Here’s our list of 20 Dog Park Etiquette Tips!

1. Leash your dog when walking to and from the dog park.

2. Pick up your dog’s poop (For extra credit, pick up somebody else’s poop too).

3. Don’t bring your dog that’s in heat to the dog park.

4. Don’t bring your intact male dog to the dog park (in fact, get him fixed. He’ll live longer, behave better, and hey, no unwanted babies).

5. Pay attention to your dog. You’re not there to yak at your friends.

6. If you bring kids, watch them.

7. Don’t bring little puppies to the dog park (especially really furry puppies, especially around greyhounds which may confuse them for those rabbits they were always chasing (Bridget saw this happen. The puppy survived, but it was scary).

8. Don’t bring your dog to the dog park with the express intention of training it. A little training is fine. Start by training at home without distraction. Then you can train a little at the dog park with distraction, but mostly your dog is there to have fun and get their ya-ya’s out! (We can’t stand seeing the faces of those dogs that want to play.).

9. Don’t yell “Bad Dog”. Pretty much don’t be a jerk to your dog. This also goes for your kids at the grocery store.

10. Don’t take your dog to an unfenced dog park if your dog doesn’t have a rock-solid, bomb proof recall.

11. Be “Dog Park Cordial”–> Assume that the offender does not know the rules (e.g. not picking up poop, say, “Hey, do you need a bag? I’ve got one right here.”)

12. Be sure you know if your dog is about to get into a fight:
A. Fur is raised on back.
B. They don’t turn and look at you when you call their name.
C. Tail is wagging in an unfriendly way, or is sticking out straight.

13. To break up a fight, spray them with a citronella spray. Don’t yell. Don’t jump in the middle.

14. Don’t ask about scars, missing limbs, etc. Pretty much don’t ask anything you wouldn’t ask about someone’s kids.

15. Don’t tell someone that their dog has a face that “only a mother could love”. (Bridget and Olive heard that once. They both thought about biting that guy).

16. Don’t let the humping get out of hand.

17. Bring water and share it with the other dogs.

18. Don’t dress your dog up and then take them to the park. Dogs don’t get fashion, and fashions get dirty.

19. Make sure you have flea protection for your pet.

20. Have a really fun time!

We’ll give you some tips on how to have a fun & safe time at the dog park.

We’ll also be calling out the crazies we run into there. Yes, that means you…..
Ms. Bring my in-heat dog to the park!
Lady who’s yelling “Bad Dog!” at your sweet untrained lab.
Guy too busy drinking his coffee to pull his dog off mine…
Lady who lets her dog hump everybody.
Mr. My dog didn’t poop that
And much more! Tune in!

Got some dog park wisdom or a story to share? Let us know! Comment here or call in live at (646) 200-4979.

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To an extent they are right…

Between the walking, petting, feeding, shedding, bathing, training, health care, insurance, and the inevitable heartbreak we feel when they pass on, we really do subject ourselves to a lot of unnecessary time, cost, and sadness.

But to me, it’s a small price to pay!

Outside of the fact that dogs are one of the few, if not the only creatures that provide us with unconditional love… They are also the best comedians God has ever created!

My dogs make me laugh several times a day and don’t even try…. No stand up routines, writers, or story telling skills required. No ego in them that requires me to laugh even if they are not funny…. Just acting naturally brings in more laughs than Robin Williams ever could!

This is not something you need to spend time and training on. This is their gift to us in our relationship with them.

Whether it’s watching my German Shepherd, Naaki, trying to catch a fly. Or seeing my Miniature Pinscher, Rock Star claim the big dog bed for himself while Naaki tries to fit in his little bed. Or being out on a walk and seeing them make friends with small kids who can’t stop laughing as the dogs compete to see who can get the most kisses in…

There are simply too many laughs to list!

It's bedtime!

The old saying “Laughter is the best medicine” comes to mind. Science tells us that laughter really does help to reduce stress and speeds up the healing process. New studies have even found that laughter improves communication and productivity in the work place!

So when my friends roll their eyes at me when I pass up the happy hour invite because I need to get home to walk my dogs, I just chuckle inside…. I know that I’ll live longer, be more successful, and enjoy life more… with my dogs, of course!

