Amber's Books for dog owners to be ready

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Train Your Dog Here

Train your Dogs to Rescue You and Family. 

How? 

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The Family Disaster Dog books are free on Kindle and audible as my way of helping everyone be prepared with their pets. 

 

How to Find Perfect Home for You and Your Pet

 How to Find the Perfect Home for You and Your Pet?

Before you look for a new home, it's important to consider a few factors. Indoor/outdoor pets need wide hallways and separate rooms. Consider the flooring, too. While wood floors are growing in popularity, they can also be scratched and damaged, so the carpet is a better option. If you can't decide between carpet and hardwood floors, consider the size and durability of the carpet before you make a final decision.

Possibilities of rehoming your pet

While rehoming a pet can be emotionally and financially devastating, it is far better than giving it up to a shelter, where it may be euthanized. The benefits of rehoming your pet are obvious, and proactive strategies will increase your chances of success. You can find easily pet friendly apartments Phoenix by searching on internet. Listed below are a few tips to retain your pet and keep it from euthanasia. If you've found yourself in the same situation, take heart!

Before rehoming your pet, check its vaccinations, health history, and temperament. If it isn't current, it is likely to be at risk of contracting a disease or becoming ineffective in caring for you. Also, check your pet's hygiene. If you see it hasn't been properly groomed, it may be time to seek rehoming. Your pet's behavior may have changed, too. If you're considering rehoming a pet due to a medical condition, don't wait any longer.

Size of dog breeds

There are a few things to consider when choosing the size of dog breeds for your home. Consider how big you can keep the dog, whether you plan to take him on long walks or to the dog park. If you plan to live in an apartment, consider whether you'll have enough space for a large dog. The breed's size will determine the amount of space needed for exercise, play, and poop.

Medium dogs are a great choice if you have space to exercise and play with them. They can be as large as 75 pounds or smaller. You'll need plenty of space for their wagging tails and to keep them from damaging furniture or household objects. Medium-sized dogs can be as large as a lap dog, depending on their size. If you're looking for a smaller dog, consider a toy breed.

Size of cat breeds

If you have kids and are interested in bringing a new pet into the family, consider the type of cat you want. Some breeds are gentle with children while others are more independent. 

Large cats are often categorized as those over 15 pounds. However, there are exceptions to this rule. Some large cats weigh as little as 12 pounds, while rare specimens can weigh up to 30 pounds. Regardless of size, you should make sure your new pet has enough enrichment to keep them happy and healthy. Cats need plenty of climbing places, perches near windows, interactive playtime, and scratching areas.

Location of a dog park or green space

There are many benefits of living near a dog park or green space, and it may be important for you to look for one when looking for a new home. Green space is beneficial for humans, but dogs require it as well. Not only will a dog park keep your pet active and fit, it will also reduce anxiety and help to stimulate your pet's mind. Currently, one out of three dogs in the United States is overweight, which is associated with more than 20 ailments and an increased cost of pet healthcare.

A dog park is a great place to socialize your pet, but it also requires a lot of planning and dedication. It should be at least one acre, with a four to a six-foot chain-link fence. It should be double-gated to make access for wheelchair-users easier, and it should have a designated waste-removal station. There should also be enough trash cans and bags to accommodate all the dogs.

Size of home

The size of the home for you and your pet depends on the breed of your pets, the type of lifestyle you currently lead, and the geographical climate. Larger animals require more space and more energy, while smaller pets can adapt to a smaller space. Whether you choose to downsize or not is entirely up to you, but keep in mind that you should take your pets' needs into account when choosing the size of your new home.

Pet CRP Course from Dr Libbie Fort

Freddy says learn CPR!

Buy or Read for Free on Kindle the Family Disaster Dogs Books click to my Author Page

Hi everyone,

One of the most important skills we can learn to be ready for emergencies is CPR. ( Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) This emergency lifesaving procedure is performed when the heart stops beating.

Studies and practice have proven that Immediate CPR can double or triple chances of survival after cardiac arrest. A heart does not have to have medical issues to stop beating, some animals can die of fright or from trauma. Rabbits and some birds are super sensitive and the shock of a traumatic situation has been known to bring on death. CPR immediately does work, I have used it on newborn pups with success too.


CPR can be preformed on dogs and cats too, in a very similar way as human CPR with the right positioning of the animal and the number of compression and breaths.


