Grooming our Dogs

Before my husband and I decided to  buy a puppy, we researched which breed is best for us and whether it requires much grooming.  Since we wanted to have a canine companion,  labrador retriever breed was the best choice.  They have smooth, short-haired coat which is easy to groom.  These dogs are average shedders so it’s an advantage for me because I  have asthma. I prefer to groom my own dog.  I used to have a german shepherd when I was in college and I did the grooming myself. 

Grooming my dog was easy and time consuming but I  find it worthwhile.  Since there are more grooming tools available now that it used to,  I did some research about the new grooming tools in the market.  For the benefit of those who doesn’t have any experience, one of the ways to properly groom your pet is to first introduce him to the water. Once you have accomplished that, it will be easy for you to put him in the bathtub.  I used to take my dog swimming either in the swimming pool or the beach and he loved it.  I also make it as enjoyable as possible.    While giving him the bath, I say soothing words to help him relax.  I use an all natural shampoo, no soap and no detergent in it.  I also give him a  massage.  I towel dry his hair and finish it with a blow dryer.  Electric grooming brush is also an excellent tool which makes grooming really easy. This electric grooming brush is suitable for long and short fur coats. The rigid bristles on this brush help to gather dust, fluff and dead hair as well. Twice a month, I take him to a salon and treat him to a spa. Once a week, I treat his hair with a low-shed shampoo and a 30minute brushing with the FURminator tool to reduce shedding.  This will leave the  shiny top coat intact and healthy.  I like this tool because it is designed to dramatically reduce the mess and clean up of unwanted pet hair. I like to do his nails after bath because they are soft and easy to clip. Most dogs don’t like to have their nail done but most of them like it under the arm and you get a lot of control on him.  I also have one of this PetZoom Nail Groom. The stainless steel filing disk is curved so the nail rests on the plate and the tip and sides are trimmed at the same time.

Grooming takes a lot of patience but it’s gratifying.  It may take time for your pet to get used to the water but when he does it’s you’ll find it very rewarding.

Online Shopping Is More Convenient Nowadays.

From the late 1990s, the range of information, products, and services available on the internet grew massively.  At the same time, the popularity of the Internet also grew at a phenomenal rate.  Shopping has evolved with the growth of technology.  According to Wikipedia , the idea of online shopping  predates the world wide web for there are earlier experiments involving real time transaction processing from a domestic television.  From the creation of the first online book store in 1992, shopping has evolved with the growth of technology.

The technology that is now available allows us to shop on the internet 24 hours a day and seven days a week, without having to leave our homes or offices. We are provided with an abundance of merchant sites where almost any goods on  earth can be bought. We can also compare prices from a variety of different retailers with greater ease, compared to  physically going to shop  to check prices. Online shopping is important for me because it offers convenience and has become extremely routine.  We get to enjoy a wider choice because anything can be purchased over the internet even pet products.

I love to pamper my dog. I always look for new and exciting products that is both unique and comfortable.  I went to this online boutique that offers an assortment of affordable pet products that’s perfect for my dog.  They have crate cooling fan which provides my dog a refreshing airflow whenever we travel or while at home. It’s a small  unit and very easy to carry.  I love the dog pool that we can use on hot days. It folds down completely for transport and storage. A cooling vest was perfect for him to stay cool, happy and active in the hot summer weather.

There are also boutiques that carries a great variety of novelty dog beds and top of the line high fashion pet beds and blankets. It ’s cute and cozy and my dog loved it.  I always prefer personalized items for my dog so I bought him a custom made collar, id tag and leash with his name engraved on it on one side and our home address on the other in case he gets lost. Even his food and water bowls has his name on it too. These are non-breakable and non-chewable items. One of the most exciting piece I bought online was a dog boots with suspenders because it keeps his feet clean on dirty pavement after a rain.  It even protect his feet from hot pavement on long daily walks. It also helps protect him from allergies and protect my carpet from soiled feet. 

Whether you’re shopping for toys, food, snacks or apparel or accessories for your pet, online pet boutiques has it all.  Shopping has never been this easy. Thanks to human ingenuity.

Halloween Costumes for Dogs

What sets Halloween costumes apart from costumes from other celebrations or days of dressing up is that they are usually  designed to imitate supernatural and scary beings. Halloween  costumes are those of monsters such as vampires, ghosts, skeletons, witches, and devils.  However, in more recent years,  they were science fiction-inspired characters as aliens and superheroes. There are also costumes of pop culture figures like presidents, athletes, celebrities, or film, television, and cartoon characters. Another popular trend is for women (and in some cases, men) to use Halloween as an excuse to wear sexy or revealing costumes, showing off more skin than would be socially acceptable.

I don’t want to leave my dog out of the party.  And since this is his first halloween with us, I wanted to make it special.  Ideally, costumes are based on themes other than traditional horror.  I chose  a K-9 COP Dog  Halloween Costume which suits him perfectly because of what he is, a canine companion dog.  He doesn’t really like dressing up  and he would fuss to no end.  I had one custom-made for him. I knew of an online designer abroad who makes dogs holiday costumes.  They even have sizing chart which makes it easy to order the right size for you pet. The design was chosen from one of the catalogs available. A soft and breathable fabric was selected for the materials. We made sure the fit was not too snug or too loose so that he wouldn’t  fuss.

Some dogs take to wearing a costume but my dog don’t. Since he knows the basic commands from one of our obedience trainings, I was able to teach him to wear a costume as well.  It took me several days and believe me, it took a lot of patience but it paid off.  First, I took the costume and let him sniff and explore it.  I took the main piece of the costume and put him on his back.  Each time he gets a treat for behaving. The following day, I took out the treat and the costume and he was clever to associate one with the other.  When I finally got him to wearing it and was comfortable with it, I checked whether it needs alterations.  We practiced this everyday and took him to short walks with the costume until he got used to it.