But the three girls we now have are like some kind of Dog hair shedding maniacs, it amazes me that they actually have any fur left on them they seem too shed so much on to the floor. Anyway, before we take a proper look at the Furminator here they are to buy, and they really are about the best thing you could possibly get if you have a Dog that sheds a lot fur.

Click To Buy Or To Read Reviews

Looking on Amazon I was amazed to see over 3000 reviews for the Furminator.

UPDATE: There is now a new model out that is even better! Same great low price but does an even better job, if that is even possible!

Does every Dog owner apart from me know how good it is? I have heard of it for years but never actually took any time to read Furminator reviews or to investigate just how they worked. I always assumed a Dog brush was a Dog brush and they were all pretty much similar in nature.

Well, the other day Mrs. Three Dog Blogger cam home with the Furminator. The house has been getting progressivley worse each day as the Dogs shed more fur for the warmer months. Every morning they usually get a brush but it still results in fur allover the floor tiles. Easy to sweep up but still horrendous.

Well, the Dogs had already had a brush with a traditional Dog brush but when the Furmitator was combed through each of the three girls I simply could not believe it. Handfuls, and I really do mean handfuls of fur came off. I had to actually stop and ask if she hadn’t bought a gizmo that was actually cutting their fur as I could not believe that a simple grooming tool would result in so much extra fur coming off the beasties. Nope, it is a simple deshedding tool for Dogs that gets really deep in to the fur and removes all the fur that would otherwise be all over the floors and the furniture.

I really cannot tell you just how impressed I am with this simple tool.

I really did not think that there was anything that would work better than the usual Dog brushes that many of us have been using for years. The difference is staggering and I would buy another one immediately if this one ever went missing. If you want to know how to get rid of Dog fur then the Furminator is without doubt the best thing I have ever found. Sometimes I wonder why I don’t investigate things I hear of straight away. I mean, it took me a year to buy a Dog backpack to stop Daisy running away, and I wish I had done that when I said I was going to.

Seriously, if you have problems with Dog fur and the Dogs shedding fur everywhere then the Furminator deshedding tool is the best thing you will ever buy. Sorry if I sound excited over a simple thing like this but a cleaner house is something I thought was never for the likes of this Dog blog owner.

The decision to welcome a dog into your family is a long-term commitment that can be both highly rewarding and demanding. First-time dog owners should follow these basic five tips to help train their new pet and lay the foundation for a long, happy relationship with their four-legged friend.

1) Be Consistent

Before you even bring your new pooch home, think about what kinds of rules you will have for your dog. If you have a spouse, kids or housemates, include them in this exercise. In order for your dog to learn and understand the rules of your home, it is important that everyone who is in the dog’s life also understands what behaviour is acceptable and unacceptable from your four-legged friend.

For example, if you decide that Fido should not be allowed on the sofa, then stick to this rule. Allowing the dog on the sofa sometimes and then scolding him for getting on the furniture at other times will simply cause him to become confused and anxious.

One of the best rules to have is not to feed your dog from the table, not only is this unhygienic but is not good for your dog as it leads to them putting on weight and picking up bad traits such as whining and pleading for attention, not a wanted trait if you invite guests over for dinner!

2) Stick To A Schedule

Animals, like many people, are generally calmer, happier and better behaved when they have a regular daily routine. Although dogs cannot actually tell time per se, when their owners stick to a fairly regular schedule for feedings and walks, the dog will reward the owner by displaying better behaviour because the dog has a strong sense of what to expect and when to expect it.

3) Enroll In Obedience Training

Even the most well-mannered dog can benefit from obedience training, where new and experienced owners learn simple techniques to control their dog. Along with helping owners learn obedience commands, these classes provide both the human and the dog a great opportunity to interact with other dogs and their masters. Well taught lesson installed in a dog at a young age usually last them a lifetime, so it is important to make use of the early time you have with a dog.

4) Firm but fair

Learn to control your pet using a leash, collar and voice commands only. Hitting a dog with your hand or an object will only make your dog fearful and distrustful of all humans, something which is very difficult to reverse in an animal. At a young age, humans like dogs are very impressionable and so the use of violence towards the dog will only need to negative character traits as the dog gets older. If the dog does something wrong then make sure you let them know straight away that what they did was wrong. Never punish a dog retrospectively, Dogs have no concept of time, they only live in the moment so shouting at your dog after he has committed the crime will only leave you dog confused and scared.

5) Spend time with your Dog

Spend time with your dog, especially if he or she is a puppy. Remember that this is a strange and scary situation for the dog, to be taken from its Mother and the place it knew as its home, into a new place with new smells and on its own. Your dog therefore needs lots of love and attention to start off with to ensure that it settles into its new home well.

