This is Not Underwear

I have mentioned before that I'm a big car barker in the car.  My mom got me some music which helped a lot but I still like to bark at things.  My vet recommended the Thunder Shirt (because we already had one) to see if that would keep me calmer in the car as it has helped with visitors and thunder.  That didnt' help too much in the car though.  She said if that didn't work to try the Calming Cap. So a few weeks ago my mom ordered me this contraption and when it arrived a few days ago she decided to give it a try.

This is what the website says about it:

The directions on how to get the thing on were a little hard to understand but once she figured out how it was supposed to attach to my collar in two places we got it on.  I wasn't so sure about this thing but I kept getting chicken (one of my favorite) treats so I put up with it.



Just chillin at home with my Calming Cap

We tried it at home a bit and my mom made me walk around and I was able to find my food bowl and my treats.  Next came the big test though - wearing it in the car.

My mom got me in the car (with my cap on) to go to class.  We passed bicylists, trucks, people walking - all the stuff I usually love to bark at and nothing.  While at a stop sign my mom got a quick picture of me with the cap on.


Me not barking at anything in the car.

 This picture caused a lot of ruckus with my mom's friends the other day. One asked if there was a calming cap for lawyers, several thought I was wearing underwear on my head and one thought I was so anxious in the car because my mom was taking pictures instead of driving (we were at a stop light). 

So far so good but we'll have to see if I use my spidey sense of hearing (notice those long ears) to determine when there is a bike or big truck nearby and still bark.  My mom is hoping this will retrain me to ride in the car without being agitated at everything and then I won't have to wear the underwear - I mean calming cap - all the time.  We shall see.

Let There Be Light

While we live in the city and on fairly busy street there are little to no streetlights on the sidewalks around our house. All the neighbors appear to go to bed before 8:00 p.m. as well so there is never any light coming from houses. This has made for some interesting nighttime walks with Chopper.

First you must understand that although Chopper is a large dog he can be skittish at times - he will run away from a 12lb dog if it growls at him and jumps when a door slams. At night, however, this fear means that he will bark (loudly) at noises. While we have this under more control now in the last few years if he feels like something or someone is sneaking up on him he will become a barking lunatic at night. The problem is you can't really see Chopper at night - what with the no street lights and the fact that a majority of his fur is black - he just kind of blends in. In attempt to help with this problem I have gone through numerous light devices in order to let others know Chopper is there and to keep us safe.

The first thing we tried was some little blinky light on his collar. Didn't last. Chopper likes to shake his head around a lot which made the light turn off. Also it fell off once and got lost. After we went through two of those I gave up.

Next I got a headlamp. Now this actually worked quite well but I looked kind of ridiculous and the elastic band kind of hurt my head. I keep this in my backpack for when we hike now (one time we got stuck out late and the stupid blinky light on Chopper was the only light we had - out of five people and five dogs.)

Next I bought this light that clipped on the leash and held poo bags. The double duty of this product is what seemed to have made it completely non-functional. First the hook was too small for our leash so we had to upgrade to a bigger hook. To turn it on you had to twist the top, which was also the way you put the bags in it and the batteries - which meant the whole thing often came apart. If you dropped it while pulling out a bag you ended up with a string of bags and the whole contraption would fall on the floor and break. I dealt with this for a week and thought we would take our chances without a light again.

A few weeks ago at the American Family Pet Expo, however, we came across a brand new product: PupLight. I liked that I could see it on a real dog before I bought it and the couple selling them (and their dog) were super friendly. It is an elastic collar that you can just slip over the dog's head - one size fits all - and is super bright. We've been using it for about a week now and it is working great. Takes regular batteries and doesn't turn off with a little head shake.




Here is Chopper modeling the PupLight.




You can see how bright the light is.

I was with a friend and we bought six so we got them for $10 each - I think they are more expensive if you buy just one though. Either way I like it. I can see what Chopper is looking at (no more eating weird stuff on our nighttime walks) and it purports to keep away other animals - since we have coyotes and skunks where I live that was a selling point for me. Also if your dog gets away from you and has the light on you can see where he went. And it serves its original of people being able to see Chopper at night. All in all we are pretty happy with it.

