Even though a good bath is one of the kindest things you can give your shelter’s dogs, chances are they’re not going to see it that way. But while you probably won’t win the hearts of all canines by getting them wet, you can make the experience more pleasant for both you and the dogs if you follow these steps. These instructions are appropriate for friendly shelter dogs in need of just a bit of cleaning. Heavily matted or aggressive dogs should be handled by a professional groomer.

1. Put on Your Wet Suit

ThinkstockEven the most docile dog may struggle or squirm during a bath, so be sure to put on a smock to keep yourself from getting soaked. The best location for bathing a dog is in a room with a closed door; this will prevent a wet and nervous dog from fleeing through the building should she get away from you. Make sure that the dog stands on a non-skid surface during her bath. Before beginning, have your supplies ready: brush, shampoo, detangler, mineral oil, cotton balls, and a muzzle or harness (if you plan to use one). That way, you don’t have to leave a possibly frightened dog in the room by herself.

2. Prepare the Pooch

Before starting the bath, you may want to let the dog get accustomed to you, and give her a chance to relieve herself. If the animal is particularly nervous, consider muzzling her and asking a partner to help you. Try to comb out major snarls in the dog’s fur, and trim her nails to keep her from clawing you accidentally. Put a drop of mineral oil in each of the dog’s eyes and cotton balls in her ears to keep water and soap from getting in them. Be sure to remove the cotton balls after the bath!

3. Lather, Rinse, Repeat

If the dog is heavy, don a back brace. Then lift the dog into the tub. Use a lightweight spray hose that can be maneuvered with one hand. Test the water temperature before spraying the dog, then gently get the dog used to the temperature by spraying water on her back and shoulders. After the dog relaxes, begin washing her head and then move gradually toward her rear; this will prevent fleas from moving up her body and congregating on her head and face. Lather the animal with a mild shampoo formulated for dogs. The active ingredient should be chlorhexidine, which is mildly antiseptic. If you must use an insecticide, use a gentle pyrethrin-based shampoo, and be sure to follow the safety instructions on the bottle. Oatmeal shampoos are good for dogs with itchy skin.

4. Make Fluffy Fluffy

Scrub and rinse the dog thoroughly. Soap stays in the fur long after it seems to be gone, so keep rinsing. When you finish, rub the dog down thoroughly with towels. Don’t put a wet dog back in her cageit’s okay if she’s just damp, especially if you have a climate-controlled facility. If you use an automated dryer that hangs on the front of the cage, test the temperature of the air before aiming it toward the dog, and check on the animal at least every 15 minutes or so to make sure she’s comfortable.

5. Suds Up the Puppies

Puppies have special bathing needs. Don’t use an insecticidal shampoo on a puppy unless the shampoo is formulated specifically for puppies and the puppy actually has fleas. With a young dog, it’s especially important to use warm water and make his bathing experience pleasant, using just the right combination of gentleness and firmness. If you are kind and sensitive to their fears, puppies will begin to regard their baths with pleasure rather than dread, making life more pleasant for you, for the puppies, and eventually for their adoptive families.

 

Want to make any easy dog-treat that you and your dog can both enjoy? Try our easy recipe for Pup-tato Skins using only a couple of ingredients. Whether you are “tail”-gating, making Irish Nachos for St. Patrick’s Day or just looking for an easy treat to try, these dog-friendly spuds are sure to be a crowd-pleaser. As with any treat, feed in moderation, especially if it’s your first time feeding a particular snack.

Ingredients:

Fingerling or small yellow or red potatoes

You can also use full size russet potatoes, but you will need to cut them into smaller pieces.

Make sure they are an appropriate size for your dog so that they do not pose as a choking hazard.

Olive oil to lightly coat potatoes

Shredded cheese (1 tsp per potato)

Directions:

Lightly coat potatoes with olive oil

Place potatoes on a lined sheet pan

Bake at 450 until fork-tender; about 45 min depending on the size of your potatoes

When potatoes are cool, cut in half lengthwise

Scoop out some of the potato to create a small well in your potato

Place potatoes back onto the baking sheet and sprinkle cheese into the well you have created

Bake again at 450 for 7-8 minutes or until cheese has melted

For Humans: The potatoes are good as is, but if you like a little more salt in your snacks, salt the potatoes before baking them. You can also add a little bacon and sour cream to impress your human guests.

