Twinkie Tiny Dog | Teacup Chihuahua | A Dog Blog

How to keep your dog fit?

2013-05-15T14:50:00.000-07:00

This is a guest post by Ruth from DogHQ, QA site created to help dog owners get an advice. DogHQ contains dozens of dog related questions and answers and gives you all the necessary information to succeed in raising a friendly, healthy and happy dog.

As an avid animal enthusiast, dogs have always been part of my life, but keeping them properly exercised, especially while living in a city with minimal resources can be challenging. I first noticed that proper fitness and weight management were an issue for my two year old Australian Shepherd when he started to become more lethargic than usual. Instead of being his active self, he began spending more time lounging on the couch in the sunshine than bounding up and down the stairs, and running to the kitchen at the slight chance of receiving a treat. It wasn't long before his run across the yard become more of a waddle.

I had recently relocated to a new city, and upon arrival discovered that not only was there no dog park within city limits, but that allowing your dog off leash anywhere but your yard would result in a hefty fine, something I luckily learnt prior to being ticketed. Unfortunately, due to these set-backs, my formally athletic dog, started to noticeably pack on the pounds. My first attempt to rectify this situation, involved getting myself out of the house as well. I had always been a firm believer in walking my dog every day so with that in mind, I tied his leash around my waist and started taking him on my morning runs. It was slow going at first, as he was not used to keeping up the pace and distance, and I was far from used to having him alongside with me. After only a few days I began to notice a clear difference in him, and in the days that followed his energy level continued to increase.

With the first step in increasing his fitness completed, I began to look for more ways to incorporate simple changes into my every day routine to ensure that he was more active. Every time I went outside, to walk to the mailbox, hang laundry on the line, or to do lawn maintenance, I ensured that he was alongside. I also started keeping toys in various locations around the house, for example if I was outside hanging laundry on the clothesline, I made a point to have a ball with me so I could play fetch with him while I completed the chore.

The most effective change that I made however was ensuring that my dog received more than enough socialization time with other dogs. I live in a small neighborhood, where the majority of people I know have dogs of their own, now when we get together for BBQ's and social gatherings, we make sure to bring our dogs along. This socialization has been a great way to increase the level of fitness for my dog, as well as the other dogs in my neighborhood. Nothing tires the group of them out like running around the backyard together, chasing a ball or playing tug-a-war with a stick. Not only is my dog back to his athletic self, he is so exhausted from a day of running around that he comes in and just wants to snuggle up on the couch with me.

Wordless Wednesday

2013-03-12T13:07:00.005-07:00

Twink!

Some Things Never Change

2013-03-10T12:39:00.000-07:00

Little Pedro, "El Diablo", is still convinced he is a Great Dane. My mom says he's a rat-cha (a fancy way to say, mutt, or rat terrier and chihuahua mix), but I say that this particular rat-cha derives from the word cuba-RACHA (BOL) In any case, Pedro will never learn, and here's just a bit of proof:

He has no fear of those ginormous toothsies

He will throw himself in the middle of a large dog brawl without a second thought

(not sure he thinks much about anything)

As for the rest of us...

I'll let the Frankie the brindle Chiweenie to express how we feel:

Ay, Caramba! This rat will never learn!

Tsk, tsk...

Twink!

Remington Stole Our Hearts FUREVER...

2013-03-04T16:37:00.000-08:00

Remington

2009-2013

A devout Vikings fan

A big one has left us! He was big in size and in character, big on sports, big hearted... A big loss for his family and the rest of us who learned to love him through his blog. Amazing how there were all these signs around his family today, the snow, the song, and my guess is that they'll keep on coming. Remi is a legend. The definition of a gentle giant. Recently, his family had an extremely tough decision to make...but they did, and by now they must know, that it was the only decision. We love them too much, so we must not be selfish. Lucky Remington never had to suffer any pain or fear! He is at peace now, so his family must figure out how to do the same. They did everything for him, as selflessly as imaginable, including his last travel on this earth. I have learned much from them and hope that when my turn comes, I will be as strong and loving as they are. I have always wondered about the definition of "a good parent" or, in this case, pawrent, and here is what I have come up with: it is he/she who loves their child/dog/pet unconditional and keeps questioning all decisions along the way, so that they can come up with the one that best suits that particular child/dog... always according to the circumstances. Remington had the best pawrents, that is for sure.

