For the past year I cook the Dachshunds chicken and pumpkin dog food.  It is extremely healthy for them and has enough fiber to help with the anal glads which Odie has a problem with.

It is a real simple recipe where I place two frozen chicken breasts purchased in bulk from Costco and add in a half-pound of frozen squash and cook on high for about 15 minutes.

The food comes out steaming hot and takes about 5 minutes for it to cool of before the dogs can eat it.  So I prepare it and leave it out on the counter top to cool but Chloe starts barking and Odie starts whining and Molly eventually chimes in.

It’s not too bad of a dish if you add some salt and pepper for yourself.

Odie decided to try his “ear” at painting today.  Somehow he dipped his right ear into a can of latex paint and decided to paint the carpet and couch and my wife.  My wife didn’t know about it cause she was taking a nap on the couch and of course the paint got all over her too.

Odie is simply a fantastic artist for a dog!

Oleander

We have many Oleander bushes/trees around the house and we’re always cleaning up after flowers and leafs that continually fall off.  When we play outside with the dogs, we throw the ball in the opposite direction of the Oleanders towards the Sago Palm.  Some symptoms that your dog may have eating parts of an Oleander are:

• Severe vomiting
• Abnormal heart rate
• Weakness
• Shock
• Death

Sago Palm

Our single Sago Palm lies at the end path where the ball lands.  I didn’t even know that this plant was dangerous to our Dachshunds.  Sago Palm toxicity may include:

• Vomiting
• Bloody stools
• Liver failure
• Stomach lining damage
• Death

Tulip and Daffodil Bulbs

The Dachshund is a good digger with strong front legs that were breed to root out Badgers in Germany.  I often worried that our dogs would dig a hole and get out under the fence.  But they never have and have not “rooted” in our Tulip and Daffodil patch.   Lucky for us, these bulbs are toxic to dogs and may cause:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Abdominal pain
• Abnormal heart rate
• Changes in respiration

Azalea

Odie and Molly always eat the grass/weeds around one of our many Azalea bushes.  Who knows if they’re eating part of the Azalea while chomping down on a leaf?  At least they don’t have these symptoms:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Neurological signs
• Heart arrhythmias

We often wonder why our dogs occasionally get sick.  Perhaps our yard is not “pet safe” as we thought it was.  You may want to check around your house to see just how safe it is for your pet.  Please visit http://petpoisonhelpline.com or talk to your Vet for more information.

Their usuual schedule is right when we wake up — or when they wake us up — right before we go off to work and the many times during the evening when we’re home.

But what about when it’s raining. Schedules are all messed up and dachshunds are afraid of getting wet and simply run outside to get muddy paws and not do the business they’re suppose to.   I end up wet ’cause I have to go outside with them to make sure that they actually did something.  Multiply that x3 and I get the wettest because you know they have to go out one-by-one…

So how do you know when it’s time to let your dogs out when it’s raining?  It’s so simple, you just check the WunderMap Radar Weather Map for the 3doxies and you just wait until it’s not raining over your house.

Today it was 5:18AM when there was a large pocket of blue-gray skys with a slight mist that the radar was not picking up.  We had to move fast and Miss Sleepy Head Chloe was not going to get out of bed.  No way.  Odie who was up 1/2 hour early did the in and out thing since he was just at the tail end of the rain.   He managed to hold it until the front passed by.

I cannot vouch for Molly but she can hold on for a while… and for the looks of it, she’ll have to wait for a least another hour to potty until this next front passes by…

I don’t want to spoil the review, but Odie likes his Snuggie.  Because he is a typical skinny short hair dachshund, the Snuggie works really well for him.

However, I don’t think I would get one for the girls since they are long haired and don’t really need the extra warmth in our mild Southern California weather.

But if you happen to have a long-haired dog, look at the next size up or at least measure your Dachshund first to get the proper sizing.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the review as much as Odie enjoys his Snuggie!

What makes a really good bed for dogs to sleep in?

Dogs naturally sleep in a curled position with their nose tucked between their legs for warmth and security, so a round bed should provide the most comfort for them.  They also like to lay with their back next to something for the additional snuggly warmth and security.

This is why Odie loves to sleep under the covers of our bed curled up in a ball behind the back of our legs.  It is truly wonderful for him, but literally a pain in the back for us.   We had to banish Chloe from our bed because she sleeps on top of the covers next to the edge and I’ve pushed her off the side more than once with my restless sleeping habits.

