How To Keep Your Home Together When You Own A Dog

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When you’re house proud, there’s often nothing that you love more than to have a home that looks great. If you know that you want a house that is well kept and clean, and incredibly beautiful, you will often do anything and everything to keep it that way. So much so, that you may be put off from owning a dog, because you’re worried about how the dog would fit into your home life. But when your family wants a dog, or you are actually a dog lover, this may be something that actually happens in your life. 

And then, you may worry that your perfect home won’t be so perfect after all. Because maybe you’re concerned that having a dog will mean that your house will get messed up so much more easily! But that doesn’t have to be the case.

Or maybe you aren’t super insanely house proud, but you just want to be able to keep your house together. Maybe you already own a dog and you’re realizing that your house seems so much harder to keep together because of the dog! 

It’s something that happens to a lot of families. But, just because you have a god, it doesn’t mean that your house has to be a mess. Instead, it just means that you need to work harder to make sure that your home looks great. With the right tips and tricks, you’ll be able to make it happen. So let’s take a look at what they are.

Set Boundaries

So the very first thing you need to do, is to make sure that you’re setting the right boundaries in place. And this is non-negotiable when you want a house that you love. If you let your dog run wild all over the house, it’s going to get messed up. Instead, set boundaries on what they can do and where they go. Maybe you want to keep them off of the couches or out of the formal living room to keep it a little more together.

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Create A Cleaning Schedule

The next thing that’s really going to help you here, is to come up with a cleaning schedule. Because if you’re worried that you’re home is getting too messed up, a good routine can help. And if you already have a schedule in place, you may just need to tweak it a little to make sure that your home is just as clean now you have the dog.

Get Your Dog Groomed

It’s also going to help you if you get your dog groomed regularly. Dog grooming can be especially important when you have a dog with a long coat or a coat that tends to malt easily. Because this can minimize the shedding and keep them looking trim and tidy too!

Train Your Dog

Now, a super important thing, is often to train your dog! Because if your dog rules the roost, then you may have absolutely no chance at keeping your home in order. SO make sure that you work on training them as early as you can. Because when you have a well-behaved dog, they aren’t really going to have an impact on your home at all.

Use Super Strong Products

So from here, you’re going to find that using the best products help. Because if you know that your carpet needs more cleaning or that you need to make sure that there’s no smell around the house, take a look for strong but natural products that are pet-safe. That way, you will find that your home stays beautiful more easily.

Get A Cleaner

And, a really simple move, is to get a cleaner! That way, you don’t have to worry about doing things yourself (especially if you’re super busy). Here, even a dog waste removal service could be perfect for you. Even more so when you’re worried about taking care of that yourself. And when you know that your home is being cleaned professionally, it’s going to always look great.

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Get A Dog-Friendly Vacuum

Next up, you definitely need to make sure that your vacuum is strong enough to pick up all of the dog hair around the home. Even if you have a cleaner, you will want to know that you can run the vacuum around and be able to keep things looking great when you want to. Plus, if you do vacuum daily, it’s so important to make sure that you invest in the best kind of vacuum - and they usually are super strong and pet-hair friendly.

Keep Things Organized

A huge thing for you to focus on is organization here. Because if you’re just all too chaotic with your stuff, it’s going to make your house look messy. And this is definitely the case with your dog-related stuff! So try to find a way of keeping their food and bed and everything else organized, so that they fit into your decor and lovely home, and nothing else.

Choose Durable Pieces

And if you really want to get smart about this, you need to make sure that you’re picking furniture that you know will withstand having a dog around. Don’t pick out pieces that will show dog hair or that can be scratched or marked easily. If you’re being tactical about what you bring into your home, then it will be so much easier for you to keep it looking great.

Let Go A Little

And finally, the last thing that you could think about doing, is just letting go a little bit. Because maybe you’re just being a bit too much of a control freak. And the thing is, when that’s your personality - it can be hard. But if you’re letting things get to you, even though they are beyond your control, you’re only hurting yourself. 

So let go a little. Don’t worry so much if there house isn’t perfect. It’s still clean and tidy! And that way, you and your family can enjoy a happier life with your dog.

Finding a Lost Dog

Tips and Tricks for Finding a Lost Dog

Realizing your dog is missing is a horrible feeling. Finding your dog can be one of the most difficult things to do because dogs can cover a lot of ground in a very short time. 

Dogs are friendly and will get into a car with strangers or follow a stranger home if they can not find you. The fact that your dog will return to the spot they last saw you in greatly overlooked when a dog is lost. Here are tips for finding your lost dog.

Irish Water Spaniel Kelly

An old Hunting Dog Trick

Hunters who use dogs know to leave their jacket where they turned the dogs loose if the dogs have not returned from the hunt by the time the hunters leave the field. The hunter will return the next day to find the dogs sleeping on the jackets.

When you first realize the dog is missing place a piece of your clothing at the last place you saw the dog. If the dog escaped from the yard or house then place the dog’s bed or blanket where they can find it.  Place the bed outside of the yard or house with a bowl of food.

If the dog got loose when you were walking it in a public place then leave an article of yours at the spot you lost the dog and then begin the search. Chances are when you check back at the Last Known Location of the dog the dog will be there wondering where you are.

An old Dog Breeder Trick

If the dog has ran off from your home or yard put some of your dog’s food or snacks in the dog’s bowl. This works best with dry food so if your dog eats wet food but likes dry dog treats use treats instead.

The idea is to shake the food in the bowl so that the dog thinks you are feeding. The dog can hear the food hit the bottom of the bowl from a very long way away. Keep this in mind as you make the food hit the bowl sound like feeding time.

You can use your hand to drop the food piece by piece into the bowl as a tease to prompt the dog to come to you. Rocks and a tin can will work too if a bowl and food are not nearby.  This works great for horses that are hard to catch too.

Let’s Go Trick

If the dog has just now ran off or became lost try honking the horn on your car. Animals often come to noises to investigate what is going on. If your dog knows the sound of the horn they will come to the car. Starting the car can work the same way. 

Dogs learn how the cars in the family each sound like and they know when you are leaving you start the car. If the dog is lost in a strange place and arrived in the car when they hear the car start they will not want to be left behind and will return to the car. This works at home for dogs who like to go for rides in the family car. 

I hope these tips and tricks help if your dog is ever missing.

Sorry if we missed you at the Dec 12th book signing. The weather and flu prevailed. I look forward to meeting you at the soon to be rescheduled event as well as the upcoming book tour starting in February. Check back soon for updates or sign up for updates on the right sidebar.

If you would like to set up a book signing or dog training event feel free to use to contact box at right.

Happy New Year