In case you haven't stopped by yet, here is a link to the blog that documented Remington's life and adventures, its original name was Our Remington

So long, Golden Oaks Remington Steal [Our] Hearts...

Peace...

Twinkie's M

Snow Day Fun and a Tiny Incident

2013-02-25T16:17:00.003-08:00

My pack had too much fun in the snow... with the exception of a little mishap.

All aboard!

At first, everyone was on leash, and behaved.

Well, almost behaved.

But soon, all bets were off!

Rescue mission!

Ziggy, our merlequin Great Dane, managed to slide off the bank. We weren't sure he could make it back because of his Wobbler Syndrome, which equals weakness. At first, he stood at the bottom looking all disoriented. Our humans were calling him, but the echo was confusing. He started to walk the opposite direction. Mom, with her unhealthy attachment to this dufus, was ready to dive off the edge, but instead she started to wave. Her boy finally saw her and somehow made it back up.

He recovered quite fast

Our black queen, Sasha

Pedrito, posing by a guard rail.

Thirsty

Nobody was in any hurry to get head back home to me.

Well, did you seriously think I would agree to a trip to the snow? My tummy is practically hairless. Temperatures below 72 degrees Fahrenheit are not my thing.

Twink!

Saturday at the Movies: The Dog Food Container Saga

2013-02-23T18:15:00.001-08:00

The cleanup crew: I, Twinkie, the tiny teacup chihuahua, and my pack members, Pedro, the rat-cha, and Frankie, the brindle chiweenie (aka chicken-weenie) are given the hard task of cleaning out a dog food container,yay! Happy Weekend! Twink!

The Conspiracy Theory

2013-02-21T01:00:00.000-08:00

Mom bought me a brand new dog bed yesterday. She said it was just for ME. Butt, Pedro, the devilishly mischievous yellow rat-cha, had other plans. He got Frankie, the brindle chicken-wienie, to plot against me, aaand to take over MY pressie!

A pox on them both! A pox on them both! A pox on them both!

Happy in and on my brand new bed

That didn't last long

First take over by Pedro

Me, giving Pedrito a piece of my mind

Peace temporarily restored, but I'm still upset

THE PLOTTING

That didn't last long

Pete is a "determined" little fella

Check out Frankie's face. The brindle chicken-wienie may have a conscience after all. Can't say the same about "the rat" however. He's enjoying his zzzs...

I miscalculated and decided to "show them" by squeezing in

Ugh, so not worth it. I'm outta here

Pedro looking all "innocente"

He's probably already thinking of his next move

Frankie holding her nose, running, and screaming, "Pedro! You how could you!

Mom sprayed some Febreze to my beautiful dog bed. In a couple of weeks, I should able to move back in.

Twink!

Wordless Wednesday

2013-02-20T11:23:00.003-08:00

The Rockettes at the Blue Dog Beer Tavern

(or is it the Red Dog Tavern?)

Twink!

The Dangers of Dog Collars (and Cat Collars too)

