The Dumb Dog.com Blog

A customer was complaining that the bargain disc he bought at the pet store shattered when it hit a tree.  His big concern was that the dog picked up the Frisbee at the bottom of the tree and cut his mouth!  It was not a serious injury, but it could have been a lot worse.

They need to ban all discs that can be broken when hitting a tree. That is a danger to humans as well as dogs!

So he wants to know which is the best floating disc for his dog. I can’t make that choice, as I do not know the dog or the owner. This is why I offer many different styles. Click on the links to the names of the Frisbees to view that product.

The DogMate Disc O Dog will not shatter.  It’s main feature is the spike on the bottom that makes it easy for the dog to pickup. It’s a harder construction  than most Frisbees, but is not hard on gums or teeth.

The Booda Turbo Disc has a hole in the middle for easy pickup and is a little softer than the DogMate. It has a reinforced outer ring for better durability and flight characteristics.

For floating Frisbees, I would choose the Orca. Very durable, chew proof and is a good flyer.  A little on the heavy side, it could double as a chew toy ( a no no in the Disc Dog World)

Similar to the Old Navy Frisbee, the DogObie is a soft rubber, flies VERY far, and also floats. I also rank this one high on the list.

I like floating Frisbees, and taught my dog a trick with one.  It was a hot summer day, and I pulled out the kiddy pool and put 6″-8″ of water in it.  After a 20 minute Frisbee session, my dog’s tongue was almost to the ground!  I tossed the Frisbee into the kiddy pool and told the dog “Wash It Off!” ( meaning to wash off the Frisbee )  into the kiddy pool he jumped to cool down and get a drink.  I didn’t have to give the command twice

Be sure to give your pup ear rubs from me.

Spring has Sprung, The Grass has Ris.  Where the heck my Flea meds is?

Tick and flea season is a year round problem in many areas, but spring is here, and ticks and fleas are getting spring fever!

So what about buying flea and tick meds online?  Yes they are cheaper, but take heed, they could be lethal to your dog or cat. Medications and dosage limits are regulated by the country of origin.  For example, the pyrithin levels for dogs is in Australia 5 times the level than the same chemical dosage allowed in the US.  It is hard to tell the country of origin for many of these products.  The other downside of buying online is the shelf life of the product.  You don’t know if the seller has had the product for over 6 months, whether it was purchased as closeout od discontinued product.  It may be good, but then again, it may be bad.  This, among other reasons is why TheDumbDog.com does not offer flea/tick medications.

Arm yourself with knowledge.  Know your product and the proper US approved dosage.  Most manufacturers have detailed web pages where you can get this information.  I’m not a Vet, so you won’t get recommendations or FDA warnings from me.  You will need to goto the source to get that
information.

Where do I shop?  My Vet is choice #1  My local Pet Supply Store is #2 Shopping online?  Be sure to pick a well known company that sells fresh product.  Petco and PetSmart are common places to go.  You can also shop at Dr. Fosters & Smith , and Valley Vet is another great place to find meds online.

Be sure to give your pup ear rubs from me.

Yes, it’s a real sport for real dogs.  It’s called Flyball, and here is how it works:

You get two teams of 4 dogs and they line up on a racing lane.  There is a set of Christmas Tree Lights, just like at a drag race.  The light changes to Green, and you send the first dog.  He runs over 4 jumps, 10 feet apart. At the end of the run is a box.  When the dog hits the box, it shoots out a tennis ball.  The dog catches the ball, then returns across the 4 jumps.  Once they cross the finish line, you send the second, then third and fourth dog.  First team back wins!

Now it is 50 feet to the box, and fifty feet back.  The world record for all four dogs is UNDER 16 SECONDS. Here is a link to a YouTube Video that shows a team from Hutto Texas having fun.  Why is this sport so popular? Well, ANY dog can play Flyball.  All breeds, pure and mixed, are welcome.  Small dogs are sought, as jump height for the team is determined by the smallest dog on the team.

It’s all about the dogs.  Humans get little recognition for there efforts.  In fact, the NAFA (North American Flyball Association) database only keeps records of the dog’s scores and points.  What makes this sport so FUN?  Ask the dogs.  Nothing is finer than Dogs Racing Dogs … and yes, they know its’ a DRAG RACE.

