As many of you may know I’m a big fan of learning, and ever since I was a wee pup my mom has been taking me to classes and clicker training me just like my Trick Pony friends.
Since learning is a never ending adventure I’m always up to pick up a new skill, and lately mom has been helping me to perfect my fetching skills.
See I wasn’t born with those amazing retriever traits, and while I do enjoy chasing after a good toy, I’m not great about actually bring said toy back! (the video above is proof of that)
But that’s ok, armed with a few simple tools my mom helped me learn what it means to play a real game of fetch!
What You Need:
Yummy Treats (These came in my Barkbox* this month, but you can also snag them in the Barkshop* with code AMMO for a special surprise at checkout!)
A Fun Fetch Toy
Something to Target (I used a scrap of mat board from the frame shop, but anything flat and large will work)
Clicker (not pictured, but you can snag one off amazon*)
To teach this trick your dog needs a basic knowledge of clicker training. You can check out this website for a basic tutorial on clicker training, or grab yourself a beginner clicker training book*. And they should also have a basic knowledge of how to pick up an item with their mouth.
*affiliate links
How to Teach Your Dog to Fetch:
At a close distance ask your dog to touch the target with their feet. Click and reward each time their feet touch the target. If your dog doesn’t already have a cue to “target” you may have to let them accidentally walk across the target so you can click and reward them each time their feet touch your mark. Practice this close to your dog, then move the target to different spots and areas further from you to strengthen your dog’s knowledge of this task.
If your dog already has a basic knowledge of how to chase an item and pick it up then you can move onto step 3 once they have mastered targeting. Otherwise you should teach your dog to pick up an item with their mouth first.
At a close distance to your target toss a toy for your dog to get. Once they pick it up with their mouth ask them to touch their target again. When they hit the target WITH the toy in their mouth, click and reward. Repeat this at a close distance until your dog has mastered the idea. Continue to repeat this until you can toss the toy further and further away.
Congratulations! Your dog is now great at playing fetch the proper way (by returning the toy to you!) Much more fun isn’t it?
Disclaimer: this post is brought to you by Chewy. All opinions are my own, and I only share products I think you and your dog will love.
Raise of paws, who likes having their nails trimmed? Raise of hands, who likes trimming their pet’s nails? Just as I thought, no one.
It’s a necessary evil though, because having long nails can cause your pet to walk irregularly which can lead to skeletal problems. And we all know that us dachshunds don’t need any more reasons to have back trouble!
Now if your dog has black nails like I do, I’m sure you spend your life in constant fear of cutting them too short and hitting the quick (a soft cuticle rich in blood vessels and nerves that grows in the center of your dog’s nail). If you nick that tiny little quick your dog will scream out in pain, and yes, there may be blood!
My mom used to trim my nails at home, but over the years I got progressively worse at having them trimmed – so she started to take me to the vet to have them done every few months. Then a few months ago she decided it was high time I got better at having my nails done, so she set out to condition me to actually enjoy having them done!
Interestingly, this new nail trimming method was not with the traditional nail clippers, but instead with a dremel!
Over the past 2 months my mom has been working with me to make me more comfortable with the use of the dremel on my nails. While I wouldn’t say I LOVE it, I tolerate it. It saves me from having to make more trips than necessary to the vet or groomer, saves my mom money, and keeps my nails at a healthy length. It’s a win – win!
So since I’m sure you’re all curious just how my mom trained me to be better about having my nails trimmed, here’s how she did it….
Starting with the nail file, mom used it EVERY SINGLE DAY for 3 weeks to get me used to having my feet and nails handled. She started by picking up a foot and gently sanding my nails for just a few seconds at a time.
Each time I didn’t resist she would use the clicker and then reward me with a small (but yummy treat).
The great thing about these chews is that not only do I love the taste, but they’re also helping to clean my teeth while rewarding me for having my nails done at the same time!
After several weeks of practice with the nail file, mom moved onto the dremel. This time she “sanded” my nails without even turning it on. Again, each time I didn’t resist on a nail she would click and reward me. At the end of the session I’d get my jackpot treat, a Natural Balance Dental Chew.