Jonathan Adler Pet Accessories

I love my dog but even I have some limits on how much I am willing to spend on things like dog bowls and beds but that doesn't' mean that I haven't always really wanted some Jonathan Adler Pet Accessories. I'm not sure at the end of the day though that a llama wool pet bed is really practical for the Chops.

Imagine my shock yesterday to quite by accident discover that Jonathan Adler has designed a set of collars and leads (which I found for sale at Lifeguard Press). And which are brightly colored and fantastic.

My favorite is the Chevron collar.

The collars come in two sizes and four designs and there are matching leads as well. One or two of the collars will likely find their way to our house very soon. (Probably won't be buying a lead though - we have a leather lead which was expensive but one of the best things I ever bought and is so much more comfortable than any other lead we've ever had.)

A Bedtime Story

We go through a lot of beds at my house - my mom only has one bed and hasn't got a new bed the whole time I've known her but I've had LOTS of beds.  Now don't go thinking I'm spoiled or destroying beds all the time (though both of those are a little true.)

My first bed was purchased the same day I was adopted.  It was a smaller bed as I was much smaller than (only 43 lbs v. 70 lbs).  I liked that bed a lot so my mom bought me the same bed for the living room - she didn't want to keep moving the bed around. 

Then I got bigger and the bed got smaller and I was still a puppy so sometimes I would chew the corners on those beds.  My mom would sew up the corners and I would chew them again - it was a fun game but eventually the zippers didn't work anymore and when my mom washed the whole bed it was lumpy.  I don't like lumpy beds.

So then the great bed search began.  My mom decided I would like a bed with a bumper on it.  She searched and searched and finally bought me my first big bed.  My Aunt Joey called it a "condo" because it was so big.  My buddy Mumble could fit on that bed with me no problem.  We also got a cot for the living room about the same time (which is my "place" and where I am supposed to go when my mom says "go to your place").



This is me on the "condo" after it was moved to the living room.  That's my monkey blanket in the corner that my grandma made me - it has monkeys on it because that is my nickname.  I love that blanket.

 After a few years  my mom got tired of having the "condo" take up so much space in the bedroom and she moved it onto the place and got me a smaller bed from Molly Mutt.  She liked that bed so much she got me another one for the car.  The good thing about the Molly Mutt beds are when the cover wears out or if I chew it we can just buy a new cover!

This is my Molly Mutt bed that stays in the bedroom.  It is comfy.



This is my Molly Mutt bed for the car.



Things were going well for awhile but recently the "condo" has started to get a little shabby looking and last week when my mom washed it one of the zippers broke.  (Also someone chewed one of the inside pieces one time but I don't know who.)  So we had this bed for a week with one bumper falling out and my mom was getting antsy.  The problem with the "condo" was that after my mom ordered it she realized that she couldn't order replacement covers for it so now when the zipper broke and the material started to wear out there wasn't much we could do.

So last weekend my mom went to a Pet Expo in Orange County.  She was perusing the aisles and came across the booth for Jax and Bones.  They sell some nice beds.  They only had one large bed left and it was the end of the day on Sunday - so they made my mom a deal.  So my mom got me the lounge bed in a red, white and blue fabric and made sure that we could order a replacement cover.  My mom got me this super duper $249 bed for only $75!  It has bumpers on all four sides and the pillow comes out too.  This fabric happens to be indoor or outdoor fabric as well (I'm not sleeping outside though) but they have LOTS of options on the website.  Knowing my mom she is already deciding which replacement cover she will get (I'm guessing black and white to match our living room).



This is my new bed - so far I think I'm going to like it.  (That's my stuffed Bolt in the corner - sometimes I like to snuggle with him when I go to sleep.)



And I slept happily ever after.

The Dirt Dog v. Chopper

I do not like the Dirt Dog.  My mom thinks it is pretty great though.

The Dirt Dog arrived on Monday while my mom was at work - in a nice brown box on the porch.  I love when packages come because most of the time they are for me and I like to bark at the delivery person.  She came home and was very excited and told me there was a "new dog" in the box.  I jumped up and sniffed and didn't smell a dog but was still happy there was a box.  Then she just left the box there.  The next day she opened it and there was no dog inside, or treats, or anything else that looked like fun.  I lost interest.