I wrote an article about K9 CPR back in 2012 at the time, there wasn't as much information about how-to do K9 CPR as there is today. I encourage you to make sure you have an educated source to teach you because so much on the internet is fake.


I'm happy to update you and others about the correct way to preform this life saving maneuver.

Today, I want to share some very valuable information and a course with you about how-to perform CPR on your dog from veterinarian Dr. Libbie Fort DVM


On her blog this week she is sharing an introduction to canine CPR where she tells us about the three major things we need to know for successful canine CPR.


Here's what Dr. Libbie wants us to know;


"I summarize the three things that you must understand. The three concepts that will benefit you or your dog-- if you know and understand these concepts prior to learning canine CPR.


Knowing how to perform EFFECTIVE canine CPR is an essential skill and a vital tool to have in your tool box, because we do not have 911 for our pups. We do not have emergency medical services... yet."


So click here to head on over to the blog and read about the three core pillars to effective canine CPR. And get excited to learn doggo CPR in the weeks to come!!

Inside this live training, complete with a PDF workbook and a Q & A at the end I will walk you through:

• An easy to understand introduction to canine CPR where we define our goals and our role as a first responder- so you fully understand the method behind the madness, which promotes retention
• Step by step initial assessment- so you can diagnose the need for CPR quickly and accurately
• The latest recommended technique- including chest compressions, mouth to snout, and how to monitor.... so you know without a doubt if it is working
• An easy to remember roadmap to canine CPR success- I am taking away all the guesswork with this one!
• And finally... continual access to a password protected members area where you can watch the replay at your leisure for review... I will also be posting updated recommendations in this area so you stay current!
• **JUST ADDED** A wallet size downloadable canine CPR reference card- to jog your memory in the moment when seconds matter.

Feel free to reach out with any and all questions.


Cheers!


Libbie Fort, DVM

Thanks for visiting Family Disaster Dogs


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What is a Scent Article for a Search Dog?

by FamilyDisasterDogs.com

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Things To Consider Before Bringing A Dog Into Your Home

If you are your family have been thinking about bringing a dog into your home, you need to have gone through everything on this list first. All of these considerations need to be taken into account before you can bring a four legged little friend into your home. If you don’t do this, you are going to end up with issues that you can’t fix, and then you are going to have to say goodbye to your dog. You aren’t going to want this to happen, and as such, you need to consider all of these things before you go and search for a puppy.

Is Your Home Ready?

Image Credit - CC0 Licence

The first thing that we are going to look at is whether or not your home is ready to accommodate a dog. There needs to be enough space for it to walk around, with somewhere for it to sleep if you aren’t going to allow it to sleep on the bed. As well as this, your dog is going to need to be able to play whether it is inside the house or outside so there needs to be enough room for them to get a bit silly.

You’ve got to have enough room for them to play with their favorite toys, or else they are not going to be happy in the home. Yes, you need to take your dog on a walk, but that doesn’t mean that they are just going to head to sleep for the entire rest of the day.

Do You Have Young Children?

A lot of dogs are fine with young children, but some seem to take a disliking to them. We are not saying that if you have a young child, then you shouldn’t get a dog because this is absolutely not the case, but it does mean that you should think about it before you commit. You should also think about the size of the dog if you do decide to get one. Larger dogs tend to be more protective, but it is going to be easier for them to knock your small one over by accident. This is not 100% going to happen, and there are plenty of families with large dogs and young children, it is just something to think about.

Buy Or Rescue?

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You are then going to need to think about whether you want to buy or rescue the dog that you are getting. If you are looking for puppies for sale, then you could take a look at Chocolatelabradorretriever.ca's site.Go through these, find the one that looks like it could be the perfect addition to your new family, and then head to the location to meet it. A lot of the time, these are still going to be puppies, so make sure you remember this when they are jumping at you and full of enthusiasm.

Do You Have A Garden or Fenced Yard?

Above, we said that your dog is going to need somewhere inside to play, and while this is true, they are also going to need an outside area to play in. You cannot just count on that one hour walk that you go on every day to be enough exercise. They are going to need to run around, chase after balls and so on to make sure that they are staying fit. For this reason, you need to think about whether or not you have a garden, and if not, is the puppy going to get to run free often enough?

Who Is Going To Walk It?

