Preparing For The Paws of Winter

Preparing For the Paws of Winter

Ah, the roaring fire in the fireplace, the mug of hot cocoa, a good book and your trusty Companion Dog. If you heard the title of this blog instead of seeing it, you'd think it was about preparing for that long, cozy winter pause between active seasons, when the warm hearth looks so inviting, wouldn't you? Well, there's the snowed-in Pause of the season, and then there are the dreaded Paws of Winter, that leave big soggy black pawprints, full of road salt, slush and grit, all over your rugs, your furniture, the kitchen floor, even the interior of your car or van. If you've visited my Dog Blog, WoofTracks.com, you know that your Editor and his Assistant are doggedly determined to improve understanding and relations between Species. Here, then, in the interest of better relations, are some ideas for cleaning dirty paws before they track in that dirt, and for cleaning up if they evade your preventive efforts.

First, and removable as the Dog comes in, there are Dog Boots with a whole range of useful features and corresponding prices. Examples range from the $16.99 Guardian Gear Pet Boots that promise to keep paws safe from heat, cold, ice, salt, stones, and abrasive surfaces, with a reflective strap for visibility, to the Granite Gear Dog Clogs that provide serious traction as well as protection, at $44.76.

Two paws up for the latest invention, the Paw Plunger, sized for your dirty Dog. Just fill the Paw Plunger with water and the soft bristles inside the container gently yet effectively remove dirt and debris from your Dog's paws. It can also be used without water to brush off sand and dirt, so it's useful year-round.

In case those dirty paws get by you, remember the "ounce of prevention": To keep paw prints off the sofa and rugs, bone up on cleaners like Scotchgard Fabric Protector and Scotchgard Carpet Protector for Rugs and Carpets. For rescuing upholstery that wasn't protected, Scotchgard makes Fabric and Upholstery Cleaner. If you're at the end of your leash with winter paw prints, there's Bissell's mean Little Green machine: The Proheat Turbo Carpet Cleaner that uses hot water, a cleaning agent with solution trigger and a tough stain tool to eliminate both deep-down dirt and surface spills. Designed for use on carpet, upholstery, automobile seats, and more, the Little Green disperses and sucks up cleansing solution in one swipe across the dirty surface. Paw prints don't stand a chance.

There are car and truck seat covers with Dog and Wolf prints, made just to protect your vehicle's seats from our dirty paws and sharp claws, and the Ez Cargo Area Protector does a great job if your Dog stays in the cargo area of your SUV or wagon. For the furniture at home, the paws-down best solution is the couch saver Quilted Pet Throw, and those Dog Gone Smart Pet Throws, in Microfiber and Faux Suede: They have pet-safe fabric that repels dirt, oil and liquids, and reduces the spread of bacteria that can cause that (shhh...) "doggy" odor.

But for all-around usefulness, we recommend door and entry mats that clean up after the whole Family: The Dirt Stopper Doormat and Waterhog Premier Door Mat that come in many sizes and colors, both stop water, snow and dirt in its tracks. Says the maker: "This super-strong polypropylene mat protects floor with a combo of thick fibers that whisk mud from paws and soles of boots, and thin fibers that remove moisture. Side channels allow water to drain quickly. These mats have nonskid rubber backs, and are easy care - just hose off to clean." Our Significant Humans at our editorial office at WoofTracks.com use them: They're a must, in New England!

Relax, grab a cup of cocoa. Then, fetch some of these suggestions. We know they will help, next time the dreaded Paws of Winter are on your doorstep!


WebWoof, Editor of the Dog Blog WoofTracks.com 

Tracking Man's Handiwork in Your Woof: The Why and How of It

Look at This Magnificent Example of
Irish Setter/Golden Retriever Mix!  Say WHAT?

Your Family needed a Dog, so you did what most right-minded, feeling Humans do: You went to the Shelter and brought home a "Mutt".  Not the most prestigious term, perhaps, but realistic.  Mutts even come with Perks, the most beneficial of which is that we mixed breeds are often healthier than purebreds, and less prone to the potential weaknesses of inbreeding to keep the line "pure".

Now, you've heard about the DNA testing kits you can buy, to find out what went into this character that has taken over your sofa.  It took a long time for the Wolf to evolve into your Woof, with major recent handiwork from Man, (in the form of breeding), along the way.  So why spend $50 or $100 to find out about your Mutt's great-grandma's escapades?

Well, for starters, breeds have traits: Differences of behavior and personality which give you some idea of what to expect.  A Doberman is not going to act like a Poodle.  Those traits are going to figure into your Dog's training. (There are breed-specific training books and DVDs, like the Terra Nova Series and dog-training DVDs by breed.)  A Saint Bernard is not going to have the crisp "sit" of a German Shepherd (if you're into that).  So if you find out that the cute little Poodly-Mutt you brought home has some Terrier in his mix, don't expect a canine couch-potato!