More info:  http://www.flyballdogs.com http://www.flyball.com

http://www.xcergy.com (boxes and jumps)

Shopping online is one of the safest and easiest ways to find what you are looking for from the comfort of your computer.  Here are some of the things I look for when shopping online:

Safety and protection from ID theft are one of the many reasons shoppers visit Amazon, eBay, and other major online retailers because they know their payment is safe, and the seller will deliver the goods in a timely manner.  I mention these two sites in particular, because they both have a  feedback system where you can rate the seller and see how well they have done in the past.  I also sell on both Amazon and eBay and you are welcome to shop in either of my stores.  Shopping on both venues does come at a price.   You may or may not see a difference in price, but know this:  Both eBay and Amazon charge ~15% to the seller to sell their items on their site.  This is one reason many sellers, like me, have their won website.  Cheaper pricing and better service often comes from these sites.

How do you trust a site?  Just because it is the first site you see when surfing Google does not make it the best bargain or service.

Trust a site?  Well, I hope you have anti virus software and spyware running on your computer.  That is the first line of defense.  Having Google Toolbar would be second.

ASK QUESTIONS! Don’t be afraid to ask questions! It is the only way to find out what kind of customer service your ‘storekeeper’ has.  If you don’t get an answer in less than 36 hours, you just found out who they think their Customer is! Also while shopping look to see how they handle checkout.  Look for an authorized seal of approval, such as VeriSign, or Authorize.net.  PayPal is good. Excellent in fact, as they also offer a Security Key.  You password will NEVER get stolen or compromised if you have one of those.   Other’s prefer Google Checkout.  That’s good too.

Just be sure when you are checking out that the address bar at the top of the browser starts with https:  (not http:). This tells you that you are on a secure server, and that the connection is encrypted for security.

When the sale is completed and you have your product, please take time to leave feedback.  No I’m not talking about a form or page on eBay/Amazon, take the time to communicate directly with the seller, especially if there is a problem or concern with the product of service you received.

Happy Shopping, and give that furry eared pal of yours ear rubs from me.

The answer has nothing to do with money.  You purchase some Dog Frisbees from my site.  Who is my customer? Why it is the dog of course!  If the dog is not happy, the dog owner is not happy, and they won’t come back to buy more goodies.

Who is your Customer?  There are many in your everyday life at work and home.  Your customer is the person who is downline from you.  Example: the Post Office can’t deliver a package unless I have correct address and postage is applied.  I am the customer of you, the buyer.  I can’t do my job unless I get the correct address to ship to.

Look at you business and your job.  How many examples of Who is your Customer can you come up with?  How many instances can you find where you are the customer from those who are upline from you?  When you think about it, this makes the Janitor as important as the CEO in any organization.  As I said, money has nothing to do with this question, but has everything to do with job performance, and it might even get you a raise!

I wish I had come up with idea, but it came from an article I read in Business School back in the 80′s.   I apologize that I do not have the author’s name as it deserves credit where credit is due.  It is a lesson I never forgot, and I strive to serve the customer,  whomever they may be.

Be sure to give your pup ear rubs from me.

This is a fun trick that your dog probably already knows.  This trick is
from one of the cards in the board game My Dog Can Do That!

Have your dog sit. Then have him lie down.  From the down position, have the dog sit, then lie down. Do this three times and the dog has done 3 doggie pushups!  For the advanced dog trainer, do this without verbal commands.  Use the palm of your hand facing up for the sit command, and palm facing down for the down command.

Be sure to give them treats and ear rubs from me.

Next blog subject? An easy way to clean muddy feet!

I get information from different dog email groups on Yahoo! Groups.

This one I thought important enough to pass along:

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If you have a dog … PLEASE read

This and send it on. If you don’t Have a dog, please pass along to friends who do.

Written by:

Laurinda Morris, DVM

Danville Veterinary Clinic

Danville , OH

This week I had the first case in history of raisin toxicity ever seen at MedVet. My patient was a 56-pound, 5 yr old male neutered lab mix that ate half a canister of raisins sometime between 7:30 AM and 4:30 PM on Tuesday. He started with vomiting, diarrhea and shaking about 1AM on Wednesday but the owner didn’t call my emergency service until 7AM.

I had heard somewhere about raisins AND grapes causing acute Renal failure but hadn’t seen any formal paper on the subject. We had her bring the dog in immediately. In the meantime, I called the ER service at MedVet, and the doctor there was like me – had heard something about it, but … anyway, we contacted the ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center and they said to give IV fluids at 1 & 1/2 times maintenance and watch the kidney values for the next 48-72 hours.

