Monthly Archives: March 2016

Potty Bells and potty bell training for my Bull Terrier

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Potty Bells and potty bell training for my Bull Terrier

Mila loved the blossom at the top pf her new potty bell so much that I eventually detached it and gave it to her as a toy.

With Mila I am using a potty bell and both of us find that very convenient. She has the chance to let me know whenever she needs to go outside for potty business and I benefit by not having scratched doors or “oopsie’s” in the house.

Choosing the right potty bell will depend on your dog. If your dog likes toys, in general I would suggest to stay away from those cute “toy-style” ones. Chances are high that your dog will mistake it as a toy and try to play with it once you leave it outside within your dog’s reach.
I made the “mistake” to order this one.

Mila fell so madly in love with that little blossom at the top that she tried to play with it all the time. Eventually I gave in and detached the blossom and gave it to her as a toy – to this day she loves and cherishes it.

Learn how I trained her to operate the potty bell in this essay.

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Dog trick tutorial: Teaching a dog how to operate a potty bell

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Dog trick training: Teaching a dog how to operate a potty bellDog trick training is always the best when additional benefits result from it in addition to just having fun and a good time together. Teaching your dog how to operate a potty bell is a pretty handy trick. This gives your dog a way to get your attention when she needs to go outside for potty business. It can also save doors from being scratched and floors from being soiled by “oopsie’s”.
It is a fairly simple and practical exercise for your dog.

There are different solutions available, such as bells to operate with the paws or the nose. I am introducing some different product in this essay.
I am using a potty bell that Mila touches with her nose. But teaching the dog to operate a bell with the paws works after the same principle.
In order learn how to operate a potty bell with her nose or her paw, it is helpful, if she knows the “Touch” command already (touching things with her nose). If you want her to operate the bell with the paws it may as well be helpful, if your dog knows, for example, the “shake hands” trick (putting her paw into your hand) already.

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Dog trick training: The “touch” command or hand target

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Dog trick training: The “touch” commandTeaching your dog the “touch” command = touching things with the nose or paw is a fairly easy and basic trick that comes in handy for many different things. It is also called “target training” for obvious reasons, because you teach your dog to target something, such as your hand.
This dog trick is a good basis,for example, for teaching your dog how to use a potty bell.

 

 

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My dog destroys all her toys

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My dog destroys all her toysIn my blog among others I try to also address problem behavior or general problems occurring when a dog, especially a Bull Terrier, newly comes into a household. Who does not know this complaint: “My dog destroys all her toys”.

This is what I want to talk about today.
I often hear of owners of Bull Terriers and other mid-sized dog breeds searching for the “indestructible” toy or complaining about how much money they spend on dog toys, because their pooch just destroys everything they offer – often within minutes.

And I confess: There was a time when I was one of them and was looking for this miracle toy, too. There are so many manufacturers out there using the term “indestructible” – which I personally find misleading with EVERY pet toy I have encountered so far. So we owners are spending hours on research to find the perfect toy, spend the extra Dollar on something that is labeled “indestructible” and make sure to choose something too big to just be swallowed by our dog – and still find it in pieces just minutes after we gave it to our Bull Terrier.

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The aggressive puppy – do I have an aggressive dog?

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The "aggressive" puppyThis essay was inspired by many stories of owners feeling overwhelmed by their puppy’s behavior or exasperated in their attempts of correcting aggressive puppy behavior in their English Bull Terrier puppies and tired of their nipping/ biting and dominance issues.

First of all, please note that young dogs DO nip, chase feet, even growl and guard – these are all absolutely normal behaviors for a puppy.
An aggressive puppy usually is not “bad” by nature. The puppy is behaving exactly the same way as before, when it was still member of the litter among its siblings.

Now in your household the puppy needs to learn which behaviors are acceptable, and which are unacceptable. Aggressive puppy behavior needs to be addressed and corrected by training through the owner.

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Dog Food Recall Alert on Smallbatch frozen Duckbatch Sliders

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Dog Food Recall Alert on "Bravo Chicken pet foods for dogs and cats"!March 26, 2016

Manufacturer: Smallbatch Pets Inc.

Product: Smallbatch frozen dog Duckbatch Sliders

Reason: Smallbatch Pets Inc. is voluntarily recalling one lot of frozen dog Duckbatch Sliders because of potential contamination with Salmonella bacteria and Listeria monocytogenes.

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Is that the Easter Bunny … or what – Happy Easter!

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This year we have been thinking really hard about how we want to wish you Happy Easter. Then I decided I will draw again. What? Well, of course the Easter Bunny! But when I sat down to do it … strange things happened … WHAT is THAT??? LOOK and see for yourself! As always I saved the funniest part for last. 🙂

Have Fun!

Dog Food Recall Alert on Purina Beneful and Pro Plan Dog Food

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Dog Food Recall Alert on "Bravo Chicken pet foods for dogs and cats"!March10, 2016

Manufacturer: Nestle Purina

Product: Beneful and Purina Pro Plan wet dog foods

Reason: Nestle Purina is voluntarily recalling Beneful and Purina Pro Plan wet dog foods because their own tests revealed that the affected dog foods did not contain the recommended level of vitamins and minerals.

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Dog fetching in the swimming pool – Bull Terrier Mila’s own hilarious version

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My Bull Terrier Mila is a very creative little pooch. I don’t think her next trick will be juggling her balls. That’s probably too tricky to do with just paws. But the games she plays with her balls … Recently she re-invented dog fetching in the swimming pool. This may be the pride of the dog owner speaking, but it’s really fascinating and hilarious at the same time, how she manages to conquer her balls with patience and devotion.
Mila only managed to do this two or three times so far in the water. But she keeps practicing passionately to tackle this task, which she completely assigned to herself on her own. And I only managed to record it once! See for yourself.