The next morning I was taking a nap before my morning walk and I heard it.  There was a yellow disc - this so-called Dirt Dog - running all over the house.  I barked at it and kept barking until my mom turned it off.  Then she put some treats on it but I'm no fool - I was not getting near that thing.  Then it beeped and started running around again.  I barked at it some more and she turned it off.  Once it was off I still didn't trust it and thought I had to keep my eye on it.



Chopper keeping an eye on the Dirt Dog.

 When she got home from work last night she brought the Dirt Dog back out and I got locked in the bedroom.  I barked a little but since the door was closed (and the doggy gate was up as an extra barrier) I felt pretty safe so I stopped.  This morning it got locked in the bedroom while I went on a walk so I guess we are even.

My mom thinks that it is pretty great.  It sweeps everything while we go for a walk or watch television. (This morning she got everything out from under the bed and it got it really clean under there.)  And it only took her about five minutes to do the maintenance this morning, which is very important since dog hair can get stuck in the brushes.  All in all I guess it is a good thing but I still don't like it.

We're Getting a New Dog

My mom informed me last night that we were getting a new dog.  He will apparently not make any messes but will clean up all of mine.  I am intrigued by this new dog and not sure I will be happy when he arrives. His name is "Dirt Dog" and he's not a dog at all but a robot sweeper (the less expensive cousin of a Roomba which is a robot vacuum). 

My mom has been threatening to get one of these for quite some time and since it is the time of year that her allergies begin to act up and I shed a lot she finally got one.  The Dirt Dog is made for shops but my mom read lots of reviews that it is great at picking up dog hair (which is our main problem) so she ordered one.  We'll have to let you know how it goes once we get it.

Howl-o-Ween Costumes

One of my mom's favorite holidays is Halloween, which means that I get to get dressed up in a silly costume.  I tolerate it because she enjoys it so much and I do get a lot of attention and people telling me I'm handsome so I don't mind.

One year I was Elvis and one year we were both bees.  This year my mom decided that we would have a theme - Alice in Wonderland.  So she went to work trying to find me the perfect outfit.  Now when you're a 70 pound coonhound it is not always easy to find the perfect outfit but lo and behold we found a shop on Etsy, Young Urban Puppy, that custom made a Mad Hatter costume for me.

Here I am at the end of the night in my costume after all the trick-or-treaters had already left.

The best part is that we won the Silliest Costume at the Zoom Room Culver City Halloween Party.  My mom is already making plans for next year.

Yep Yup Dog Door Organizer

My mom likes for everything to be organized.  She is always putting my toys away in a bin (even when I purposefully put something under the couch or under the bed).  Recently she came across the Yep Yup Dog Door Organizer.

Very cute.  And it came in a bunch of different colors.  The only problem was the price ($59 plus shipping and handling).  It just so happened that this was the perfect size for the door of the dog/broom closet though.  She tried to find another one that was similar in size - she searched the bargain stores, the Internet, you name it but they were all big and made for shoes.  Then she did what I knew she would do anyway and bought it for me!!!

Pros:  Shipping was SUPER QUICK!  We received the item before we received the email that it had even shipped.  It easily installed on the door of the closet with two nails (and then after we decided we didn't like those and replaced it with two plastic hooks).

Cons:  The website measurement did not take into account that nifty little hook that sticks out to hold my leash.  It wouldn't fit on our door with that so my mom had to take some pliers and remove it.  We can still put it up with screws on the door though if we want to.  Also the organizer comes with these tiny little silver tags that say "snacks," or "collars" or "grooming" and we didn't necessarily want to put those items in those pockets.  (For most people this would be a minor inconvenience but my mom didn't quite know what to do at first.  Eventually she just sucked it up and put what I wanted in there.)

Here is a before picture of the dog/broom closet door:



You can see that there wasn't much going on here except for a dispenser for my - um waste disposal bags - and some photocopied directions for my mom on how to brush my teeth.

