Dog Friendly Together Blog - General

Your Dog, Lyme Disease and You

nospam@example.com (Mike) — Fri, 15 May 2015 19:09:00 +0100

What do you know about Lyme disease? If the answer is, “Er, what’s that?” or “Not much,” and you have a dog that you like to exercise in the countryside then you need to know more. It is a very nasty condition which, in the UK mainly affects deer, sheep, rodents, dogs and humans.
Continue reading "Your Dog, Lyme Disease and You"

Is keeping a dog good for you?

nospam@example.com (Mike) — Fri, 08 May 2015 06:13:45 +0100

Well, it all depends. It depends on several factors. The negative factors focus mainly on the potential for a dog, like any other animal, to be a source of infections and infestations detrimental to human health.

The positive benefits to human health are perceived to arise from the psychological and emotional aspects of dog ownership. The physical benefits of taking healthy exercise are well recognised.

Overall, the health benefits of dog ownership would seem to outweigh any negative aspects by a considerable margin. Scientists have always shied away from coming down firmly on one side or the other probably due to the paucity of properly controlled research. However scientific opinion does now appear to be swinging towards the positive.

Continue reading "Is keeping a dog good for you?"

Britain’s Dogs Boost Economic Recovery!

nospam@example.com (Mike) — Mon, 13 Apr 2015 11:27:54 +0100

A headline you are probably unlikely to see in your morning newspaper? Yes, but maybe you should! Combing the internet seeking a canine connected topic for this month I found many companies who exist to supply all those items that the 21st Century dog owner finds essential to his or her dog’s lifestyle. The first thing that struck me was the sheer number of companies competing for the privilege of supplying those needs. Even restricting the search to the UK still left a surprising number and that’s just on-line suppliers. There are all the local pet shops too.
Continue reading "Britain’s Dogs Boost Economic Recovery!"

Not all Dogs Have Four Legs; The origins of doggy words and phrases!

nospam@example.com (Mike) — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 16:43:20 +0000

Have you ever thought about the significance of dogs and dog references in our everyday use of language? It may be peculiar to the English language of course but even then, with English being spoken by such a large part of the world’s population the canine connection is pretty significant. Consider, if you will, these examples in no particular order.

Continue reading "Not all Dogs Have Four Legs; The origins of doggy words and phrases!"

Attacks on Assistance Dogs An Increasing Problem

nospam@example.com (Mike) — Tue, 20 Jan 2015 17:51:57 +0000

Dogs have been in the news recently for undesirable reasons, namely an alarmingly high incidence of attacks on guide dogs and other assistance dogs by other dogs. Most people’s reaction to hearing this is likely to be something on the lines of, “That’s appalling! Something needs to be done to stop it!” Fair comment, but what exactly is to be done about it? Well, apparently about half of these attacks occur when the aggressor is actually on a lead. This would indicate that the human handler is either incapable of controlling the dog properly or simply doesn’t care. Assuming the latter category only accounts for a very small minority we are left with lack of training on the part of the handler and probably the dog as well and lack of experience maybe.
Continue reading "Attacks on Assistance Dogs An Increasing Problem"

Do Dogs Understand English (or any other human tongue)?

nospam@example.com (Mike) — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 11:01:10 +0000

...Or do they react solely to the tone of voice we use to differentiate between praise, reprimand or command. If you have a dog in your household, you’ll be well aware of how acutely he or she appears to understand those variations. Scientists across the world know that too. Studies and experiments to discover whether dogs understand more than we think they do, or not as the case may be continue and some of their findings are quite fascinating and may be significant.
Continue reading "Do Dogs Understand English (or any other human tongue)? "

Yellow Dog Scheme

nospam@example.com (Mike) — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 10:35:58 +0000

Yellow dogs? Oh come on! Who’s ever seen a yellow dog? They come in white, black, all sorts of browns and various combinations of those sorts of colour, but yellow? Well it may come as a surprise if you’ve never heard of the scheme but you may well have seen a yellow dog without realising you have! That sounds surprising but, okay we’ll come clean and reveal that it’s not actually the dogs that are yellow. It’s not a publicity stunt with dogs dyed yellow or anything like that. What is yellow is a ribbon or bandana attached to the dog or its leash.
Continue reading "Yellow Dog Scheme"

Doq quotes and quotes about dogs!

nospam@example.com (Mike) — Thu, 04 Sep 2014 12:11:47 +0100

Dog quotes are often shared with us on Facebook and Twitter, and we have stumbled across a few other quotes about dogs at various times when working on this project. Here are some of our favourite canine sayings, phrases and musings by dog lovers, celebrities and people cleverer than us!
Continue reading "Doq quotes and quotes about dogs!"