Make sure you introduce your dog to other dogs and all other members of your family quickly. If you know of a friend that has a dog that is well mannered ask if you can go on a walk together so that your dog will get used to other dogs and not become aggressive or scared when they meet dogs outside in the future. If you have young family members, especially babies or toddlers then you should always supervise the dog around them, sometimes a dog can get carried away and become too rough, so it is important that you can quickly step in and tell the dog or the child off if the situation arises.

Overall you should just aim to have fun, after all that’s probably one of the main reason you got a dog in the first place, if you treat your dog with respect and authority, love and attention then you should both have a happy life together.

From Dan at Wish.co.uk - take a look at their gift experiences for pet owners.

It has been a very long struggle to get her to come out of her shell and the fact is that now you would not recognize her and her behaviour from what it once once.

When we first brought Daisy home she was lifted out of the car a quivering wreck and then ran into the woods and hid. It took a lot of coaxing to get her in to the house.

And it literally took years for her to really show that she was gaining in confidence.

Now Daisy s a very different Dog but the fact is that she is still not like other Dogs. She won’t jump up on you to have a fuss, she still lowers her head a little if play gets too boisterous and she absolutely will not rough-house with people. Other Dogs, that is a different story, she can hold her own with the other Girls no problem.

But people do need to bear in mind that if they are going to get a shy Dog then it is going to take a long time to be able to get them to be a lot more confident and it is certainly going to take a long time to get their behaviour more in line with confident animals.

Daisy is still timid under certain circumstance and the reality is that I think she always will be. It is just a part of her nature.

But, it was worth it.

Daisy is a lovely girl and has a pretty much perfect life. If she had been left in the pound I don’t think she would have lasted very long at all. She is way too highly strung for such an environment.

So if you are thinking of getting a Dog that is shy then just bear in mind that there is no quick fix. It takes a lot of time and it takes a lot of patience. You need to go slow and let them improve at their own steady pace. The best thing you can do is simply show them lots of love and gradually do things to bring them out of their shell.

Don’t get angry or cross with them and never do anything to make them feel insecure. They will be a faithful companion for many years and show their appreciation in many ways, just never expect them to be a super confident Dog any time soon.

Nuheart is one of the only heartworm tablets that is soluble. If you buy Nuheart then you will find that the monthly dose to prevent heartworms is simplicity itself. No trying to tempt the Dogs with a treat with a hidden pill, and certainly no trying to maybe massage their throat to get them to swallow a pill.

I had forgotten just how awkward it was to try to get the Girls to swallow their pills. We had been using Nuheart for such a long time that we had not had the experience. It is not easy.

With Nuheart we simple dissolve in some water and put on to the Dog’s food, they don’t even know that they have been medicated.

If you have been having any problems with getting your Dog to swallow a pill then this is what you should try, or  Heartgard Plus if you also wish to treat for intestinal worms at the same time.

In Other News

Now that the weather has begun to warm up I realize the joy of a tired out Dog. It has seemed like a long winter and the Dogs seem to have been full of energy every day. We have tried our best to get them to be worn out, but with 3 Dogs it is not always the easiest thing in the world. A run off the leash is what is needed, and they do get that, but not all at once. A certain pack mentality seems to be in real evidence when all three are loose, so two of the Girls need to take it in turns to have their freedom, it makes for less than exhausted Dogs.

But the warm weather has meant that they no longer have the same amount of energy and are spending a lot more time sleeping, which is certainly good news for the owner of this Dog Blog.

If it carries on at this rate then by the Summer they will be pretty much motionless for the whole day. It means a nice early walk as I am now getting woken up way too early by a few very loud birds in the tree outside the house, it is great to see the Sun rise, but not perfect for someone who needs a good eight hours to function, at least I can take an afternoon Siesta though without feeling guilty!

Many people and wonderful dog owners question everyday whether it is okay to feed your dog meat or not. So we are going to address this little issue head on and let you know what is good, what is bad and what your dog will love. There are pros and cons for each argument so lets jump right in.

Is it okay to feed your dog meat?

The short answer is yes, although it can be a little more complicated than that. Meat is generally not bad for your dog. A dog’s stomach can easily digest meat and in fact it is a great source of vitamins for them. Where you may run into trouble is when you feed your dog meat right off the dinner table.

Humans use spices and all sorts of extras to make their meat taste better. Some of these extra additions may not sit well with your dog, so be sure you are not adding anything harmful to your meat if you plan on dishing it right onto the floor for your dog. You will also want to be careful with the amount of meat you feed your dog, too much meat can mean too much gas build up, which when it comes from a dog, smells worse than rotten eggs.

