’ve got you’re hands full” #I'vegotthis 
15. When you come home after work and not only smell like a dog but are also completely covered in mud, leaves/twigs, water, bug bites, bug spray and whatever else you can imagine. 
16. When a woodland creatures dies and the dogs find it and either roll in it, eat it, or bring it to you...WORST. SMELL. EVER.
17. Better yet, when you have to pry the dead thing out of the dog's mouth so that they do not ingest it, with your hands...got to love Spring. 
18. Driving all the way to a dogs house to pick up the dog then realizing that you do not have the key to their house with you. 
19. When a woodland creature decides to choose the very moment you and your pack are walking by to emerge, creating the biggest game of capture the dog…sigh
20.  When you have a dog on leash walking nicely and suddenly something captures their undivided attention…its okay, I didn’t need my arm to function anyway.
21. Trying every possible type of air freshener for your car but nothing seems to ever get rid of the smell of dog...And when you cannot even smell anything out of the ordinary until people point it out.
    
    
    
    
    
22. When no one wants to take your car to outings because of the smell/the unlimited supply of dog hair.
23. When you cannot remember people's names but remember a dogs name instantly and never forget it.
24. When you are out in public and every bag, pocket or purse has dog-poop bags in it.
25. When you spend so much time with dogs that you are unable to formulate a proper sentence when speaking with humans…#DogBrain
26. When you can’t help but talk about dogs 24-7
27. When you realize your water bottle and/or food is covered in dog hair but you pick what you can see off and eat it anyway because you are hungry...Or, when you share the same water bottle with the dogs. 
28. Wearing nice shorts, skirts or a dress out in the real world and your legs are covered in bruises, scratches and scabs...all in a days work
29. When all of your dogs are on leash, perfectly controlled and walking nicely…that’s right, I’m kind of a dog whisperer…#likeaboss
    
30. When people are always so shocked and intrigued that dog walking is a profitable job and/or career path.
31. When you love you’re job and could not imagine doing anything else regardless of these problems because you get to play with dogs and be outdoors all day long while getting paid #DogsRUs 

WE LOVE OUR JOB!

CompleteK9 Team:)