Take my esteemed Co-Editor of our WoofTracks Dog Blog, RuffWriter, for example.  Observe his picture, above at the top of this Blog: Does he LOOK like an Irish Setter or Golden Retriever?  His DNA test included these breeds in their report of his genetic makeup.  Maybe there's no physical resemblance, but he's got the Setter's sensitive heart and the Golden's sunny personality.  He also has the high intelligence and problem-solving ability of his Border Collie forebears, the thick, regal coat of his partial Chow ancestry, and...the hard-wired imperial code of honor of the Akita!  At one time bred as fighting Dogs and to hunt bears, this loyal but fearless breed requires an understanding of their nature, with specialized training and nutrition.  Have an Akita, purebred or mix? Read "How to Live With, and Love, an Akita" for the voice of experience, and "Dog Man" for historical background.


So besides learning about the best nutrition for your breed, and knowing how to suit his training to his breed and nature, why else get a DNA test for your Mutt?

Unfortunately, each breed has its own hereditary weaknesses:  The gutsy little Boston Terrier often has eye problems, the Saint is prone to "hot spots" and has a delicate digestion, the Border Collie can get hip dysplasia (bad hips, I call it), an inherited eye disease, and so on.  If you know your Dog's genetic background, you can get books about breed-specific health problems and be on the lookout for these weaknesses, providing special care to prevent or make these problems less severe.  For instance, this Canine Editor's own mother was a true Saint, so my Significant Humans give me Linatone.  Result?  I've never had a hotspot!

That's the "Why" of getting your Dog tested.  The "How" is easy: Buy a Kit, take a cheek swab, send it in, wait for the written results.  There's a BioPet DNA Kit for $59.85 that has over 60 qualified breeds on file and gets fast results via USPS within 2 weeks, a Canine Heritage Standard Breed Test for $69.97 that provides a frame quality "Certificate of DNA Analysis", and a Wisdom Panel Insights Mixed Breed DNA Test  for $79.99 that provides an information booklet explaining the test, as well as the other material.  My advice? Two paws up for the BioPet Kit: It's got all you'll need.

Then there's one last reason why any Human would get one of these tests for us, their beloved Mutts: The Curiosity Factor.  You never know when you might be entertaining a National Treasure in your Imperial Household!

WebWoof, Editor-in-Chief, WoofTracks.com

Welcome to WoofCalls!

Some night when the moon is a gigantic ball rolled just beyond your reach for play, if you’re following silvery WoofTracks in the moonlight, perk up your ears: You may hear the long, high echo of WoofCalls.

You may track important long-range goals if you’re a Canine or Significant Human on a quest for Animal/Human understanding at WoofTracks.com, but at WoofCalls our hunt is immediate and urgent: What products, what books can help Humans better hear and communicate with their Companion Animals? What supplies, what tools can Dogs dig up that let us teach our ways to Humans, as if our woofs were words?

At WoofCalls, I and my blogging crew start by sniffing out a problem: For example, maybe there’s a fellow Dog in some household who’s afraid of being left alone while his Human Family members are at work or school. Maybe he’s chewed the furniture in his distress! He urgently needs his Family to understand his fears, and how to help him through them. What solutions can we fetch here? At WoofCalls, we compare products and books: There’s the “Music Dogs Love:While You Are Gone” series of Dog and Animal CD’s and DVD’s; books like “Dogs Home Alone” by Roger Abrantes, that help our Significant Humans train us to learn how to feel more confident; there are dog collars with pherimones for calmness, scents for relaxation, Dog Beds and crates for those who find comfort in their soft cushions and protective spaces. At WoofCalls, we not only review, we compare and recommend solutions, since as Canines ourselves, we sense the scent of troubles in our fellow Kin, and want to help.

Your Editor-in-Chief is a book-hound: I “read” everything I can get my paws on. I love to chew on ideas. Being a self-respecting Canine, I love to use those meaty ideas to help. Remember my fictional hero Enzo’s intriguing idea in Garth Stein’s “The Art of Racing In the Rain”? He learned from his Significant Human, Denny, that “that which we manifest is before us”. I chewed on that for a long time. I admire Enzo, but it’s one romp through this world for me, so I’m manifesting NOW, tossing the WoofTracks ball to you with my nose, howling to help with WoofCalls. Feeling pawprints on your heart if you’re a Human, kisses on your cold wet nose if you’re a Dog? Manifest yourself: Join me.

WebWoof, Editor-in-Chief of WoofTracks.com and WoofCalls.blogspot.com.