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Sniff Out Your Pet's Activity With the Sniftag

PetSugar — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:00:50 -0700

Curious what your pet is up to during the day, or how much exercise he really gets with your expensive dog walker? Wonder no more - the Sniftag can give you all the answers you need, and then some. All you need is an Internet connection . . . and the Sniftag, of course.

It's a sort of pedometer (or maybe more appropriate, a "pawdometer"?) that tracks your pet's activities - everything from walking and running to lying down and standing still - then records it in your pet's online profile for you to monitor and adjust if necessary. Plus, if you meet some other pooches while on one of your walkies, and they also have a Sniftag, you can compare activity levels since the Sniftags "talk" to each other and share simple stats. You can even add your new four-legged pals as buddies on your profile later. Don't worry, Sniftag would never share personal (or private) info!

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To see more details about the Sniftag, including how much it costs, just read more.

The Sniftag Starter Kit comes with the Sniftag monitor, a base station (which reads the data from the tag), two rims, two colored face plates, two collar clasps, all the tools you'll need to hook up your Sniftag Base Station to the Internet (USB and Ethernet cables), and a power adapter, for $150.

Even better than knowing how much your dog runs around your house while you're away is knowing where they are if they happen to get out - the Sniftag uses pinpoint location to show where your pet is at all times. How much would you pay for peace of mind? My only worry is that I'd give in and buy a Sniftag only to find that North lies around and sleeps all day. Too bad the Sniftag can't speak doggie - it could tell him to get moving!

Do Tell: What's Your Favorite Workout With Furry Friends?

PetSugar — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:30:09 -0700

Not only do they lift us up when we're feeling down, but our pets pretty much eliminate any excuse not to get at least some exercise. Rats. In addition to jogs around the park or rousing catch'n'chase games, many gyms (mine included) offer activities like this Ruff Yoga or Doga – what's your favorite workout to do with your pooches?

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Do You Have a Dog Walker?

PetSugar — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 07:00:25 -0700

Most of you have admitted to taking your dog on walks for 10 to 20 minutes a day, but I know some people don't have the opportunity or time in the day to take their busy friends on walkies.

Have you ever hired help to keep your dog healthy and happy when you're stuck at work, on vacation, or too busy to give him the cardio he needs?

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Do You Have a Favorite Dog Park?

PetSugar — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:30:48 -0700

North and I love going to Baker Beach here in San Francisco - it's by far our favorite place. And even though we have our pick of parks in the city, we don't really have a fave like we did back in NYC.

Some pups are pretty particular, especially since their neighborhood pals probably all take their romps at the same park every day. Does your pup have a favorite park in your city?

How Long Are Those Walkies?

PetSugar — Mon, 26 May 2008 07:00:58 -0700

While sometimes my pup gets a quick walkie around the block, other times we take a more leisurely stroll. I like to keep his daily walk time pretty consistent – except on weekends when he's a bit more spoiled – and make sure he gets adequate exercise. Can you total up the average number of minutes your pup spends on a leash on a typical day? If you've got more details to add, share in your comments below!

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Got the Day Off? Get Out With Your Pup!

PetSugar — Mon, 26 May 2008 00:30:44 -0700

It's Memorial Day and I'm using today to take an extra long walk with my Boston. He's a fairly energetic dog who can walk quite quickly (as long as it's not too hot), and we're gonna go on a street roaming adventure! I know some of you have big dogs and others have little ones, so everyone's speed needs will be different. The latest issue of Self magazine provided a couple tempo tips that I wanted to pass along:

Stroll: 3 mph Breeds including French Bulldogs and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels do well at a leisurely tempo like this.
Brisk Walk: 3.5 mph Higher energy small dogs can benefit from this speed, like Miniature Poodles and Yorkshire Terriers, for example.
Jog: 5 mph Golden Retrievers and Jack Russells have lots of energy . . . best burned off at a quick pace!

Now see my advice when you read more.