One day as I watched my daughter’s Australian Shepherd, Cooper, and Labrador-mixed-breed, Kane, paddling in a lake, I noticed a rather significant variance in swimming form and style.

Kane’s webbed paws and strong legs moved him gracefully on the top of the water, his tail a remarkably effective rudder. Cooper, on the other hand, relied mainly on athleticism and determination. His paddling was powerful; his style was sub-par. But ever the herding dog, Cooper happily followed Kane back and forth in the water. As he grew tired, his “never give up” solution was to try to hitch a ride on Kane’s back. Thankfully Kane is as strong as an ox, and ridiculously tolerant about being his brother’s keeper, and/or his lifeboat.

Swimming skills run the gamut with dog breeds. Most sporting breeds swim well; many hounds and herding breeds swim okay. Some individual dogs, regardless of breed, either love or despise water. Practice can help, but generally a dog’s swimming ability is inherent. Let’s take a look at a sampling of renowned swimmers, and then end with a few land-lubbers.

8 Dog Breeds Born to Swim

1. Chesapeake Bay Retriever

Chessies were developed as vigorous water retrievers, strong enough to swim in the cold, rough Chesapeake Bay, and retrieve a hundred birds per day. The Chessie has webbed feet to assist his Olympic-level swimming. Good luck tiring him out in the water throwing a ball.

2. Labrador Retriever

Predecessors of the Labrador Retriever worked with Newfoundland fisherman off the Labrador Sea shores. Renowned for energy in the water and out, the breed was further developed in England for hunting and retrieving. The powerful Lab has webbing between his toes and a strong otter-like tail for swimming. Odds are he’ll match his swimming talent with dock diving, if given the chance.

3. Newfoundland

The Newfoundland was bred to brave freezing cold waters as he worked with fishermen. Fantastic water rescue tales abound about the valiant Newfoundland. With his raw strength, webbed feet, and water resistant coat, the Newfoundland today can’t wait for the opportunity to take to the water. Hopefully his owner likes liquid of all sorts, given the Newfie’s famous drooling and slobbery kisses.

4. Portuguese Water Dog

Bred to accompany fisherman, Portuguese Water Dogs can dive as well as swim. Historically developed to dive for fish and retrieve nets, Portuguese Water Dogs also delivered messages between boats and guarded boats in port. Families today will find their Portuguese Water Dogs head straight into water when the opportunity presents. Getting the dog to come back to land may be more challenging.

5. Brittany

Developed to both point and retrieve, the Brittany became a popular gun dog in the early 20th century. His breed history lacks the swimming legacy of the water-retrievers, but he’s game for activity on both land and water. The Brittany has limitless energy, a wash-and-go coat, and — weighing in at about 30 pounds — he’ll hardly mess up your car after a swimming day.

6. Poodle

The Poodle breed name probably originates from the German Pudel, meaning “one who plays in water.” The famous Poodle clip in actuality was designed not for glamor, but to facilitate swimming. A Toy Poodle can swim too, but smaller dogs may tire over long distances.

7. Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever

Bred to toll, lure, and retrieve waterfowl, water might as well be this breeds middle name. Hunters took note the behavior of wild foxes, who playfully lured waterfowl to the shore making them easy pray and trained these dogs to mimic the action. Believed to be related to the Chesapeake Bay Retriever and the Brittany it’s no surprise that this breed is such a graceful swimmer.

8. Australian Shepherd

Now it’s time to defend Cooper and Aussies everywhere. Bred as an all-around working dog, Aussies can swim. They don’t have webbed feet or a rudder-like tail (or much of a tail at all for that matter). Their swimming will certainly lack the finesse of other water breeds. After all, Aussies were bred to help ranchers and herd livestock. Nevertheless, the endlessly energetic Aussie will work and play anywhere, including in the water.

4 Dog Breeds That are Less Likely Swimmers

1. Bulldog

Dogs bred with heavy chests relative to their hindquarters aren’t designed for swimming. Given their body type, paddling to carry their weight can be daunting if not impossible. While many are known to surf and skateboard they are happier going along for the ride than rowing their own boat. Many enjoy sitting in a kiddie pool, but anything deeper than that, get them a raft and a life jacket.