Is raw meat okay?

Yes raw meat in some cases is actually better for your dog. Now you want to be careful because uncooked chicken can be the cause of salmonella, but raw beef is a wonderful thing.

When you cook meat you actually lose a lot of the vitamins that raw meat contains, and for a dog these can be an important part of their diet. Dogs, or dog relatives in nature are all meat eaters. Coyotes, foxes, Wolves and others all eat meat so feeding your dog the right meat really has little risk.

What should I avoid if I feed my dog meat?

Like I said before uncooked chicken can be dangerous even for humans, so it is best not to let your dog eat it. Even chicken bones are dangerous to a dog’s health as the bones can splinter and get stuck in their throats. Any meat that has extra things like spices added on is best to avoid. Most dogs can handle spices just fine, but there are some that have the potential to upset your dogs stomach or make them sick.

What do dogs like best?

Typically the best is beef, and if you really want to give your dog a treat give them some beef on a bone. They will dig into that like a 7 year old who awoke to their favorite toy on Christmas morning.

Everyone knows how much dogs love bones and if you add the sweet savory flavor of the meat to it before they get down to the bone they will think they have died and gone to doggy heaven.

What if my dog gets sick eating meat?

If meat is not apart of your dogs diet and you want it to be then ease into it. Do not just throw a huge chunk of meat to your dog and say enjoy. Just small amounts to start is the best.

If you notice your dog getting sick then simply stop feeding them meat, if the sickness stops you will know, if it does not stop take them to the vet.

About the author – Ben has three dogs of his own and knows that feeding them beef can become quite expensive. Some ways we save money is by using a 1800petmeds coupon code for all our pet medications. The money we save from these coupons we spend on our doggy treats and meat.

That’s right, simply put the new Mattel Puppy Tweets Dog collar on and you can get Tweets throughout the day from your stay at home Dog while you are out. If you want cool messages from the Dog that are based around what it is doing then this is the perfect (and only) way to find what they are up to. Or maybe you have a friend who would love to know when their Dog is sleeping, barking, running around and more?

I wonder what they will think of next?

Let’s see how this thing works:

Puppy Tweets Device

Apparently the little device has 411 messages on it that are sent by your Dogs Twitter account (you may have to help them setting it up) depending on the activity it is involved in. It is totally wireless and works by sending messages to Twitter via a USB dongle that you plug in to any computer. Apparently the range is up to 100 ft so poochie can be in most rooms in the house and still Tweet.

The Puppy Tweets device can detect if your Dog is making a noise and send cool Tweets once you install the app on your computer.

Is Puppy Tweets Fake

Aw, come on don’t spoil it. Get it as a great novelty item for fun at work or when you simply miss your Dog too much. You get funny Tweets from your Dog all day long and you will then be thinking of the poor guy missing you like mad.

Don’t expect it to change the world, this is a fun item as a gift for Dog lovers or for those that want a little bit of amusement in their day. You can buy puppy tweets pink or puppy tweets blue, depending on……..well, that’s pretty obvious really! What will be next discount TAG Heuer watches? Although I bet that some bright spark has already invented expensive watches for Dogs, we see enough Dog collars studded with diamonds don’t we?

You can buy from Amazon HERE

The most important thing to consider when selecting a puppy obedience class is not cost or location….it is the instructor. A bad instructor can ruin the class and possibly your puppy. A good instructor can open a whole new world of communication between you and your puppy and set you on a fun and exciting path of dog training.

The instructor needs to be experienced, not merely have earned a certificate from “XYZ” dog training school. Look for a trainer with local “hands on” experience working with a variety of dogs. You will find the best instructor through word of mouth references. Ask your friends with dogs, your veterinarian and people you meet at the dog park. Ask the instructor for references and follow up by calling them.

A good instructor will happily provide you with references, and allow you to come and watch a class before registering. If you watch the classes, look for dogs that are happy and stress free. If there is a shy dog or a problem dog, note how the instructor and assistants handle him or her.

If the instructor has his own dog there to demonstrate exercises, watch to see the interaction between them. The dog should be happy and eager to work as this is a sign of positive, yet consistent training.

The methods used by the teacher should be primarily positive and any corrections should be fair and gentle. The Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) will direct you to a trainer in your area that follows their guidelines. Remember that a good instructor will be able to train a dog that can be a great companion to you for many years to come so research is key!

Size of the class is important as well. Be sure to find out if this is a puppy class or a beginner class. Both types can be great classes. Puppy classes will allow only puppies, usually six months old or less. A beginner class may allow adult dogs and puppies. If adult dogs are allowed, find out what the instructor’s policy is about aggressive dogs.