After another week or so it was time to turn on the dremel. Using a low speed to start she’d do just a few of my nails, making sure to reward me quickly for not resisting at all.
Now once you start using the dremel with it on it’s important to note that you can’t just quickly sand your dog’s nails down in one sitting to the desired length, even if they are ok with it. The quick inside grows with your dog’s nail. So my mom likes to only work on sanding my nails once a week to allow time for the quick of my nail to shorten after the last trimming. (see diagram above for more details)
How short should you keep your pet’s nails? According to the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation they should be short enough that they don’t touch the ground when your dog is standing on a flat surface, but long enough to aid the dog when climbing up a hill or digging.
Hear that mom? I need them for digging!
While I still have a ways to go to get mine back to the ideal length, I’m happy to say that after weeks of practice I’m now much more tolerant of having my nails done by dremel. While I very much wish I had gotten a video of the “before”, here’s how good I am at it now…
How is your dog about having their nails trimmed? Have you ever trimmed your pet’s nails with a dremel? Do tell!
Handy Tip: If your dog is resistant to even having their feet touched start without the nail fail and just reward them for letting you touch their feet without pulling away. Also, using a treat that your dog goes crazy over helps too, the better the treat, the more willing they will be to try.
Disclaimer: This post is meant to be informative, but please keep in mind, what works for me may not work for your own pet. Please consult an expert if you are unsure about how to train your pet. Use caution when using a dremel around your pet, and we are not responsible for any injuries that may occur.
Over the weekend mom and I had some fun with a little DIY project. I like to keep up with all the fashion trends, so I told mom I needed a stylish new Ombre Bandana for the summer! Ombre is new it thing, incase you didn’t know.
So here’s my super fun tutorial for a…
DIY OMBRE PET BANDANA
Supplies Needed:
Hanger (a plastic pant hanger works best)
Box of Dye (we ended up using a Royal Blue Color – not the pictured teal dye)
Cutting Tool (scissors or rotary cutter work fine)
Ruler or tape measure
White Fabric or Bandana (we used a white cotton jersey material, but the ombre color may show up better on a different material – we just didn’t have any on hand to experiment with) *we also pre-washed/shrunk our fabric before dying
Step 1: If you are using a piece of fabric vs. a pre-made bandana (sold at most craft stores, but better sized for a large dog), cut your fabric into a triangular shape that will fit your dog’s neck. Mom measured my neck then added 4″ to each side on the top to make room to tie it. Ex: my neck measured 12″ so we added 8″ total making the top measurement 20″ wide.
Step 2: Mix your dye as per the directions on the box. As a rule always add a little less water to your bucket – you can always add more water to dilute it later.
Step 3: Attach your bandana to the hanger.
Step 4: Dip the bandana 3/4 into the dye for about 5 seconds, then remove. Try to keep the bandana as level as possible when dipping into the dye.
Step 5: Next dip your bandana 1/2 way into the dye for 20 seconds.
Step 6: Remove the Bandana another 1/4 out of the dye so that just 1/4 remains in the dye. Leave it there for another 2 – 3 minutes. *you may have to experiment with dye times based on the type of fabric you are using and how quickly it soaks up the dye.
Remove from the dye and hang until dry.
The waiting is the hardest part!
When your bandana is dry you will have a stylish new accessory perfect for the summer! Yay!
Of course I had to break mine in by rolling in the stinkiest dead animal smell I could find. It was glorious!
Nail Trimming, it’s the arch nemesis to many of my four-legged friends – including myself. According to my mom it is a necessary evil to prevent ingrown nails, and trimming them allows me to put my full weight on the ground – instead of my nails, which could cause a deformed gait.
So despite the fact that I really don’t like to have my nails trimmed I’m here to share with you my opinion on some of the best and worst nail trimmers out there.
Below is a break-down of some of the tools I have tried.
