One thing I’ve been concerned about when documenting my DIY projects is safe use of the tools required. Some have the potential to inflict serious injury, so for my own peace of mind I’ve put together some notes here. These notes aren’t exhaustive but are hopefully sufficient to highlight some of the issues involved with specific tool use.
Please be safe when constructing. Your furry friends need you healthy! 🙂
The Importance of Being Preventative
As the owner of a bigger breed dog, joint health is a constant concern. The Dogue De Bordeaux is a big, solid, loveable goofball of a dog who frequently runs around like a maniac and can turn on a dime… Not a great combination of factors when trying to avoid Cruciate Ligament damage and Hip and Elbow Displasia.
Being mindful of this, Barrett is kept on a “low irritant” diet (what I like to call Lazy Raw Supplemented), given Immune Support supplements, kept well exercised and (in consultation with a Canine Conditioning Specialist Vet) has her own personalised Conditioning Exercise Plan.
This plan is basically preventative physio, aimed at building and balancing the supportive muscles to make injury as unlikely as possible. On the flip side, it keeps Barrett’s weight right down, to the point that people feel free to criticise my care of my dogs – but she has superb muscle tone and great endurance (and eats 3 or 4 big brisket bones a week just to keep her ribs covered so I don’t get abused by perfect strangers). She is lean, strong and well developed and the vet said she is fine to be her current weight (40kg/80-85lb).
In fact, Barrett is better than fine! Her joints are great, muscle development is well balanced, ligaments are in A1 condition and there is absolutely no inflammation or swelling.
For quality of life (and avoiding those vet bills!), I think it’s a brilliant idea for any large (active) breed dog owner and is clearly working for us, when comparing her condition to that recorded during our original consult a year ago.
Oh, and her Staffy brother is in great condition too. Nice, supple muscle and not overdeveloped (for a Staffy). I have to teach him to sidestep and he’s not at all convinced it’s a good idea yet, but he likes the treats and is letting himself be bribed into compliance.
My advice to anyone with a giant breed dog is to find a Canine Conditioning Specialist Vet and get an exercise plan to suit your circumstances – don’t wait for the injury to come to you.
Prevention is so much better than repair or cure!!!
Staffy Life
I just saw this T-Shirt design and after I stopped laughing, I decided that I could not wear such blatant untruth…
What parallel dimension are they walking a calm Staffy in??!!!
My experiences are more along theses lines. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Smith helps me identify weaknesses in my housekeeping skills. Sort of like Domestic “Survivor”.
Oh, so much fun!
My Dogue de Bordeaux Loves Peanut Butter
This January, it is time to celebrate the mercenary streak in every Dogue De Bordeaux. The only thing that would be truer than this shirt is one explaining my DDB would trade me for a Cheese Pizza (oh, in a heartbeat!!!).
“I ♥ My Dogue de Bordeaux! The dog, however, would trade me in for a jar of peanut butter”
I purchased mine here.* It’s a nice fine cotton material, which explains the cost I guess. Life is too short to wear a scratchy T-Shirt….
* This design is available in a few other breeds from memory, in the event that you too have a peanut-butter loving canine companion.
Warm Weather Woes
Last week and over the weekend, our city was hit with high temperatures and high humidity – always a trial for Brachycephalic breeds such as Staffys and DDB. They don’t appreciate the heat, and neither do I. Due to our housing restrictions, the dogs can’t come into the only air conditioned part of the house 😦
While the dogs have their own fan, this is inadequate when temperatures are topping 38ºC (100F) with humidity over 80%. To help keep their body temperatures down, the dogs are now rocking their own Canine Cool Coats – snug fitting coats made from chamois and soaked prior to fitting, which keeps a cool layer next to their skin for hours.
The dogs are much happier… even if it does detract somewhat from the apparent menace of my guard dog to be patrolling in a lavender coat.
Cool Dogs!
Humans in Need of Space
You’ve heard of DINAS dogs (dogs who should not be crowded and are usually identified by yellow ribbon, yellow bandanas or in the case of my little guy, a bright orange lead with NO DOGS emblazoned on it) – well now there is a T-Shirt for the Introverts amongst us (Me, obviously) who would like people to move out of their personal space. And stop talking to them. Right now. Please. Why are you still talking?
This awesome design is available through TeeTurtle here. The sizing runs a bit small, mine is a little tighter than I am used to. So order up unless a compression bandage is soothing for you.
Training the Dogs in my Activewear!
Maybe it was just an internet hit in Australia, but the ACTIVEWEAR comedy sketch by Skit Box (parodying the growing number of people donning their exercise clothing for everything BUT going to the gym) became a T-Shirt campaign through “Represent”.
Of course, I could not resist. I can sort of stretch this one to be vaguely dog-training related… but in reality, a somewhat cynical prediction of the probability of me ever going to the gym.
Swedish Roast?
Arguably the greatest muppet character of all time is the Swedish Chef. Now I can celebrate happy childhood memories and happy morning memories, all in one great Shirt available from Tee Public.
Sudden, but Inevitable Betrayal….
Not at all dog training related (unless you count the tendency of oversized and toothy beasts chasing you down at great speeds to fit the bill…), but I found this shirt hilariously funny.* Lacking impulse control, I purchased it.
* Firefly/Serenity fans might be the only people who get the joke though….
No! Your Other Left!
I’m a person who likes shirts with funny sayings or logos. Almost every shirt I own is vaguely inappropriate in some setting or another, but they make me laugh and that’s what counts.
I purchase T-Shirts regularly enough that I’ve decided to post the funniest or least appropriate shirt received every month.
This one was designed by The Dog Snobs and contains one of the phrases uttered most often by my trainer…
No! Your OTHER Left!
Mine is a pretty purple but as it is currently in the wash, here is the Teespring Stock Photo for your viewing pleasure.
A Dog's Life! 
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