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As well as this, you need to know who is going to walk it every day. Having a puppy is a big responsibility, and you need to be able to take the best care of it possible. Part of this is making sure that there is always someone around to walk the dog, once in the morning and then once again before it is time to go to bed. This will tire them out so that they have a good night of sleep, and then they will be fully rested for a new day of mischief tomorrow.

If you don’t think that there is going to be anyone who is able to look after your dog, then we do not recommend getting one. The simple reason for this is that without their daily walk, your dog's muscles can start to seize up, and then they are going to cause them pain. Seeing your dog in pain is going to be the last thing that you want, so ensure that you are taking every possible measure to get them at least one walk per day.

Can You Afford It?

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The big question is, are you going to be able to afford a puppy? Now, the reason that we are asking this is that it is not as simple as to pay a one off payment to the owner, become the owner and that’s that, no more money on the dog. Your dog is going to need food, and depending on what brand you get, this can be expensive. You then need to think about getting pet insurance in case they hurt themselves at any point. You don’t want to be standing there with a 900 bill that you can’t pay because the dog is not insured.

Further than this, you have all of the nappy sacks that you are going to need to pick up their poo. You are also going to need to think about whether or not you are going to be able to pay all of the other bills that come with having a dog. This is going to include taking them to the vet to have their immunizations done, buying them food, buying them toys and treats, and so on. There is so much stuff that you are going to have to buy and pay our for, so you need to be sure that you can afford this before you commit.

Is There Someone To Look After It?

Finally, is there going to be someone around to look after the dog all the time? Obviously, is you are going to leave the dog alone for one hour every now, and then this won’t be a huge problem, but if you are planning on going out for like three or four hours per day and not taking the dog with you, then you are going to have a big problem. Your dog will then start acting out for attention by causing havoc across your home and destroying things. To combat this, you just need to make sure that there is someone at home to look after your friend when you go out.

This doesn’t need to be someone with tonnes of experience either. If your kids are old enough, then they are going to be able to do this while they are not at school, and someone else can take over when they are. Like we said, it doesn’t necessarily matter who you leave at home, as long as the dog knows that they have not been abandoned and they are not on their own. This is going to be especially important if you have a rescue.

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now know what some of the things to consider are before you bring a dog into your home. Good luck, and we hope that your new friend is everything  you hoped and more.

Lesson 1 of 2: Planning Dog Training and Mapping Tracking Courses

Planning Training Courses

1 of 2 parts

The Purpose of a Training Course or Route

This lesson is being posted in 2 parts
(Go to part 2) 

When you are training your dog there are often times when we have to set a course up that will be similar to what we encounter in real life. Obedience courses and agility courses are two that come to mind most people have heard of.

In training the family disaster dog we want to set up courses and lost person scenarios that we might encounter during an actual emergency. These courses help us and our dogs to know what to expect, consequently, we learn what to do in an actual event.

To set up a training course, we have to think of what we might encounter along the way and put the ideas into the training course. This is prepared ahead of time. After the course is set up then the course has to be aged. Aging the trail or course will be covered in advanced lessons.

How the training course is set up depends upon what level you are training.

Once you and your dog have the general idea down of how to find a person and what evidence to look for, it is time to further your training by using well planned and prepared courses that include tracks, trails, and scenarios.

It’s time to advance to life like training!

In doing these courses we are playing and pretending this is a real life rescue and the most important thing to remember is your dog will always find its man! (Or woman, child or object)

This most confusing aspect of search dog training is also the down fall of many handlers who fail to follow the golden rule. The dog is always right not the trainer or handler.

When a police dog fails to find a person it is never the dog’s fault but it is the handler’s fault for reading the dog wrong.

To avoid failing in training, never let your dog fail to find what they have been told to find otherwise your dog will not look because this type of training is actually for you to learn to read your dog and follow your dog. The dog knows how to find anybody or anything on their own but the dog does not know how to find somebody with you tagging along telling him what to do.

How these factors come into play when your dog is searching for a lost person and how to use these factors in preparing a training course to work your dog on will help you and your dog to figure out the puzzles you come across on an actual search.

Planning a Training Puzzle

When considering how to set up a training course three factors come into play, the wind including weather, contamination and location.

Wind and weather conditions always affect how you will read your dog working the scent. The wind blows the scent as the wind moves therefore knowing the direction of the wind is vital. Weather such as rain or freezing conditions affect the scent as well therefore these factors should be considered as you follow and read your dog.