The guillotine style nail trimmer is my least favorite type. Don’t tell anyone I said this, but it makes me cry! Mom also says she finds it awkward to hold and get into the right position and it doesn’t seem to make a clean cut, perhaps that’s why it hurts when it trims my nails.
The scissor style trimmer is at the top of my list because it’s quick and painless as long as you don’t trim the nails too short.
The particular scissor style trimmer that I have is made by JW Pet Company and also has a protective guard on it to help avoid cutting anything else (like little doxie noses).
The PediPaws nail sander works fairly well, but I’m not a huge fan of the way it vibrates my nails. I can only tolerate it for so long before I just won’t sit still any longer. It also seems to take a long time to trim the nails. The one nice thing about the pedi paw though is that it has a guard on it with an opening just big enough for a nail to fit through. This helps to make sure nothing else accidentally gets sanded.
The dremel tool isn’t something sold specifically for trimming dog’s nails but it’s practically the same thing as the PediPaws. The only difference is that this sands the nail a lot faster, but this also means it spins at a higher rate (and without a nail guard) so you have to be extra careful when trimming with it.
Now if it was up to me, I’d be trimming my nails myself.
But, you’d be surprised at how difficult it is when you don’t have opposable thumbs.
So to get my fabulous mani/pedi look, this is how my mom does it for a difficult nail trimming patient like myself…
She’s super sneaky and waits until I fall into a deep sleep then quickly and quietly snips some of my nails with the scissor style trimmer, making sure to cut my all black nails just before they begin to curve as to not cut the quick. If I happen to wake up (which I always do for my front nails) she feeds me some cookies and leaves me alone until I fall asleep again or sometimes waits until the next day to finish my nails. If she thinks some of her snips weren’t quite short enough, then she’ll break out the dremel or pedipaws to sand them down a bit further. I typically only tolerate the sanders for about 5 minutes so sometimes this is broken up over several days as well.
As much as I hate getting my nails trimmed I know I look fabulous when it’s all said and done.
So now I want to hear from my fans – what nail trimming secrets or products do you use?
Disclosure: I was not paid or perked to write this review, I just thought it would be helpful to share my nail trimming tips with everyone.
It’s no surprise that I belong to a family of artists. My Dad is a graphic designer, my Mom is a custom framer & artist, and my pony friends (as well as myself) are painters – so when we wrap gifts – we go all artsy fartsy! Because the presentation is everything! (well at least until you rip that thing to shreds).
Even though today is my Birthday, my mom says I’m not allowed to open any presents until tonight when Dad can watch too….what a bummer! I bet you are waiting in anticipation just like I am! So hopefully this DIY DACHSHUND GIFT WRAP TUTORIAL (aka how to make your pup’s Birthday extra special) will help hold you over until it’s time to rip open my gifts.
So here’s a little inside look at how my Mom made my Birthday presents extra special this year!
Materials Needed:
– Kraft Paper
– Carve-able Rubber Stamp Material
– Stamp Carving tools & Exacto Knife
– Rubber Stamp Pad
– Black Thin-line Sharpie
– Printer paper & Pencil
– Bone Folder (credit card will work too)
1. Using your printer paper and a pencil draw or trace the shape you would like to make into a rubber stamp. In this case my mom drew a balloon & a picture of me!
2. Transfer your pencil drawing onto the rubber stamp carving material by burnishing the back of it using your bone folder. Using a credit card would also work too. Then with an exacto knife cut your drawings out of the block.
3. Carve out your rubber stamp using your tools. You can test the stamp periodically by inking & stamping it onto a piece of scrap paper.
4. Stamp your design all over the kraft paper. Then using a thin-line sharpie connect the balloon shape to your dachshund.
Make sure you dress up your package extra spiffy with Baker’s Twine & Washi Tape – because gifts can never be too pretty. Add a gift tag by downloading our FREE PRINTABLE GIFT TAG. (download)
Check back soon to see how you can win your very own roll of Dachshund Gift Wrap, because Birthdays are more fun when you share!
To learn more about how to carve your own rubber stamps visit this Blog.
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It’s no surprise that I belong to a family of artists. My Dad is a 