Keeping this in mind, which beds – besides our bed – do our dogs like?

Donut Dog Beds

If you don’t know what a Donut Dog Bed is, it’s simply a big round pillow shaped like a donut.  The donut forms a circular pillow rim with an attached bottom.  The “donut hole” is a rounded pillow that lies in the center of donut.

We purchased one of these for Odie after he injured his back and was recovering from his paralysis.  The low soft rim was easy for him to get in and out of even when he had little use of his hind legs. We keep it nearby the fireplace and all three our dogs routinely sleep in it during the day.

Lounger Dog Beds

The Lounger Dog Bed is an oval with sides that are about 8” high.  We place a blanket on top of it and they curl up under the covers.  Some Loungers come with pillows but our Dachshunds have no preference and will sleep on top and under the pillow depending on how silly they are.

As part of our 2010 “get the dogs out of our bed” resolution, we bought two new loungers from Costco.  For about $20 each, the Kirkland Signature brand is one of the better dog beds that we’ve found.   Molly loves her new comfy bed and prefers it to sleeping on the couch.

Dirty Clothes Laundry Basket

Yes, Chloe loves to sleep in the dirty clothes laundry basket.  We use a grey laundry basket to carry our dirty clothes downstairs to the laundry room which Chloe promptly hops into and falls asleep.  She’s been doing this since she was a puppy, but now that she’s older, she has trouble getting into it and starts whimpering for someone to pick her up and put her into “bed.”

We placed one of Lounger Beds next to the laundry basket and now she uses it as a foot stool to hop into her bed.  So much for retraining her…

The main problem is Odie. Getting him to sleep in his new bed will become a chore.  Even if we remove the stairs from the bed to help our dogs get up into it, he can still jump up where Molly and Chloe cannot.   I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of crying, but that’s how they ended up in our bed in the first place.

Is it normal for a dashund to shiver? Not only when it is cold outside but when he’s on your lap.  I heard it’s a sign of back problems. Thank you in advance.

Thanks for the question! First off, I’m not a Vet, and if you have any medical questions about your pet, you should seek the advice of a Veterinarian.  Your Dachshund may have injured himself or may need other medical attention.   Your Vet will perform an examination with perhaps an x-ray to determine if your pet has back problems.

However, from my experience with my Three Dachshunds, shivering is often an indication of pain or distress.  It may or may not be related to a back problem.

Odie is a short-haired and the girls are long-haired.  Odie frequently sleeps underneath a blanket because he is cold.  It could be the middle of the summer and he still requires that extra warmth to keep from shivering.  This is why we buy dog sweaters for him.

One hot summer night, Odie came out of the covers to lie on top of my chest shivering as if it was the middle of winter.  It turned out that his stomach was upset because his dog food didn’t agree with him.  After I took him outside to potty, he was back to normal.

Odie also shivers when he goes for a ride.  He seems a little nervous and insecure.  Most of his rides have ended up at the Vet due to his back problems so he tends to get scared when riding in a car.

On the other hand, when Chloe injured her back in the past, she shivered when you gently pressed along the side of her spine.  She also gets very tense and tightens her back muscles when you pick her up.  She does not shiver despite her problems when laying on my lap.

So is there a definitive answer why Dachshunds shiver?  The most common cause is to illness or injury. But the only way to tell is to have your Vet examine your pet for the distress that is causing your dog to shiver.

Of course, we are biased towards the Dachshund since we have three of them.  Plus we sorta miss our dogs when were away from home and always find one that looks like Chole or Odie to keep us company during the trip.  I’ve never seen one that looks like Molly since she is by far prettier than most long red haired Dachshund figurines (even with her knots and tangles in her fur).

From the looks of it, the great recession hit the local economy real hard and most stores were having sales on everything.  The typical comment a store owner would state was “20% off store-wide sale.”

Unfortunately at Rasmussen’s, where we picked up “Roxie,” they were not having a sale. But she was cute an my wife liked her.  (Now Roxie is in my office instead of my wife’s full curio cabinet.)

At Berengaria, they didn’t have the normal Dachshund gifts and only had Pug and Chiwawa things to buy.  We’ve purchase the most unusual and unique Doxie things from there and I recommend stopping by just to see what they have or even if it is to say “hello.”