The dog’s BUN (blood urea nitrogen level) was already at 32 (normal less than 27) and creatinine over 5 (1.9 is the high end of normal). Both are monitors of kidney function in the bloodstream. We placed an IV catheter and started the fluids. Rechecked the renal values at 5 PM and the BUN was over 40 and creatinine over 7 with no urine production after a liter of fluids. At the point I felt the dog was in acute renal failure and sent him on to MedVet for a urinary catheter to monitor urine output overnight as well as overnight care.

He started vomiting again overnight at MedVet and his renal values have continued to increase daily. He produced urine when given lasix as a diuretic. He was on 3 different anti-vomiting medications and they still couldn’t control his vomiting. Today his urine output decreased again, his BUN was over 120, his creatinine was at 10, his phosphorus was very elevated and his blood pressure, which had been staying around 150, skyrocketed to 220 … He continued to vomit and the owners elected to euthanize.

This is a very sad case – great dog, great owners who had no idea raisins could be a toxin. Please alert everyone you know who has a dog of this very serious risk.

Poison control said as few as 7 raisins or grapes could be toxic. Many people I know give their dogs grapes or raisins as treats including our ex-handler’s. Any exposure should give rise to immediate concern.

Onions, chocolate, cocoa and macadamia nuts can be fatal, too.

Even if you don’t have a dog, you might have friends who do. This is worth passing on to them.

Confirmation from Snopes about the above!

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Watch out for those treats you give your dog, and be sure to give them ear rubs from me.

Here is a neat trick, that once established, you can make a new spot in 1 minute or less.  What is GOTO Your Spot?  Simply put, it is a place or location where you want your dog to go and park themselves and enjoy being in one spot.  You probably have already mastered this trick and don’t even know it.  I’ll explain that later.

Let’s get to the training;

Pick a spot where you want to park the dog, say somewhere in the Living Room. It could be a corner, next to your chair, near the TV.  It does not matter, but make sure it is a Spot they can call their own.  Call the dog to that Spot and have them lie down.  Reward with a treat or toy.  Tell them this is their spot. If they get up, say  “GOTO Your Spot!” Grab the collar, and lead them back to that Spot, them have them lie down again.  Reward with a treat or toy.  This may take 5 times or 20 times, but they will learn where their Spot is.

All it takes is learning this command in one room.  Once mastered, you can establish Spots in other rooms.  You can use the same command, or just tell them where you want them to go.  The Spot in the computer room?  All I say is “Computer Room” … he knows where to go.

As I said, you probably have already mastered this trick and didn’t realize it.  What do you say when you take the dog for a ride in the car? “Get in the Car”? “Go for a Ride?”  They jump in the car and lie down, right?  You just discovered a GOTO Your Spot command. Want another example?  What about bedtime?  I can say “Night Night” and Batai (my Border Collie) will go in his crate, another GOTO Your Spot command.

Once the command is mastered, you can go to a neighbors house, direct the dog to a Spot, tell them This is your SPOT and they will know exactly what to
do.  Your friends will be amazed with this simple trick.

Be sure to give your dog ear rubs from me.

People see me and my dog and the #1 comment I get is how well behaved my dog
is.  "Can you teach my dog to do that?" they ask

Sure, all you need to do is join your Neighborhood Watch Program.  You
should see the weird stares I get when I mention that.  No, you don’t
really need to join, although it is a good program.  My point being that
you should go out and walk your dog for 30 to 45 minutes.  And you should
do this everyday.

That is the time you work on the basics of obedience.  Need help with
training?  I have many books
and DVDs to
help out. While walking, you get to bond with your dog, explore the world, and
get exercise for you and your dog. Exercise for your dog is the best therapy
around.  It provides for a calm submissive state when they are home, and
they are more eager to please. Lastly, they become an obedient dog that others
will admire.

So what’s with the Neighborhood Watch program? Well, on your daily walks, you
observe. You find those neighbors that does not want dog poop in their yard. You
meet new friends, and you can tell when something is different, because it does
not fit that daily routine.

Don’t forget your dog leash and poop bags.  Now get out there and Walk
That Dog.  Be sure to give them ear rubs from me.