Contamination is anything that has been in the area of the training course. I mean everything including car exhaust, chemicals such as spilled gasoline after an accident; other people who have walked in the area contaminate the scene.

Animals who have crossed the location up to 24 hours earlier can lead your dog off course if your dog is inclined to follow the deer or rabbit instead of the person’s scent you are looking for. A known dog walking path is not the best place to train a tracking dog.

Here's my book for children to learn too!




Indoors cleaning solutions, tobacco smoke and odors we do not smell can contaminate the scents the dog is following and a novice dog has not learn how to work these odor puzzles out yet.

Location plays a role because different terrain creates different scent action. Such as wooded areas hold the scent closer to the ground while a cleared field allows the scent particles to move and disperse over a larger area. Drainage channels and clear cut areas where power lines run through make wind tunnels that can carry the scent in a different direction then where your dog goes.

During all of these experiences your dog will continue to work the trail by working out the scent puzzle if you allow the dog to do so. The dog may follow the scent as it is blown down a wind tunnel to the point where the scent is so thin the dog turns back and backtracks to a stronger scent point where they began the tunnel.

Then the dog continues on the right trail. The important part of this training and in actual search events is to remember to trust your dog and follow them through the puzzle. If you stop the dog thinking oh the person never went down that steep hill then the dog can not finish the puzzle and chances are you will fail.

The same holds true when your dog is following a animal scent or the wrong scent which puts them off the trail you intended.

Never underestimate your dog or where a person who is afraid might hide or go.

Three groom dogs I once knew and these kids could find their owner in a heart beat!

Never underestimate your dog!

Learn to Read your Dog!

Your dog is always right!

Click Continue to Part 2

Read all the lessons in the Family Disaster Dog book below

Visit www.familydisasterdogs.com for more

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.

"Find It " Train any Dog to Find a Person or Missing Family Member

" Find it " 

Train any pet dog to find family members in case the person goes missing

You can use your dog to find children, elderly or family after earthquakes or floods.


Only do this trailing/tracking lesson with your dog 1 or 2 times a week. Skipping a week is okay because we do not want your dog to get tired of playing this game. 


If you haven't already, read the first lesson of  "Getting Started" and the Scent Articles  continue as instructed after the overview.


This lesson can be done indoors or outside, with a dog on leash or loose depending on the dog and where you want to practice. I often start this lesson indoors with a loose dog and a child playing hide and seek for the first few weeks.

These guidelines should be followed indoors as well as outdoors for the best results.


Start with a person your dog knows and only do this lesson with that person 2 to 4 times each session once or twice a week. 

After 2 weeks, if your dog is finding the person fairly easily then you can change people and scent articles and only then use a different person. If you change people or scents to early your dog could get confused and lose interest. 


If your dog ever loses interest then stop and play with them for a few minutes. Then do the lesson again step by step so your dog understands. The steps for this lesson will be posted on a separate page for easy reference.


Overview


Hold your dog by its collar as the person slowly runs and waves at the dog to a hiding place that is easy to find and only one turn away. 

Hold the scent article, the person's sock, to your dog's nose, say "Smell" and then turn your dog loose and say "Find so and so" use the person’s name, follow your dog to the person. More about the scent article below.

Your dog, no matter what age will attempt to find them.

If the dog does not start searching for anything and only stands there looking at you to find the person then encourage the dog to go with you and show the dog with excitement how fun it is to find the person. 


When you and your dog find the person, praise, praise, praise by you and have the person shower this dog with attention. Your dog will be so happy to do this again, you'll hardly be able to hold him.

Repeat the lesson a few times each day.

"Find It " continue on with this in mind..

It's okay for the hidden person to give your dog a treat if your dog is more inclined to work for food then love as long as you remember to replace the food with love in a few lessons.

Read lesson 6 " Making Trails" ( in the menu above you will find a lesson links page to this and all the lessons) to learn how the person should hide and how your dog will find them before your person hides to often. The dog can be easily confused and refuse to work if you ask them to think to hard at first or do to complex of a trail.


If you dog ever refuses to find a hiding person, go back to previous lessons and retrain until the dog is more confident and understands exactly what you are asking. Some dogs catch onto finding people right away and others take a little more encouragement.

Your dog must always find the person. 

