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.

I’m reluctant to buy a dog poop bag dispenser simply because if I attach it to one of my Dachshunds, the dispenser would over power the little dogs and they would end up dragging it on the ground.

If you remember a while back, I found some cheap dog poop bags and Tuesday Morning.  I believe that I got 60 bags for about $3 or about a nickle a bag. Each roll tends to last about a month and I was able to make the bags last into January.

During January, I had to resort to the zip lock bags, so our dachshunds didn’t get to go on very many walks.  (It’s been a cold wet winter here in Southern Calif. so we didn’t need to use them to often anyway.)   But with spring arriving, the somewhat warmer weather, I had to go out and buy some more bags.

I’ve gotta admit that I’m cheap or perhaps thrifty, but I don’t like to pay full price for anything especially at pet stores.  So I started shopping around for some bargains and found that eBay was about the best place to buy bags.

But you have to realize that you sometimes have to buy in bulk to get really good prices. So I bid on some 28 rolls of bags and ended up paying around $12.  The seller had free shipping and didn’t charge tax so it was a good buy.  Now we have 28 rolls of dog waste bags that should last a few years.

Biodegradable Dog Waste Bags 2 Rolls / 500 Poop bags B US $17.99 (1 Bid) End Date: Friday Jul-30-2010 17:25:08 PDT Add to watch list

4 Rolls Pet Dog Waste Clean Pick Up Poop Bags - Blue US $0.99 (1 Bid) End Date: Friday Jul-30-2010 17:38:50 PDT Add to watch list

Pet Dog Waste Poop for Bags on Board 3 rolls 60 bags US $0.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Jul-30-2010 19:34:49 PDT Add to watch list

Pet Dog Carbage Case+Waste bags Poop for Bags on Board US $0.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Jul-30-2010 19:42:58 PDT Add to watch list

3 rolls 60 bags Pet Dog Waste Poop for Bags on Board US $0.99 (1 Bid) End Date: Friday Jul-30-2010 19:48:33 PDT Add to watch list

12 rolls 240 bags Pet Dog Waste Poop for Bags on Board US $7.50 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Jul-30-2010 19:52:17 PDT Add to watch list

Pet Dog Carbage Case+Waste bags Poop for Bags on Board US $0.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Jul-30-2010 19:57:38 PDT Add to watch list

You are probably thinking that we’re crazy, but I’m afraid you are wrong and that after our three go onto their happy hunting ground to chase kitties in the life after, we won’t be getting any more puppies.

It’s not like we don’t like Dachshunds, we just want to enjoy our later years without the companionship only a Dachshund can give you — lots of love and puppy kisses.  Plus, if our Dachshunds live up to their full potential of 25 years, we’ll be into our retirement age.  It’s just getting a little late in our life to get another dog.

I believe the root of the problem is that, like children, they’re sort of tied to you.  With three of them, it makes it difficult to get away on a vacation without adequate planning or having a house sitter over for a week or two.

Once we get down to one or two, I believe that we will take an extended vacation with our lucky dogs, whichever are the last two surviving.  I know that is kind of grim, but traveling with three of them is nearly impossible and I don’t even want to think about which two are the lucky dogs.

So I can only imagine what life would be like without our Dachshunds.  Pretty sad since they are fantastic companions.  But at some point in time future we are going to see some cute Dachshund puppies and have to remind ourselves that he is for another nice young family who can give him a good home.

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.

Over the ten years that we’ve had our dogs, we’ve tried just about every vacuum on the market and the only two that have survived the test of time are the Oreck and Dyson Vacuum cleaners.  The amount of money we wasted on the cheaper (well known named) brands easily would have paid for our more expensive vacuums we own today.

We fell in love with our Dyson canister from the moment we got it home.  It has incredible suction and keeps the dirt and dust inside the canister instead of spreading though out the house as you vacuum.  The only problem is that the air driven bush does not work well for pet hair on our medium pile carpet.  The power cord was too short making it difficult to cover some of the rooms in our house.  Eventually we gave it away to my mother who lives in a small apartment and suffers with COPD making it a perfect vacuum for her.

We didn’t know how dirty our carpets were until we cleaned them with the Oreck XL.  The hypo-allergenic filtration system keeps the dust and dirt in the bag so it doesn’t go spewing back out into the room.  The bags hold an incredible amount of dirt so you don’t have to empty it so often like you do in bagless systems.

The light-weight design is perfect for the stairs, but again, it is designed to work on low pile carpeting.   You can get a really good workout on your biceps and triceps with this vacuum.  Even though this is probably the best vacuum for dog hair – and we continue to use it to clean our stairs — the upper body strength it takes to clean our caused us switch back to Dyson.

The Dyson Animal upright is what we use to clean our carpets every week.  The short comings of the canister were eliminated with a 25’ power cord and a motorized brush that even picks up the baby-fine fur that Molly sheds.  The large wheels make vacuuming nearly effortless and are the main reason we can vacuum our house in less than fifteen minutes.

The main problem is with Dyson is that it is a bagless system and you have to empty the canister outside.  (Remember to stand up wind when you drop the contents into the trash.)   But other than that, it is a really good vacuum for our carpet.

So which vacuum is best for cleaning pet hair?  The Dyson Animal and Oreck XL are the best vacuums that we’ve ever owned for cleaning up after our Dachshunds.  Unlike cheaper vacuums, the exceptional quality of these brands will last for many years even though the prices are substantially higher.  But do you really want to sacrifice when buying the best vacuum for pet hair?

DYSON Root 6 DC16 Animal Handheld Vacuum Cleaner US $69.99 (1 Bid) End Date: Friday Jul-30-2010 17:54:46 PDT Add to watch list

Dyson DC17 Animal Asthma & Allergy Upright Cleaner US $249.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Jul-30-2010 18:00:45 PDT Add to watch list

Dyson DC14 Animal Upright Cleaner Used And 100% Ready US $99.00 (1 Bid) End Date: Friday Jul-30-2010 18:23:07 PDT Add to watch list

Dyson DC16 Animal Root 6 Handheld Vacuum Cleaner US $155.95 End Date: Friday Jul-30-2010 18:29:02 PDT Add to watch list

NEW IN BOX- Dyson DC25 Ball Animal Vacuum Cleaner DC 25 US $549.00 End Date: Friday Jul-30-2010 18:59:26 PDT Add to watch list

DYSON DC17 Animal Absolute Vacuum AUTHORIZED DEALER US $280.00 (2 Bids) End Date: Friday Jul-30-2010 19:01:19 PDT Add to watch list

F/S Dyson DC17 Absolute Animal Bagless Upright Vacuum US $349.99 End Date: Friday Jul-30-2010 19:03:39 PDT Add to watch list

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.