I think it’s safe to say that winter is finally coming to a close. If you are lucky enough to have your own yard, as we do, you are probably noticing the snow melting and all of the poos that you haven’t picked up for the past three months leaving you with pangs of guilt to get out there and clean them up. Our yard is a mine field as you can’t tell the pine cones from the poos!

One thing you should check on as the snow melts is any damage to your fencing or hedges that you rely on to keep your four legged family members in the yard. This morning, I got quite the shock when Paddington disappeared out of the yard at our 5am pee time. Seems that a bunny has chewed a few holes in our plastic fencing we used to prevent the dogs from escaping through the hedges. I found Paddington about 15 minutes later a few streets over, but it was a very stressful 15 minutes, especially considering it was dark out still.

So be sure to check over your yard to be certain that it is safe and secure for your family. Paddy was VERY lucky to not have stepped out in front of a car and although her recall has improved tenfold, she still left the yard and ran off in the first place. Dogs are curious, especially those who love to patrol the yard for squirrels and bunny rabbits – the dogs take this “job” very seriously on our household.

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Chances are that if you are welcoming a new puppy or dog into your life, that you don’t want him/her relieving themselves all over your home. Firstly, it smells and secondly, it’s probably not too hygienic.

Preparing to house train can begin before you bring your new addition home. You need to first decide how you are going to house train, as there are a few different options.

• Paper Training
• Crate Training
• Litter Box Training

The number one rule for all training is never get angry the puppy unless you actually SEE THEM peeing or pooing in the wrong place. This is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. The puppy does not associate themselves making the mess unless you catch them doing it. If you yell at the puppy after the mess has been made, it will think you are mad at the mess itself, and not associate the fact that he/she made it and that is what you are mad at. As intelligent as some dogs are, they cannot rationalize and they live in the moment, not the past. Once the mess has been made, it’s in the past. If you do catch your puppy in the act, there is no need to excessively scold – a firm no will do.

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I’ve never really thought about composting our dog’s poo – mostly I just want to throw it out because it’s smelly. Today I found a couple of websites outlining how to create a compost bin for your dog so you can reuse the soil.

The compost CANNOT be used on any food based plants due to the fact that it may contain some toxins that could be harmful if ingested. It also says not to use it on garden beds either.

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