Good News for Pets > Special Feature

TEN WONDERFUL THINGS TO DO FOR YOUR DOG IN 2001

By Elaine W. Gewirtz*

If you've been feeling guilty lately about all the things you wanted to do with your dog last year and never got around to it, now's the time to start making plans. Giving your dog more activity and challenges than he has had in the past will make him happier. He'll probably like you even more too.

Here are 10 easy ways to keep your dog's tail wagging in 2001:

1. Take Your Dog to One New Location a Week - That same walk around the block gets BORING. Your car needs washing? Have to drop off clothes at the cleaners? Your dog will love the short jaunt. Take your dog along to mail a letter at the post office and take a short walk around the outdoor shopping center. He'll have lots of new faces to meet and greet.

2. Picnic in the Park - With a bowl of fresh water, a lunchtime supply of kibble, and a blanket in the park, have dog will travel. Lots of new sniffs and sounds will spark his attention.

3. Brush Up on Your Grooming - Dog brush a little dusty? Revive that dedication to regular grooming by a weekly nail trim, a bath, ear cleaning, and some good ol' coat brushing. Short-coated and long-coated breeds will relish the right to rejuvenate.

4. Visit a local children's hospital or senior center - Ever made a hospital visit with your dog? Call ahead to these facilities to make sure they accept canine visitors. Of course your dog has to be stable and calm enough to greet strangers but even a walk through the halls will bring a smile to patients' faces and to his too!

5. Walk on the Wild Side - If you've never taken your dog for a trek on a nature trail, experience the joys of the scenic life. You don't have to climb rocks or hike far-even a short trip in the wild will invigorate you both. National and state parks require dogs be kept on leash. Be sure to take along some fresh water in a canteen.

6. Play the Mad Hatter - A dog in a hat is a joyous thing to see! There are several available that will show off your dog's natural talents-a sailor's cap, a firefighter's helmet or a gentleman's chapeau, will remind your dog how regal he can be. Teach him it's OK to wear a hat indoors and make a fuss over him when he doesn't try to paw it off.

7. Jump Through Hoops - It's amazing what fun little tricks like jumping through a hoop, climbing over an obstacle or crawling under a tent can be. These do not have to be elaborate sets to build - just some old-fashioned fun you can teach your dog to do.

8. Paint Your Pooch - OK, you're not an artist but your self-painted portrait of your dog can't look THAT bad. Besides, you're not going after museum-quality work here. This is just another way for you to picture your favorite pooch and to express yourself. First, teach your dog to sit and stay on a chair. Next use some inexpensive water colors to find that inner canine.

9. Read to Your Dog - When was the last time you recited poetry to your dog? If you've always wanted to catch up on your prose but didn't want to do it alone, now's the time to practice your iambic pentameter with a pooch in the audience. Besides, he can't laugh.

10. Garden Jobs - Who else but your dog loves to work in the garden alongside you? He'll help with the digging, move the manure, and carry off the cuttings.

*Elaine Gewirtz is a writer who specializes in dog topics and lives in Westlake Village, California. She breeds, owns and trains her Dalmatians in conformation and has recently written a book on Yorkshire Terriers for pet owners: Your Yorkshire Terrier's Life, published by Prima Publications. Elaine has also written for Dog Fancy, Dog World, Popular Dogs, and is the Dalmatian breed columnist for the AKC Gazette. She reads Edgar Allen Poe to her Dals on Halloween!

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