It’s hard to tell when the next time we’re heading up there but you never know, Christmas is just around the corner and there is always someone in my family that likes Dachshund figurines.

*NEW* Living Stone DACHSHUND BLACK Figurine CUTE!! US $6.95 End Date: Wednesday Sep-08-2010 6:53:25 PDT Add to watch list

*NEW* K-9 DACHSHUND BLACK Figurine CUTE!! US $8.95 End Date: Wednesday Sep-08-2010 6:53:28 PDT Add to watch list

SANDICAST Sculpture Resin Black Dachshund Figurine US $3.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Wednesday Sep-08-2010 6:58:11 PDT Add to watch list

DACHSHUND FIGURINE BY HAGEN RENAKER US $7.75 (0 Bid) End Date: Wednesday Sep-08-2010 8:46:44 PDT Add to watch list

DACHSHUND Dog Pewter Winged ANGEL Figurine Statue New US $6.50 (0 Bid) End Date: Wednesday Sep-08-2010 8:56:51 PDT Add to watch list

Hot Diggity MALE RENAISSANCE DACHSHUND figurine 16595 US $11.97 End Date: Wednesday Sep-08-2010 9:45:13 PDT Add to watch list

Dachshund Dog figurine with photo frame. Good Condition US $5.00 (1 Bid) End Date: Wednesday Sep-08-2010 9:54:18 PDT Add to watch list

It’s really simple; just group your three Dachshunds together, take a family picture of the puppies, upload the photo and order the cards.

Simple. About as simple as herding cats.

Chloe likes to sleep all day; Odie likes to play all day; Molly likes to hide behind my desk where she come out for air.

I can trick them all together for that once-in-a-lifetime Christmas pose by blowing through a squeaker from one of their dog balls, but all I get is a bunch of scattered brained Dachshunds looking for a stupid ball.

They know it’s coming from my mouth and they think I’m chewing on their ball.  But when I get down to shoot picture, they lick the camera or worse, my mouth.

Not a pretty sight or a picture that I can print for the Christmas Cards I’m planning to send out.

16 Embossed Boxed Dog Christmas Cards Dachshund Puppy US $16.99 End Date: Thursday Sep-09-2010 13:41:46 PDT Add to watch list

♥ DACHSHUND DOXIE SAUSAGE DACKEL DOG CHRISTMAS CARDS ♥ US $4.58 (0 Bid) End Date: Saturday Sep-11-2010 6:43:00 PDT Add to watch list

♥ DACHSHUND DOXIE SAUSAGE DACKEL DOG CHRISTMAS CARDS ♥ US $4.58 (0 Bid) End Date: Saturday Sep-11-2010 6:44:50 PDT Add to watch list

♥ DACHSHUND DOXIE SAUSAGE DACKEL DOG CHRISTMAS CARDS ♥ US $4.90 End Date: Saturday Sep-11-2010 6:46:55 PDT Add to watch list

♥ DACHSHUND DOXIE SAUSAGE DACKEL DOG CHRISTMAS CARDS ♥ US $4.90 End Date: Saturday Sep-11-2010 6:48:37 PDT Add to watch list

♥ DACHSHUND DOXIE SAUSAGE DACKEL DOG CHRISTMAS CARDS ♥ US $4.90 End Date: Saturday Sep-11-2010 6:49:57 PDT Add to watch list

♥ DACHSHUND DOXIE SAUSAGE DACKEL DOG CHRISTMAS CARDS ♥ US $4.90 End Date: Saturday Sep-11-2010 6:52:30 PDT Add to watch list

Last night, she had the remaining evidence hanging from the corner of her mouth stuck by a thread between her teeth.  Now I would like to teach her good hygiene by having her brush her floss teeth, but doing it with a dryer sheet is overkill.  Three-quarters of the sheet went somewhere…

Since she didn’t barf it out, I guess it’s coming out the other end.  I gave her extra pumpkin with her chicken last night for extra fiber in her diet to help ease it out.

I’m not looking forward to the next few days cause I’m sure that something is going to get plugged — and dryer sheets make a really good dachshund butt plug — which I have to extract with one swift yank.  It’s unpleasant for both of us, but I’m sure that Molly gets the worst of it.

Will she ever learn not to eat things?  Will we ever learn to quickly pick them up and remove them from the laundry?  The answer to this is of course is no.  I guess we’ll have to live with our Dachshund dryer sheet butt plugs for now.