Taking your dog on holiday - a dog friendly guide!

nospam@example.com (Mike) — Mon, 28 Jul 2014 11:42:11 +0100

It’s holiday time! Being a caring sort of dog owner you want to take your four-legged friend with you so you’ve opted for a holiday in the UK; what people nowadays, when holidays abroad seem to be regarded by many as essential, call a "staycation". But it’s a good call; you’ll avoid all that hassle with airports, passports out of date or left at home and currency exchange.

These islands have lots to offer the holidaymaker even if the weather can be quite interesting at times! You’ve found one or more of the many dog-friendly places to stay using DogFriendlyTogether.co.uk so you’re about ready for the off. Now’s the time to think about one or two factors concerning travels with a canine companion.

UK Holidays usually involve fairly long journeys by car; almost certainly longer than your usual drives. Dogs don’t usually enjoy long car journeys. Dogs are generally active, energetic animals. The long periods of forced inactivity are anathema to them. They get bored easily just like children. Unlike a child however your dog can’t keep asking, “Are we nearly there yet? Every few minutes! He’ll probably just curl up and sulk so at least make sure he can do so in comfort. Provide an extra blanket if it’s not too warm already. Make sure he has a good supply of water. Dogs can get dehydrated very quickly. They get overheated in cars too so ensure there is sufficient ventilation.

Of course all that water going in has to come out sooner or later so make fairly frequent stops for canine comfort breaks: Human ones too if you stop at the right places. While the dog is out of the car give him a reasonable walk to exercise his legs and burn off some accumulated energy.

When you arrive at your destination remember your dog needs to adjust to strange new surroundings just as you do. Dogs take longer to adjust than humans so remember to allow for that. Bringing familiar things from home such as his own bedding and his favourite toys will help enormously and your dog will thank you for it in his own way. Do the same as you would for a small child and you won’t go far wrong.

As soon as you get there, check out the outdoor areas and make sure they are secure enough to let your dog explore properly. He’ll want to do that on his own. Once you are happy that it’s safe to do so, walk the dog around the area so he can get his bearings and help him find the most suitable place to answer his calls of nature. He will need to mark out his new territory of course, in his own way.

Remember, dogs have no concept of “holidays” so being uprooted and taken away for a week or two and then brought back home, can be confusing for them. The suggestions made here should help to minimise the stress on dog and owner. That way you’ll enjoy your well earned break all the more in the company of a contented canine.

Dog and children

nospam@example.com (Mike) — Mon, 07 Jul 2014 22:17:15 +0100

Most children relate well to dogs unless they have a bad experience involving a dog which may have involved the child being bitten or even just severely frightened. Either way, the child is then likely to immediately acquire a fear and dislike of the entire canine species, which is a great pity. It follows that such experiences are best avoided, especially when the child is at a very impressionable age.

Continue reading "Dog and children"

Environmentally friendly doggy poo bags

nospam@example.com (Mike) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 13:08:24 +0000

I was a little dismayed recently to find out that despite dog waste bins being filled and collected separately to the main rubbish, it still goes to the landfill, the same place as the rest of our rubbish. Makes sense really when you think about it, as while the poo itself is of course completley biodegradable, very often the plastic bags it's collected in isn't.

All responsible dog owners should pick up after their pooch. That's a given, or at least it should be!

However, here at DogFriendlyTogether we believe that responsible dog owners should take it a stage further and look after the environment that we are trampling all over each day too. So make a little effort and aim to pick up and dispose of the poo using an environmentally friendly, biodegradable bag.

We've been trying a few out and recommend Oxo Biodegradable Dog Poop Bags x 500 (Click here) from Amazon which are "dirt cheap" if you pardon the pun, are really strong and big enough to handle even the larger breeds deposits. Mike