Labrador Retriever Dogs Blog

I haven't blogged too much on the labrador retriever blog as of late. To tell you the truth the theme wasn't doing much for me. I settled on this one but I am not even sure if it's going to stick or not. Thankfully I have my online backup so I can switch themes if I have to. If you come across one that suits this site better please let me know through a comment and I will have a look. Hopefully you are finding the tips and stories helpful.

Have you ever built a dog house? I was at a party last night after a charity golf tournament and the owners had a lovely dog house for their labrador retriever puppy and he really seemed to enjoy it. Here are some tips I found on how to build a neat doghouse.

You should begin your dog house building process by making sure the house is big enough to accommodate your animal’s potential adult size. Make sure your dog can get in and out of the dog house without having to stoop down. You don't like having to bend over going through a door all the time and either does your dog. Make the door wide enough to accomodate your dogs growth. It's not like you are going to have them on weight loss supplements, your dog is going to grow.

Make the house comfortable for when your dog is inside. Add a pillow or a blanket. Make sure there is some ventilation in the walls so the can get some air. Think about raising it a little bit off of the ground so it gets some ventilation underneath. This will also keep the critters away.

Like you would with any shed or structure make sure you build it with a slight slope on the floor so if it gets rain or water in there it will drain out properly. Make sure the roof is well insulated to keep the water out as well.

Most dog house plans suggest having your dog house facing east so the cold weather doesn't come through the door. You might want to check your local area so see which direction storms come from.

Another neat thing they had was hinges on the roof so they could lift it open and keep the house clean. This is a big plus as you want to keep your dog house clean and smelling good.

Well I tried everything I could do to save my home computer but in the end it was just too far gone for me to save. I lost a bit of information I needed but nothing too major. I went online and looked at some laptops and netbooks. I could not believe how reasonably priced they have become. I didn't need anything from NASA but just something to be able to surf the net from and keep my blog updated. I used the internet to research the prices and different models and within a few days had a new laptop which was a step up from the 10 year old desktop I was using. I don't know why I waited so long.

Last night I was looking around on the internet for gps systems. There are lots of them on sale it seems these days and if the price was right I could be interested. My wife travels on occasion for work so it's not a half bad idea. It's a pretty good safety feature.

After the microchip post I was thinking if they make gps tracking systems for dogs and sure enough after looking through google they do. It's amazing. A gps device is placed in your dog or pet collar. That way if the collar is still on your dog you can track them if they run away or get lose. As we talked before, the benefit of chipping is that if the collar falls off or is torn off they can still track down you as an owner. I guess the gps collar for pets will help you find them if they keep the collar on but I am still a big fan of the microchip.

A little off topic but I recently switched to a new to me older computer. It was newer than my last one but as far as technology goes, it's old. I have been having some problems watching videos online and may need to start looking at video cards. I have already scouted a few out online. It's amazing how inexpensive a decent video card can be. I haven't replaced any hardware in quite some time. The last time I was looking at such things the prices were out of this world. I hope to find something soon so I can start posting some good training and labrador retriever videos.

One good thing about the labrador retriever chat board and forums is that we discuss many off topic issues that are unrelated to labrador retrievers and dogs in general. The members of the forum love to share jokes, stories about their daily happenings and even links to sites where you can find a great sale or two.

If you read the off topic forums you are can always find a great deal or two. Take a look at the great sale price on this Nintendo Wii T-Charge Duo Wireless Game Controller Charging Stand by Thrustmaster – With 4 Rechargeable AAA Batteries. We have really started to use our Wii in our household. My other half uses the Wii Fit, our daughter has a few games that she loves and I am hooked on Tiger Woods. The problem with using our Wii so much is the batteries for the controllers. We go through them like water. This charger kit will save us a great deal of money in battery replacement and the price is pretty good. Besides saving $5.00 I think the price is already low to begin with plus they offer free shipping. It’s a nice deal. You never know what great sale prices you will find at the forums.

I was wondering when I was out for a walk the other day how many people just do the same walk over and over again. Like a routine. I like to mix it up a bit when I take old Cooper for a walk around the neighbourhood. The other day we went off the beaten path and walked past some strip malls and auto parts franchises and other stores along the way. I like the change of scenery and it makes going for walks a little more interesting for me and I am sure he doesn't mind. It gets him used to seeing different people and different sites and smells. I also use it to reaffirm our walking techniques as there are lots more people out and about when we take the commercial run.

It's been one solid week of getting into better shape. Walking the dog has been a little harder that what I thought. It has been minus twenty to minus thirty out and that makes it a little tough to get out and do a big walk. I have been playing with an elliptical that I borrowed from a friend and I am thinking of getting an treadmill. I think Cooper would love to get on one and stretch out on those really cold days when we can't go for a big walk. I wonder how many other people have their dogs on a treadmill. If you do mail me the pictures and I will gladly post them for you.

I hadn't noticed just how much stuff we have for the dog laying around the house and stuffed into closets and drawers. There are enough toys and dog supplies in the house to fill one of those shipping boxes that you see at work. So that is exactly what we did this week. We grabbed some cardboard storage boxes and began to put everything for the dog in one place. It helps alleviate some of the clutter and now we know where everything is is we need it. We have organized all of leashes and collars, sprays, paperwork, extra toys and medical supplies into one spot and tucked it away for safe keeping.

The other day Cooper came running by the coffee table and tv stand with his tail a wagging and knocked over a glass of water. Luckily nothing was ruined but it was a reminder to us that even when you labrador retriever gets older you still have to be careful with what you leaving laying around and in their reach. The chat board seen quite a few new members over the holidays with new puppies and questions about their puppies chewing and getting into things. There are lots of articles here and an entire forum set up to help you out.