I’d love to hear how your dogs make you laugh! Leave a comment or share a picture here!

Listen to our show every Monday at 2pm PST for more about our crazy relationships with dogs!

Congrats to Lily A. Greyhound, winner of our first monthly drawing!
Lily won a crazy cool Zisc toy and a set of Olive’s Heroes note cards. We were especially glad to have Lily as our first winner because not only is she beautiful, but she’s also an advocate for Oregon Greyhound Adoption.
Check out her site by clicking here to see adoptable dogs and learn how you can help the greyhounds!

We were also glad to have so many listeners and callers for the show. After a long break in August and coming back a little different then before, we are so gratified to know we have your support!

Our October shows will feature fun and informative topics like…
Dog Park Etiquette,
Social Media & Dogs,
Calling out the Crazies &
much more!

Join us live each Monday at 2pm PST or listen to replays anytime on Blog Talk Radio.

First,we’re going to clarify our position on dog training. Sit, stay…stay….listen to our show….good listener.

Then Bridget (our resident intuitive animal communicator) is going to take your calls and talk with your dog (or cat or horse or parakeet, this is a dog show, but we’re not speciesist).

Then we’re going to give away cool stuff.

How can you get in on the cool stuff? Comment on our blog, retweet about our show on twitter, call into our show, email us about the show, basically talk to us!

How do you listen to our show? GO HERE! at 2 PM Pacific Time

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Reknitz are on sale this week!
Click here and buy your dog some warmth and style today!

And speaking of not being cool…

Think animal communication is for nerds? Give Bridget a chance to prove you wrong!
Monday’s radio show will be dedicated to answering your questions for your dog (or cat, or rat, or horse, or ?)….
This is your chance to call in and get the answer free straight from your horse’s (or dog’s, or cat’s, or rat’s, or ?) mouth!
Too cool or embarrassed to call in? We make it easy! You can leave a comment here, send us an email, Twitter us, Facebook us, or even just show up!

Don’t forget, we’ll giving away some cool things in our monthly drawing tomorrow!
Tune in to 3 Bitches Barking tomorrow at 2:00pm PST to listen live.

Here, Bridget talks about the details that matter:

Pets always give me the details that their parents need to hear. I don’t know which detail matters. Often, they are the most innocuous little things. It can be the color of a sweater, or a favorite place or smell. The clues are tiny.

I’ve learned to not assume I know what matters.

I hope you’ll join us and call in on Monday at 2 PM PT at 646-200-4979. Remember to press “1″ to get in the queue!

You can hear the show HERE!

Bridget has become an expert on shitty little dogs… Kind of ironic because she is the proud owner of 3 well behaved big dogs! But she’s around enough shitty little dogs to know her stuff.

I rescued a shitty little dog a little over a year ago. I am happy to report that Rock Star is now what I term, a recovering shitty little dog.

We let you know the signs that you may be the owner of shitty little dog. Here are a few…

Your dog can’t be around children
Your dog barks like crazy or even bites visitors to your home
Your dog can’t go out in public

We also let you know some cures. …

Treat your dog like a dog! He is not your human child or fashion accessory
Train him to potty only outside
Quit picking him up when he is behaving badly

There are many more signs and tips on the broadcast. If you missed the show, don’t fret! Listen anytime by clicking here. You can also email us or leave a comment here with your questions anytime.

Next week’s broadcast we will be having our monthly ‘Ask the Pet Psychic’ show. Bridget will be answering those burning questions you have for your dog. She can field all types of questions from “Are you in any kind of pain?’ to “Who do you like better, Mom or Dad?” You can call in, email, leave a comment here, or tweet us with your question. This show fills up fast, so the earlier you let us know your question, the better!

Also, next week we’ll have our drawing for Septembers’ winner of our monthly give away! In case you forgot we are giving away a super cool, eco-friendly, guaranteed tough Zisc toy and a set of Olive’s Heroes greeting cards! All who call in, leave blog comments, Tweet, Facebook, or email us comments are automatically entered.
That means it’s not too late for you, so enter now!

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