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Draw the Dog!

Ann Lockley — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:56:34 +0000

Question:

Hi Ann,

I’m one of two people behind a new site called Draw the Dog. Each day we post a new dog cartoon inspired by a real dog. The cartoon draws itself – you really have to see it to understand.

We’d love to have your readers’ stories about funny, amazing or heartwarming
things your dogs have done. You can submit them by visiting
http://www.drawthedog.com and clicking on the Make Your Dog Famous tab.

Jim George draws all the cartoons; he’s an ex-Disney animator and is
amazingly talented.

Thanks,
Bruce

ANSWER:

Hi everyone,

We get a lot of requests such as the one above and most of the time I spend some time on their site before hitting the delete button on the site as well as the request.

However, Draw the Dog is amazing! For anyone who loves to draw but sucks at it like me, watching the cartoons develop is an incredible experience! I am not sure about the fine print and of course I have to say that I do not endorse this site…darn legal mumbo jumbo.

Send in your dog stories to these guys and then let us know when they cartoonerize it so we can all see the final product. I will let you know if and when they use my story too!

Ann

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Looking For a New Dog, What Breed is the Best Match Up With My Current Dog?

Nancy Tobis — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:58:48 +0000

Question:

We have always had two dogs. Initially two beagles, the male passed away and we got a lakeland terrier. We had our 16 year old female beagle who died recently and now only have our 3 year old female Lakeland Terrier. Our Lakeland has always respected the older Beagle, but she is very territorial. What would be a good breed to match up with a Lakie – we will definitely only consider a male – would an english bulldog be a good match?

Maria

ANSWER:

Hi Maria,

I must confess, I had to look up the Lakeland Terrier as I was not sure about this breed. I checked the temperament part and according to CKC and AKC states that this breed is confident and a working terrier that orginated in Cumberland England. This breed was bred to be both to catch vermin and for herding.

So what breed would be compatible? As this breed is both sociable and confident, any breed would do. She respected your beagle as he was there first and had established his territory and ownership of the house. Any dog you get whether a pup or a rescue, please keep in mind that your Lakeland was there first. Treat the situation this way. Some people would say that you should feed the “alpha” dog first and then the other dog. The “alpha” being the one that was there first.

It should be noted that dogs will arrange their own pecking order and you should be observant of this.

Once you get the second dog, be sure to lavish a lot of attention on your Lakeland and give her a lot of alone time while training your new dog.

The Lakeland looks like an exeptional breed.

I should have mentioned this at the beginning of this answer, however, I am so sorry for your loss. Sixteen is a great age for a beagle.

Hope this answer helps
Nancy

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My Dog No Longer Wants to Sleep In My Bed, What Should I Do?

Ann Lockley — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:20:21 +0000

Question:

My dog sleeps with my husband and I but lately he wants to get down when we go to bed and go somewhere else. Help what should we do?

Nikki

ANSWER:

Hi Nikki,

Most often, dogs that no longer want to be on the bed are hot and want to stretch out. Buy him a nice dog bed that fits him well and put it beside your bed. I am sure he will learn to sleep there happily all night long and in the winter, he will be back in bed with the two of you – mine always did!

Ann

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How Can I Teach My Dogs Not To Wake Me Up So Early?

Ann Lockley — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:01:39 +0000

Question:

How can I teach my dogs not to wake me up to eat so early in the morning? Our schnoodle jumps on and off the bed starting at 6:00 am until someone finally gets up to feed her. Our work schedule means that we usually get up and feed them between 6:30 and 6:45 so it is very annoying to be woken up earlier than neccessary but don’t know how to make her stop.

ANSWER:

Hi there,

This is an age-old problem and one that is hard to answer. You can try telling them to go lay down but I have never had much success with this ploy. What I have found is that once they learn the behavior, they act as a snooze alarm. They lie down for five minutes and then spring to life again. You tell them to lie down again but five minutes later, they are pestering you yet again! And the cycle continues.

Why not get up, get them outside do their business, feed them and then go back to bed? This will allow you to sleep in the extra amount without having the snooze alarm dog going ‘off’ every five minutes? I realize it is a hassle but getting the chore done and over with keeps the dogs on schedule while affording you a longer sleep in.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to fix the snooze dog problem for good? Any suggestions are welcome on this one!

Ann

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Want to Refer a Professional?

Ann Lockley — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:52:07 +0000

Our database of doggy professionals is building! We have recommendations of vets to trainers to groomers to companies that produce to dog specific items from all over North America. Wonderful job!