It isn’t wise to have a young impressionable puppy in a class with an anti-social adult. Safety of your puppy should be at the forefront of your decision. Join a class that is large enough to do proper and safe socialization with other puppies. However, a class that is too large can get overwhelming and you will not get the attention that you need.

A class size of eight is nice and ten to twelve dogs are fine provided there are assistant instructors to ensure safety and individual attention. The location should be large enough to have plenty of space between dogs, no overcrowding.

Finally, find out about the class material – what will your dog learn? Join a class with a nice mix of socialization (with both people and dogs) and manners training. For puppies, the most important exercises to teach are sitting politely for petting, coming when called, and possibly a short stay. Is this class going to be advanced or just teaching basic dog obedience?

A group puppy class may or may not be able to help you with issues that occur “at home” such as biting and housetraining. Find out! It is important for all dogs to learn to pay attention with the distractions of other dogs and people. Adult dogs have longer attention spans and are capable of learning longer stays and more advanced leash work. A good class will teach skills to all the dogs present, but allow for the differences in ages and personalities. A shy dog who has never been anywhere may not and should not be expected to progress at the speed of a confident outgoing dog or puppy. People attend training classes for a variety of reasons, many to prevent or correct bad manners.

Some want to do advanced training in order to compete or to participate in other dog activities such as pet therapy or agility training. Find out what the progression of classes are to help you reach your goals. Does this instructor offer them, or can he recommend the proper classes to you?

In summary, always go with your instinct upon meeting or speaking with the potential instructor. Never do anything to or with your puppy that you aren’t completely comfortable with.

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I am not saying that Faye would then be a good girl all the time but it would certainly go some way to stopping her from misbehaving as much as she is prone to do, especially if she has not had enough exercise. And this morning they all only had a relatively short walk so there was plenty of energy left for naughtiness.

How Much Exercise To Give Dogs

From experience I would say that many Dogs need as much as you can give them.

If they are healthy and fit then Dogs are quite happy to walk  for hours every day. Of course this is not possible for most of us as we have constraints on our time. But there is one lesson I have learned very well and that is that if your Dog keeps being naughty and is not acting well then exercise is quite often at the heart of the problem.

Exercise is so important to their health and well being and it also makes for a much happier life for us Dog owners. Dog Blogs often talk about many aspects of training but all of them will go much smoother if you begin with a Dog that has had plenty of exercise.

It may be impossible to say how much every bred of Dogs needs in terms of exercise but for the majority they need a good amount each and every day.

How To Tell If Your Dog Has Not Had Enough Exercise

Dogs will mostly make it quite clear to the owner of they are not having enough activity. You will find that they are less easy to control, they will not obey orders as they usually do and they will simply be harder to keep under control in general.

All of that pent up energy has to be dissipated somehow and more often than not it will result in bad behavior.

If your pooch is being naughty, acting up and simply not doing as it is told then the chances are that it simply needs more exercise.

How Many Walks A Day For A Dog

We should take the Dogs out for a walk twice a day if at all possible. It really is so important to allow them to get plenty of exercise and it ensures that they get to see the wider world and experience things on a regular basis.

This keeps them much more socialized and it will make training and life in general so much easier.

2 walks a day should be strived for every day, we may not always have the time for a long walk before work but we should try to make time. They are much less likely to tear up the house while we are out and are going to be much easier to train.

3 Dogs is definitely a lot of work at times and I know that without their 2 walks a day it would  be much harder. I am lucky that I can walk them off leash for the most part as we live somewhere remote, this ensures that they can burn off energy quickly. For leash walking there is no doubt that they need more exercise as they are unable to burn off the energy as quickly.

Strive for a good long walk at least once a day and a shorter one as well if you really are pushed for time.

This exercise will ensure that they are much better behaved and in a more positive frame of mind to respond to training and they will simply be much better company as they are relaxed and feel that they have had their look at the world outside the home for the day.

If you’re searching for a microfiber dog towel chances are you’re either looking to buy microfiber dog towels or you’re looking for a little bit more information about them to see if they’re right for you and your pooch. If you fall in to the second category, invariably the first question on your mind must be: “Why would anyone use a microfiber dog towel?”

To effectively answer that question lets first look at what most people use as a dog towel. What do you currently use? An old beach towel or blanket? Perhaps an old t-shirt or dish towel? Most people use something old and worn out for a dog towel as sort of an afterthought for drying their dogs off. Using a microfiber dog towel changes all that as you’ll see below.