Important

After your dog has found the hidden person a few times, sometimes with help from the person calling out or making a noise then have the person be very quite so the dog learns to work people who are unconscious.

Even if your dog passes a hidden person let the dog go on until it stops on its own to turn around, they usually will turn around and find the person if given the time to move out of the air scent cloud they are working. This scent cloud can be far from the person and the dog has to learn to work out the scent cloud for later search experiences. 

 Never let the dog think it has not accomplished this and it will always lead you to them in a real life emergency. You must learn to Trust your dog's natural ability to find its pack.

Your dog is always right.

If he led you to a blanket and then goes to the closet to find the person, then the person has at one point or another touched this blanket.

Period.

Trust your dog and follow him and he will lead the way. After all, didn't you notice him standing there next to you wondering how he can help?

After a couple of weeks of playing hide and seek inside and outside, you can have the person stay hidden for a longer amount of time.

Start with the person hiding for 3- 5 minutes, then 10 minutes, gradually go up to 30 minutes. 


Once your dog finds a person who has been hidden 30 minutes, you can have the person hide without your dog seeing the person run away to hide. Give the dog the scent article, say "smell" and "Find 'em" the dog will go find the person using only the sock and trail left by the subject. More on this in later lessons. (look at the lessons link page above)

Always praise.  


Even if you had to lead the novice dog to the person. 


Never ever scold the dog during this training or he won't want to help you. 
This is one area of training we can not make a dog do, they can refuse and you don't want them to do that !

If you ever have to call in a missing person's report, give the officer in charge your frozen scent article to use with the police or search dogs. They will be impressed that you knew this helpful clue in the investigation and it will save valuable time.

Take the scent articles with you when the family goes camping or on hikes, one never knows when the scent article may come in handy. Don't forget to take your dog camping with you; they could be a life saver if anyone wanders away from camp.

Remember your dog has lived with you a long time, he knows each family member's name so ask him to find them by name, and then if the sock isn't available he can still help you in real life disasters.

Make sure nobody else has touched the sock (scent article) except the person the sock belongs to. This means you too. Pick the sock up using a stick or hanger and place in a Freezer bag by itself. Use one scent bag for each person. Do Not combine two scents.

During the first 2 weeks of training, use only one person a day for your dog to find or the dog may get confused. Once he has the idea, you can change scent articles and people in the next lesson.

 Never ever scold the dog during this training or he won't want to help you and this is one area of training we can not make a dog do, they can refuse and you don't want that.

A scenting dog is not trained by you, they do this naturally. Do not expect them to do so just because you tell them to.

Actually the dog is already scenting and following each new scent that comes their way. 

All you have to do is watch and follow the dog. This is especially apparent during an emergency. Never forget your dog’s unique scenting abilities or their abilities to find their pack members. 

Practice makes Perfect..use the Training Goal Page to judge your progress.


Be careful to avoid K9 Burn Out. ( read the article in the lessons page) 

Just like people who overwork, dogs can experience "Burn Out" and not feel up to preforming the job. 


If your dog loses interest then take a few weeks break and go back to training only one day a week at the most. Working actual tracking courses like discussed above every two weeks works well for most dogs. 


If some dogs are worked to often the fun goes out of the game for them, so the less often they get the chance to play or hunt the more excited they get when the hunt is on again.

Once your dog gets the idea and is finding people you can ask the person to hide for longer time, gradually make the time longer until you can have the person take a walk the night before and ask the dog to follow the person's scent trail the next morning.

For instance, the person is a friend or a child goes to spend the night at a friends, they leave your home the night before to walk to their home and the next morning before people have walked on the same path have your dog smell the person's scent article and start at the doorway to follow the scent trail to the friend's house...Praise the dog well, make this a very happy reunion and your dog will find them every time! 

Good Luck! 

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Puppy Post-Apocalyptic Preparedness Guide

This is a guest post from Adam Conrad at Shih Tzu Expert

Thanks Adam !

Puppy Post-Apocalyptic Preparedness Guide

Open source photo

If the world were to go into chaos tomorrow, would you be prepared?

Would your family know what to do? What would you do about your Shih Tzu or toy breed family member?

The world can be a scary place, and it is always a good idea to have a plan. This survival guide is not for you though; it is for your dog. Your furry friend depends on you for survival, so if you don’t have a plan for them, how will they survive?