But we need more!! Before we build this out into a referral website, we need to have a few thousand recommendations of doggy professionals from every corner of this continent and even beyond our shores. We are about a third of the way along in our collecting process so keep them coming in please! Vets, trainers, behaviorists, groomers, dog walkers, kennels, doggy day care, dog parks – whatever you can think of, send it my email at ann@ohmydogsupplies.com.

Thank you!

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Our Database is Growing!

Ann Lockley — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 15:03:41 +0000

Hello everyone!

Thank you!

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What’s the Easiest Way to Get an Answer For My Pet Problems?

Ann Lockley — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:18:19 +0000

Question:

Awhile back I submitted a behavior problem we have with our golden retriever when we take her in a car or truck.

Whenever I see your email pop up, I search to see if you’ve answered. I love to read a lot of your answers, but I’ve never found mine. You must get hundreds of queries, so I can sympathize, but is there an easier way to know if or when I’ll get an answer for our problem? If you’re not able to respond, I’ll just give up scrolling through everything each time. I’d love to hear from you, but if it’s not possible, keep up the good work you do.

Laurinda Lee

Columbia, MD

ANSWER:

Hi Laurinda,

I am glad you brought this up as it has been a problem I have had rolling around in my head for a while as well.

For the record, if the problem is an emergency of any form, be it medical or behavioral, I send a response as quickly as possible to the person and then post it to the site in the order in which it was received. If I can, I will also email people for further information if their question is too vague for a clear response.

It is difficult to answer every question as we get hundreds of questions a month sent to us. I try to bring a variety of topics to the site each month as well as pick topics that will help educate all of us. For example, I know we have a dozen posts on the site dealing with dogs that eat cat poop so I no longer answer them, hoping that the person who is asking the question will do a search on their own.

So my wonderful readers, how would you like to me tackle this problem? I work a month in advance in most cases and could easily send a quick email stating when the Answer will be posted. I could also send the response but does that lessen the fun and anticipation for it to then be posted? Maybe not as a lot of the interest comes from the comments and what other people have to say? What do you think?

Ann

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Our Database of Doggy Professionals is Building!

Ann Lockley — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:59:48 +0000

Hello everyone!

Thank you!

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How Can I Get My Dog Used to Topknots?

Ann Lockley — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:04:36 +0000

Question:

I have a 4-month old shih tzu/maltese. I really want him to get used to tying his hair. But whenever I try, he would lie down on his back or roll. One time I tried to force him. He squirmed so much and he whined and barked a little. I don’t want to do that again. What can I do to make him get used to topknots?

Dana

ANSWER:

Hi Dana,

After all the years of answering readers questions in dog columns for newspapers, magazines and now this blog, I have never had anyone ask me that question. And as bad as it sounds, I do not have any specific experience with shih tzu top knots. However, this is where we turn to our wonderful readers and ask for their assistance:

Does anyone have specific experience with getting young dogs used to their top knots?

My suggestions would be using a distraction while you are putting it in such as a peanut butter in a Kong if you can do it while he is lying down to eat or even a bit of peanut butter on the top of his nose. If you have a friend handy that is willing to help, try getting them to hold a bit of soft dog treat tight in their hand with only a small hole with which to bite off a tiny bit at a time. Make him work to get it. This trick is often incorporated for trimming toenails, removing stitches, or anything where you need the dog to refrain from moving.

My other thought would be using something in his topknot that is quick to put in such as a barrette instead of an elastic band. Could it be the amount of time it takes to wind the elastic band around the top knot that is driving him crazy? Hard to say.

Make sure that you are telling him he is a good dog when he sits still and discouraging his whining, barking and rolling over antics with a ‘eh eh eh’ noise. A solid stay command will help as well.

Does anyone else have any suggestions? I am at a loss on this problem I’m afraid!

Ann

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What Breed of Dog Am I?

Ann Lockley — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:41:35 +0000

Question:

Hi!!! We recently adopted a stray dog and we have NO idea what kind of dog she is OR her age and we’d really like some feedback. We want to give Charlie the best care possible! We believe she’s a Shepard-cross for sure, but crossed with what?- we have no clue. She has very shiny fur, coat is very pliable and her teeth are like brand new. She still pees when she gets excited and she’s not at ALL housetrained, but INCREDIBLY smart. She’s orange like a fox, but has Shepard features and a white-tipped tail and white ‘collar’ markings. We’ve been told part Basenji, part coyote, even border collie- but we’re still not sure and we’re really interested about her age. We’d GREATLY appreciate some feedback- thanks so much!

ANSWER:

Hi everyone,

I contacted Sarah for some pictures of Charlie and she forwarded me quite a few. I am not sure how well they will show up on the GDB but I am hoping we can get some help figuring out what Charlie could be breed wise. I say Smooth Coated Collie crossed with a German Shepherd. What do you guys say?

Ann

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