Now all of the dogs I’ve owned hated to get dried off. My current best friend thinks it’s a game every time I go to dry his paws. He likes to bite me or the towel as I struggle to clean him up. And for the last 4 years I had been using an old towel that didn’t really do a great job so needless to say this was a chore neither of us looked forward to.

Then about 6 months ago I was given a microfiber dog towel as a gift. I thought it was a kind gesture and nothing more until spring rolled around and every time my dog came in I had to dry him off. I was amazed at what a difference it made. The towel is light and fluffy and looks more or less like a normal towel, but when it came to drying the dog it would soak up the water from his paws and fur incredibly fast. And thoroughly. My dog is an American Eskimo and has a lot of fur, so when he would get soaked, he would get SOAKED. The microfiber towel could handle all the water leaving Juneau a fluffy puff ball. Best of all he didn’t know what hit him. I could dry him faster and more thoroughly with the microfiber towel for dogs; avoiding the tug of war that eventually broke out.

Another benefit of the microfiber dog towel is how quickly it dries off. This is a unique property of microfiber; that water will evaporate from the towel quicker than regular towels. This is incredibly helpful on rainy days when your dog wants to go outside just long enough to get wet before coming back in again only to want to go back out 10 minutes later. My old, beat up towel would only be good for 2-3 cycles of dog drying before it would be thoroughly soaked. And I would never remember to get a new one so I would have to run to the closet to get a fresh old crappy towel while Juneau would escape all over the house. I don’t worry about any of this now.

As you can tell, I’m a big fan of microfiber dog towels. They absorb more water, they do it faster and more thoroughly than a regular towel (which is especially great for dogs with thick undercoats) and they dry off quickly. Now I only have one dog, but I can imagine that these are twice as useful if you have more dogs (like the owner of one of my favorite Dog Blogs perhaps?) as you will require fewer towels. In fact, microfiber towels for dogs are especially handy when traveling. If you take your dogs with you camping or to the beach, one large dog towel should be able to handle even three dogs and you can throw it over the back seat (or wherever they sit).

If you’d like to know more about microfiber dog towels, including how they work or where you can find the best price on microfiber dog towels you can check out my blog on microfiber towels.

Thanks to Reed for the article. I think something like this would have been perfect for us, especially when we lived in the UK and had a constantly wet Dog and beige carpets to deal with, not a good combination. Has anyone been converted? Or do you already use a microfiber Dog towel?

UPDATE: I was sad to find out the generic version is no longer available. UNTIL I found somewhere to buy the brand for the same low price. So, we can still make the same savings, see the link for details and the great price.

Click for more details

We have found it to be very efficient at ensuring the Dogs do not have fleas and more importantly for us it really is very effective at stopping ticks. They can be a real problem as the Dogs are always in and out of the rough grass (yes, even in Spain) and the woods.

We did try to buy generic Advantix a while ago but it went out of stock within days so we have now quickly placed a bulk order to take advantage of the prices while it is still available. We have not heard back just how long it will remain in stock for so if you do currently use it I would suggest that you buy sooner rather than later.

Here is just what you can expect from K9 Advantix:

K9 Advantix stops fleas from biting in less than 5 minutes, begins killing fleas within the first hour of application and eliminates 98%-100% of adult fleas and ticks within 12 hours of use. Repels and kills ticks before they attach themselves to your dog, while also repelling and killing mosquitoes before they can bite. The active ingredients, imidacloprid and permethrin, work together for a quick knockdown by affecting the flea, mosquito or tick’s nervous system. Because K9 Advantix provides such quick knockdown of these insects it can helpful in limiting the spread of the West Nile Virus and Lyme disease. It is also ideal for dogs suffering from Flea Allergy Dermatitis.

We decided to use it as an alternative to Frontline Plus as leishmania is a common problem in Europe and it is recommended by local vets as providing more protection. And although not a heartworm medicine it does cut down the chances greatly of the Dogs being bitten by mosquitoes so if you do not currently use a heartworm medicine it will lower the chances of infection.

The prices are ridiculously low so even if you use Frontline or something similar you may like to swap while the generic K9 Advantix is still on offer. The price for a large Dog for a six month supply is $34 so it is about half the price of Frontline Plus, and for smaller Dogs the price simply gets ridiculous. I really do recommend it highly. It gets rid of fleas in minutes, stops ticks ever attaching and helps to stop mosquito bites too so it about as good as it gets. We have now swapped from Frontline as the cover is better and it is about half the price. Take a look at the prices via the above link. I was amazed how cheap it is and I deal with pet meds supplies on a daily basis and bought it while it is still available.

Hope this helps.