Blow me a Bubble (Dumb Dog Trick #267)

Do you give your dog enough water?

One of the basic things every dog needs every day is fresh water. Exactly how much water is that?

From what I have heard the right amount of water is about an ounce of water per day per pound your dog weighs. So a 12 lb. little dog would need a medium-sized glass of water per day. But a 64 lb. dog would need a gallon.

Dogs are also self-regulating waterers. That means that if you put out a bunch of water for them, dogs will drink as much as they want or need. If they drink too much, they can leave some on the trees and the grass and the neighbor kid's bicycle.

My old dog Blue had quite a record of going pee on stuff. He really like to go you-know-what on other dogs, especially little dogs. He'd just mark them as soon as they got in position.

Blue also liked to mark other people's stuff, like their gear bags and ice chests. Blue liked to pee on buildings, food, statutes and people.

Yes, even people. Myself included.

Blue once peed on the marketing director of the local human society. I felt so bad, because the guy is awesome and he's in a wheelchair. What does my dog do? Lift his leg on the guy in the wheelchair.

Why? I have no idea. But I always try to give Blue enough water.

Actually, always have fresh water available for your dog. When you play with your dog (or play a dog sport) you should always have a bowl around for all of the dogs.

The only dog wee wee story I have that tops Blue's exploits would be the time that Red Dog peed on my brother's Christmas Tree. Red Dog was not allowed back into my brother's house for quite some time because My Brother's Wife did not appreciate Red Dog's sense of humour.

"Hey, I was just goofin' and I peed on your Christmas Tree," said Red Dog.

"Leave now and I will let you live," said My Brother's Wife.

You get the idea.

Jimmy Jump

Tacoma, Washington

February 18, 2012

DYE YOUR DOG PINK (Pink Pitbull)

DYE YOUR DOG PINK

If I had a dog with enough white fur, you can be that I'd die my dog pink. I'd use fruit punch concentrate or some other food-grade, non-toxic substance. I think they even make really safe dyes just for this purpose. I'll have to get a white poodle one of the day and give it a try. Nothing in this world quite as cute as a pink poodle. Although this Pink Pitbull was a real nice dog.

Sometimes Pitties creep me out. I'm not sure why, but I know that I'm not alone on that one. Even though one of the coolest dogs I have ever me was a miniature English Bull Terrier named "Spam," who was like a Frisbee catching machine. I haven't seen Spam in a couple of years, but I'm sure she's doing just great. Her mom is a veterinarian.

The Staffy in the video was cute and friendly, and his owner really, really loved him. She died him pink so that people would see the softer side of the breed. It worked for me. I had lots of fun talking to this lady, and she was real nice. Yeah, I know there's a prong collar on this dog. The owner was little tiny bit of a woman, and I think she needed a little extra help keeping Pinky under control. Perhaps it was a training aid. Not to mention the fact that no one should ever let their Staffordshire Bull Terrier run loose or playfully approach other dogs -- not good, people totally freak out.

The images in this video were taken in Duvall, Washington, at a pet fair. Lots of staffy fanciers in Duvall. Lots of Staffy fanciers in the state of Washington too.

We have places in Washington state with breed bans on Staffies. Regulations like that don't make all that much sense to me. It's not the breed that's bad -- it's bad owners that create bad dogs. And any time a city enacts a breed specific ban, you can bet that the Pitbull fanciers will come out in droves, some from a couple of counties away, to attempt to stop such legislation. I'm not sure of the pro-pit side's success in fighting legislation, but they get darned serious about it all. They hire lawyers to fight these laws. There are lawyers who specialize in dog law. But dog law is kind of more of a calling or political mission than it is a money-making proposition. If you want to make money, there are areas of the law that are a lot more lucrative. I do have to admit that it would be fun to pull out business cards that say, Jimmy Jump, Dog Lawyer, and hand them out at the dog park.

I wish I could remember the words to this song. I translated parts of it into Spanish, and I am never entirely sure that my pronunciation of the words are correct, especially so when singing in a language other than one's first language.

Every summer I go to a dozen or so dog fairs or pet expos. Usually I perform freestyle canine disc (disc dog or Frisbee dog) at these events. I always end up meeting the nicest people and having a real good time. I really like the 4H events, as they are more old-school and fun. But give me an event with dog trick contests, dog costume contests, weiner dog races, and just about anything else canine, and I'll be happy. What do you expect from a life-long furry.

We are setting up our summer event schedule for summer 2012. Our schedule can be found at http://www.woofd2.com/ Our little troupe of dog trainers have been organizing events and performing throughout the Northwest since 2001.