2013-02-19T15:29:00.000-08:00

Mom wasn't supposed to be home today, but, lucky for our Sasha, our black Great Dane, she had a last minute change of plans, so, she stayed home and started measuring our couch, hoping to find the right size cover to save it from us. She kept looking fondly out the glass doors at all of seven of us. We've come a long way as a pack. We all get along, and we all enjoy one another's company. The two litter mate Danes were horsing around (literally) with the new pack addition, Rocket, who was also playing with Pedrito, the tiny Rat-cha. I was observing them and our mom. At the blink of my tiny eyes it happened! Sasha and Ziggy, her even larger Great Dane bro, where both under Sasha's collar. Huh? Ziggy cannot ever wear a collar because of his Wobbler Syndrome. I started to bark my little head off and sure enough mom heard the urgency in my voice and ran outside. Sasha and Ziggy were SUFFOCATING each other, but Ziggy appeared to be "winning". Sasha's eyes were fading fast. She went down with a thud as mom got to her. Mom grabbed both dogs' heads and fell down to the ground, squeezing their heads together to allow for a bit of air to get through their throats. She was screaming for scissors, but nobody was coming. Finally, she was able to feel for the plastic buckle, but the tension was too great for her. As it sometimes happens at times like this, extraordinary amounts of strength come out of nowhere. Mom's fingers squeezed hard enough and Ziggy and Sasha fell apart onto the ground. Mom was shaking. The rest of the pack, watched quietly for a change. Sasha's eyes looked bloodshot and Ziggy had gotten a few cuts in the process, but they were both alive!

The potential dangers of dog collars are a serious matter

Dear dog lovers, and cat lovers too: Dog collar strangulations are common. The dangers of dog collars are numerous. Even in the case of a single dog, the collar may get caught on something, for example as they jump, and then your beloved furiend will be... think about it. Our own Linguini, about 10 years ago, was tied up in our front yard while mom was getting our things loaded for a hike. In those short moments, Linguini, jumped over our fence into our neighbors', about 8 feet below. Mom found her on her on her tippy toes doing the strangest dog dance, as she hung by her throat; another close call. We missed that one. NO more. My home is pro-active. We're changing things around here.

There are a couple of solutions out there that I know of, but feel free to add to my research. First, get us all microchipped. Secondly, if you must have a collar on us, here are a couple of suggestions. A breakaway collar, or a stretch safety collar for dogs that stretches when it's not clipped with a leash, allowing us to slip free in potentially life-threatening situations.

Peace and quiet are by now restored at Casa De Twinkie, but we will not forget again, and you better share with your friends and furiends. No uncalled-for trips to the Rainbow Bridge!

Now, go give your dog a hug and keep him/her safe!

Respectfully,

Twinkie

Wordless Wednesday/Hide and Seek Kitteh

2013-02-13T15:50:00.000-08:00

See. For once I kept completely quiet on Wordless Wednesday. Oops!

Twink!

Twinkie Tiny Dog | Teacup Chihuahua | A Dog Blog

How to keep your dog fit?

Wordless Wednesday

Some Things Never Change

Remington Stole Our Hearts FUREVER...

Snow Day Fun and a Tiny Incident

Saturday at the Movies: The Dog Food Container Saga

The Conspiracy Theory

Mom bought me a brand new dog bed yesterday. She said it was just for ME. Butt, Pedro, the devilishly mischievous yellow rat-cha, had other plans. He got Frankie, the brindle chicken-wienie, to plot against me, aaand to take over MY pressie!

A pox on them both! A pox on them both! A pox on them both!

Happy in and on my brand new bed

That didn't last long First take over by Pedro

Me, giving Pedrito a piece of my mind

Peace temporarily restored, but I'm still upset

THE PLOTTING

That didn't last long Pete is a "determined" little fella

Check out Frankie's face. The brindle chicken-wienie may have a conscience after all. Can't say the same about "the rat" however. He's enjoying his zzzs...

I miscalculated and decided to "show them" by squeezing in

Ugh, so not worth it. I'm outta here

Pedro looking all "innocente" He's probably already thinking of his next move

Frankie holding her nose, running, and screaming, "Pedro! You how could you! Mom sprayed some Febreze to my beautiful dog bed. In a couple of weeks, I should able to move back in. Twink!

Wordless Wednesday

The Dangers of Dog Collars (and Cat Collars too)

Wordless Wednesday/Hide and Seek Kitteh

That didn't last long

First take over by Pedro

That didn't last long

Pete is a "determined" little fella

Pedro looking all "innocente"

He's probably already thinking of his next move

Frankie holding her nose, running, and screaming, "Pedro! You how could you!

Mom sprayed some Febreze to my beautiful dog bed. In a couple of weeks, I should able to move back in.

Twink!