2. French Bulldog

Like the Bulldog, Frenchies are not buoyant by nature. The Frenchie won’t likely care about his aquatic inadequacy; he was bred for companionship, not athletic adventures. Owners inclined to take a Frenchie near water should invest in a dog life jacket. More About French Bulldogs>>

3. Basset Hound

Due their unique size and shape, Bassets more closely resemble an anchor than a swimming dog. Swimming can be a difficult feat for the Basset Hound. The breeds short legs, heavy front-end and drooping skin, makes it hard for them to keep their heads above the water. While they need a life jacket for anything deep, they will enjoy cooling off in shallow water. Sprinklers are probably a bit more their speed.

4. Pug

A breed with roots to antiquity, the Pug in the Toy Group was bred for friendship, not to work for a living. A few Pugs may enjoy a casual dip in the water, but the breed’s short snout contributes to his lack of stamina. Owners must supervise closely and fit the lif ejacket on the Pug…snug.

Moles, gophers and groundhogs aren’t the only animals with an innate predisposition for digging. Add Scruffy the burrowing dog to the list. Virtually any dog may find digging amusing, but several dog breeds in particular were selectively bred for their digging qualities.

Meet the Terriers

Deriving from the Latin word “terra,” meaning earth, the terrier breed group encompasses several dog breeds selectively bred to chase and kill a vast array of ground-dwelling critters. Not all dogs in the this group are avid diggers, though; the real experts in the field include many short-legged terriers, such as Bedlington terriers, border terriers, Parson Russell terriers, Norfolk terriers, Norwich terriers and Yorkshire terriers, to just name a few.

Burrowing Dogs

Another dog breed with a reputation for digging includes the dachshund. With a name originating from the German word for “badger dog,” you can’t go wrong on this fellow’s digging abilities. Indeed, this breed’s long-bodied appearance and short, stubby legs makes him perfect for flushing out badgers and other burrow-dwelling animals from their hiding spots.

Amatuer Diggers

While terriers and dachshunds are the diggers of the dog world, any dog breed may enjoy digging activities. Whether digging for curiosity, fun or frustration, or to hunt, it’s just one of those normal traits dogs will persist doing for one reason or another. And purebred dogs aren’t the only specimens blessed with this desire; indeed, even the average mutt may enjoy making a mine field out of your back yard.

An icon has died today and yes, I realize we don’t typically cover this type of celebrity news. But I could not help but feel compelled to write about and pay some kind of tribute to this amazing talented and unique, actor, comedian, father, husband and dog lover.

Various new sources popped up onto my screen, reporting the same sad news that less than a mile from my own home, Robin Williams was found dead in his house in Tiburon, California. According to law enforcement reports, the 63-year-old, apparently took his own life.

This hits close to home for many reasons, the first being that I live in Tiburon as well, growing up in Marin my husband even had the opportunity to meet him a couple of times, something I will be forever jealous of. As a kid and throughout my adulthood, I have thought there were two comedic geniuses of my lifetime: Mel Brooks and Robin Williams, but as a child of the 80’s, there is no question that Robin Williams was there at nearly every part of my childhood. I have seen nearly every movie he has every been in, watched his stand-up routines and was angry when they canceled his most recent show, The Crazy Ones. It is so sad to loose such an amazingly talented and creative individual.

Something not everyone may know is that Robin Williams was a dog lover, or rather, had a dog that he loved and was also a supporter of dog rescue. His Pug, “Leonard Bean” who was adopted from the Curly Tail Pug Rescue in New York city was regularly featured on the comedians twitter account.

My Dinner with Leonard. #recreatetheclassics

“I also have a gay rescue pug called Leonard, who I take for walks because I am very secure in my sexuality. He has a boyfriend and they are planning to adopt a Siamese kitten together. We’re very modern,” Williams says in a interview with the Telegraph.

In an AmA Williams told reddit, “for pure loyalty, there is nothing like a Pug.”

The two often donated images to rescues including a version of this one which was featured in the August calendar of Tony LaRussa’s Animal Rescue Foundation.

Earth Day might have you thinking how you can make a difference. While it’s always good to fit being green into your daily routine, have you ever considered a green vacation? Most people look at vacations as a way to escape their day-to-day and indulge, but what if there was a way to relax and give back all at the same time?

As part of new Stewardship Travel program in San Luis Obispo County, Calif., caring travelers can add a meaningful activity to their dog-friendly vacation. Stewardship Travel embodies ecotourism’s qualities of appreciation for place and culture, adventure, enjoyment and learning, but takes one step further by also providing clear opportunities to participate in regional conservation and preservation.