Here it is once we got the doggy organizer installed:

Here is the organizer installed - note we removed the nice leash hook - but there is a picture of some dog I don't know.

Here it is all loaded up with my goodies and a picture of me:



My yepyup holding all of my goodies!


As you may have noticed the rest of the closet got a little bit of a makeover too - my mom was inspired by my need to be organized and did the entire broom closet.  Now I don't need to be scared of a broom falling on me anymore.

We have had this a few weeks now and it is super convenient.  My mom keeps some treats in the top pockets and can give them to me right before she leaves the house.  It also means that everything she could need for me if we are going on an outing is in one place - no more dragging a chair over to get stuff down from a high cabinet.

Pledge Fabric Sweeper for Pet Hair

My mom hates when my hair gets all over the place.  Sometimes she makes me get my hair cut short to try and avoid the hair balls I leave all over the place.  She also tries to keep me off the furniture but I sneak up when she's not looking and also I love to rub up against the couch leaving my hair all over the place.  She got tired of vacuuming the furniture all the time and those sticky rolls never seemed to work that well.  Then we discovered the Pledge Fabric Sweeper.

It is easy to use and doesn't leave any of my hair behind.  My mom uses it on our couches and on her white duvet cover (which I love to rub up against in the morning).  It gets rid of all of my black hair and my tan hair too.  My mom keeps a few around the house at all times.

One thing we don't like about it is that we have to throw it away when it gets filled up.  We wish that there was some way to remove the hair and keep using it to pick up hair.  Also it says that it works in the car but we haven't had much luck with getting it to work on the rug in the car.

My Favorite Music: Through A Dog's Ear

I love to ride in the car.  I also love to bark in the car. I bark at big trucks, bicycles, joggers, other dogs, and anything else strikes my fancy -  wagging my tail the whole time.  My mom, however, does not like it when I bark in the car.

She tried to get me to stop barking by throwing treats at me (or yelling at me) but I ride all the way in the back of our SUV so there wasn't much she could do.  Then she found out about Through A Dog's Ear.  Through a Dog's Ear is a series of CDs with classical music that has been specially formulated for dogs.  The website states that it "uses psychoacoustic techniques that naturally trigger the relaxation or arousal response."  My mom says it is "research-based" and she liked that so we ordered the whole set.  There were some CDs for when I was home alone, one for when my mom was home with me and one for the car.

Via Through a Dog's Ear

We started with the CDs in the house and then used the car CD for short trips to condition me to the music.  After awhile I didn't seem to want to bark (as much at least) at all the exciting things outside.  Now I can just look out the rear window and enjoy the scenery.   After a few months I got so used to the music that my mom can put it on if I am barking at something and I almost instantly stop.  I just LOVE that music.  My mom loves it too and she seems much less stressed when we have to go in the car.  Now if only we could figure out how to play it when I'm on my walk and passing a garbage truck.

We highly recommend that you check these out if your dog (or you) are ever stressed in the car (or at home).

Molly Mutt

We have lots of beds at my house.  My mom has one bed and I have three.  I have a cot, a giant bed in the living room and a smaller bed in "my room."  My mom was always complaining that none of my beds were "cute."

Then we found Molly Mutt.  Molly Mutt sells dog beds but these are not your run of the mill dog beds.  Molly Mutt offers duvet covers that you can stuff with your mom's old clothes, your favorite old blanket or anything else you want.  You can buy a stuff sack to help keep all that stuff in one place.  My mom ordered me one and I just love it.

Here I am enjoying my Molly Mutt Title Track Duvet with a Stuff Sack

We just ordered another one for the car and I can't wait until it gets here (because one of my favorite things to do is bark at people who deliver stuff to my house).  My mom didn't have anything to stuff in it so we ordered some stuffing.  The beds come in three sizes and I am pretty comfortable on the Medium/Large.  I LOVE to sleep and I sleep all night on this bed and even sneak away during the day to  take a nap on it.  My mom likes that she can take the duvet off and wash it with my other linens.  She will even vacuum it sometimes (which I do not like).   Molly Mutt is always getting new duvets in and they even have cat beds too.