Some suggest killing them is the humane thing to do, but I couldn’t imagine killing a member of my family. Others say you can use them for food, but I couldn’t imagine eating a family member either. For those who want a scenario where the dog lives, keep reading, for below are some incredible tips and tricks for preparing your pet for a doomsday situation.

The Upside of Toy Breeds

Before we can even consider the prepping aspect, we must look at why these small dogs would be a smart choice to keep around. Most people believe that a bigger dog is the best option for a post-apocalyptic scenario, and they would be right. This does not mean that your toy breed can not be of any use to you. Small dogs are known to be yappy. Even the slightest noise can set them off to bark. When you are in the wild trying to stay alive, this can be very beneficial for you. Toy breeds are the perfect early warning system. You can go sound to sleep knowing if anything were to be coming towards you a furry alarm would go off, giving you time to wake-up and defend yourself.

Unlike bigger breeds these dogs will not be able to carry their own supplies. On the bright side, the smaller the dog, the less supplies they have. Later on we will discuss how much dog food, one should prepare for their pet’s doomsday supply bag, but because Shih Tzus and other toy breed dogs are so tiny, they do not need to eat as much food as a bigger and stronger dog. This is also a bonus in case you run out of their food and need to share some of your supplies with them.

Family Disaster Dogs
Basic dog Bug-out Bag
photo A. Higgins

Doggie Doomsday Bag

Just like humans have vital necessities to include in their “bug-out” bag, so do your fluffy companions. Of course the basics are food and water, then comes additions such as: any medications, grooming supplies, ID tags, leash & collar, a copy of vaccination records and more. It is easy to look at this list and figure that you can wing it, but being prepared is the best way to ensure that you do not end up forgetting something.

Food

While this is a no brainer, you must remember that dogs need certain nutrition. Eventually, at some point, your dog’s food supply will run out. You need to prepare for any possible situation. The amount of food you should prepare for your pet’s survival kit is a little over a weeks worth. Now if this food were to run out, you need to know what type of diet your pet is on. To understand this, you can just see the ingredients that are used for your dog’s food. Knowing this will help you when scrounging up something for them to eat. Thinking just a few steps ahead of the curve can help you and your pet make it through a tough situation.

Water

Water is a vitally important source for life on this planet. Humans should store up to three days worth of water, so I would add one to two more days of that for your pet. Make sure to bring water purification tablets as well, so you furry companion will not get sick from the water they are drinking.

Medications

It is important to include any special medications your dog is taking. These medications can also include any heartworm or flea prevention pills.

Grooming Supplies

Don’t get me wrong, you do not need to bring a travel puppy spa, but some doggie nail clippers and a brush would be nice. While grooming may seem like a hassle, it will keep the dog healthy and happy. Plus, grooming can be a way to take your mind off of everything else that is going on. Brushing especially helps to calm a dog down, when dog correctly and with the right tools.

ID Tags, Leash & Collar, and Vaccination Records  

These are especially important if your dog were to be separated from you or if you would like to get into a shelter. Although we all believe our dogs are sweet and would never harm someone, doomsday situations bring out the fear in everyone. By being able to restrain your pet, as well as show their health records, it can put people’s minds at ease. The leash and collar also help to make sure your pet will not get separated from you and your family.

Bonus Items

Other items you can include, but are not of as much importance are: toys, treats and waste bags. If you have the room for these that is great, but if you are unable to bring these things along, it would not be the end of the world.

Training

There are not as many training techniques for Shih Tzu and toy breed dogs, but that does not mean they should not be prepared for a disaster. Simple commands such as “sit” and “stay” can go a long way when trying to keep your dog safe. There are also signals you can teach your dog, so they can help you when in stressed situations. It is unlikely that your tiny pooch will be hunting, but if you are able to train them to do so, you should. The last thing that is important to train your dog on is being in a kennel. They need to be able to feel safe when in a kennel, for it might not always be best that they sleep with you in your bed. In times of a pandemic, you might not want a flea magnet snuggling up against you.

Recap

Dogs are a man’s best friend, so don’t go at it alone if you don’t have to. Canines are simple creatures and require certain necessities. Make sure to have a bag packed full of food and water for your travel companion. It shouldn’t be that hard to pack, for smaller dog breeds do not consume as much as the larger ones. If they are happy and healthy, they can benefit you in more ways than one, so take good care of them.

Photo A. Higgins

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