“Stewardship Travel offers visitors a lighter touch than a high intensity volunteer vacation,” explains Stewardship Travel Director and Diane Strachan. “For instance, WineCoastCountry’s Stewardship Travelers can pair a luxury spa visit with a brief dog friendly beach clean-up, followed by wine tasting from a Stewardship Traveler vintner that invites dogs, fine dining (without your dog) and a donation to the Pacific Wildlife Care Foundation.”

This mix means you can pamper yourself, your dog, and mother Earth at the same time – what could be better?

“Do good” vacationers can choose from itineraries in 10 destinations along Highway 1 of the Central California Coast including: Ragged Point/San Simeon, Cambria, Cayucos, unincorporated Morro Bay, Los Osos/Baywood Park, Avila Beach and Valley, Edna Valley, Arroyo Grande Valley, Oceano and Nipomo.

Each offers activities where dogs are invited to join their owner in demonstrating their philanthropic side:

Avila Beach and Valley – Stewardship Traveler dogs (especially retrievers!) and their owners can visit Avila Beach and pick up a Stewardship Beach Cleanup Kit at participating lodging properties to look for flotsam, jetsam, and plastic litter harmful to wildlife (best to explore the beach after storms). Avila has a special dog run beach north of town. Dogs are also welcome on the public beach before 10 a.m. and after 5 p.m.

Cayucos – Stewardship Traveler Dogs may accompany Stewardship Traveler owners on the dog friendly beach in Cayucos and help pick up the poop left behind my not so caring dog owners. Often times good intentioned people forget their green bagged dog poop on the beach. Poop bags are to be found at almost every beach access point in Cayucos.

Lopez Lake Recreation Area – Leashed pooches can join their guardians at one of the top choices for camping and leisure trips featuring 22 miles of shoreline, there’s something for everyone: camping, fishing, boating, skiing, sailing, windsurfing, picnicking, hiking, equestrian trails, mountain biking, canoeing, bird watching, hanging out with your dog, and so much more. Dogs cannot swim in the lake but can take the natural history boat cruise.

Pismo State Beach – From late October to February, leashed dogs and their guardians can marvel as thousands of black and gold Monarch butterflies cluster in the limbs of a Eucalyptus grove at Pismo State Beach, providing an amazing glimpse of nature in all her vibrant glory. This colony, easily accessible from Highway 1, is one of the largest in the nation, hosting an average of 50,000 butterflies every year.

San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden – Leashed canines are invited to the Botanical Gardens (although not during activities or events.) Featuring the diverse plant life of the Mediterranean climate zones of the world, this Botanical Garden provides opportunities for education, recreation, conservation and research. Through special programs and facilities, the Garden fosters an appreciation and understanding of the relationship between people and nature, and encourages a sense of stewardship toward the environment.

You know all that doggy butt-sniffing that we humans seem to find either appalling or hilarious? Ever ask yourself what that’s all about?

ThinkstockYou may not think of that dog in your bed as a predator, but at heart, he is. And like all predators, your dog has anal sacs (anal glands) located on both sides and slightly below his anus. They produce fluid with a distinctive odor that identifies him and tells other dogs his sex, approximate age, health status, and other things.

Healthy anal glands express, or empty, this fluid when the dog has a bowel movement. Unfortunately, some anal glands don’t work as they should because of inherited malformations, or because of a history of poor-quality foods that produce poor-quality bowel movements.

If the anal glands don’t empty properly, they can become impacted, making bowel movements difficult or painful, and potentially leading to infections or abscesses.

It’s not uncommon for a rescued dog to have a history of anal gland problems. Your dog may damage the delicate tissue around his anus in his attempts to relieve his own discomfort, so if you see him biting at his butt, or scooting it along the ground, take him to the vet.

Impacted anal glands can often be relieved by manually expressing, or squeezing out, the fluid they contain. This is a very smelly process, but if you’re game you can have your vet or groomer teach you how to do it. Most people whose dogs need their anal glands expressed periodically prefer to pay to have it done.

If your dog’s anal glands get impacted frequently, ask your vet to recommend a high-fiber diet to create bulkier stools. If that doesn’t work, and if your dog has repeated infections or abscesses from impaction, the anal glands may need to be removed.