When taking to the streets with your pups:

Make sure you walk at an appropriate tempo! If your pet is huffing, wheezing, or trying to stop, he may be trying to tell you something – you both can slow down and smell the roses.
If your dog is tugging and pulling the leash, he may not be acting naughty, he could just need more exercise. Walking quickly, or even jogging, with higher energy breeds can help them work off steam and (hopefully) be a bit calmer when it's rest time!
Some pooches, North included, enjoy mixing it up. Try walking quickly for part of the time, and more of a stroll for the rest. This allows doggies, and you, to burn off a tad more calories, but not come home totally pooped. I like to walk on a street busy with people, then duck onto side streets for this purpose. On the busy streets, we have to navigate the crowd and my dog wants to sniff "hi," but, on those quiet streets, he's ready to pick up the pace!

As always, if it's hot where you are, carry water and take breaks on any long walks. Getting fit should be fun for you both!

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Take on a 5k . . . With Your Dog!

PetSugar — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:00:29 -0700

Spring is a great time to get outside and run around . . . and I don't mean just for your dog! Make it a team effort and train for a 5K that your furry pal can participate in as well. There are plenty of fun runs that benefit not only your health, but the animal shelters and programs that host the events get a much-needed bump in funds from all those entry fees.Running can seem like a scary sport to break into if you aren't the natural-born runner, but Fit assures us that it's easier than we think. Plus, with your fur-laden companion by your side, it just might be fun and gives you a good chance to meet 'n greet new people and pups for you and Fido to befriend (and possibly doggie date)! Who knew fitness could be great for filling up your date book as well!? To scour my list of doggie dashes and furry 5Ks taking place through May, just read more.

See Spot Run 5k Run/Walk
Saturday, March 29.
JF Gregory Park
Richmond Hill, GA

Richmond SPCA Dog Jog and 5k Run
Saturday, March 29
Robins-Starr Humane Center
Richmond, VA

Dog Day 5k
Saturday, April 5
North Carolina University Club
Raleigh, NC

Mutt's N Masters 5k Run
Saturday, April 12
Veterans Memorial Leisure Services Center
Las Vegas, NV

Hound Dog Hustle 5k Run
Saturday, April 19
Oak Grove Park
Grapevine, TX

Walk The Dog 5k
Saturday, April 19
Bill Burke Park
Salina, Kansas

Animals For Life 5k Run for Rescue
Saturday, April 26
Quassy Amusement Park
Middlebury, CT

Run and Romp
Saturday, April 26
Shoreview Community Center
Shoreview, MN

Miss Reveille Dog Walk and 5K Fun Run
Sunday, April 27
Texas Medical Center
Huston, TX

Atlanta Dog Jog
Saturday, April 28
Piedmont Park
Atlanta, GA

Canine Canter for Cancer 2Mi Run/Walk
Sunday, May 4
Como Park
Saint Paul, MN

HS Run For the Dogs
Saturday, May 10
East Lake Village Park
Lees Summit, MO

Doggie Dash 5k
Saturday, May 31
William Land Park
Sacramento, CA

Know of any that I'm missing? Add the info in your comments!

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New Year’s Petsolution: Get in Shape

PetSugar — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 07:00:04 -0800

If you're like me, getting more active is high up on your 2008 to-do list! Many dog owners underestimate the amount of exercise each pooch needs. Even with a fenced-in area for your pup to frolic in, you both can still benefit from a nice walk. Now city pooches will need more exercise than this to simply do their business, their country cousins should also get at least one 20 minute walk a day. It's a good way to guarantee you'll stick to those resolutions because the pooch reinforces your commitment – he's depending on you and adding that doggone variable can make the difference between getting up and going, and skipping it for just one more day. Hopefully over time, walking will become a habit and you'll start choosing to walk places for daily errands . . . with or without the dog.

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To the Rescue: How to Check Your Pet's Pulse

PetSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:20:32 -0800

Have you ever checked your pet's pulse? Since dogs don't have "wrists," you may be wondering where to do this home test to see if a pooch is in distress or sick.

The best place to check the pulse is the inner side of midthigh (where the arrow points). Because the skin is thin in that area, locate the major femoral artery by putting your hand in front of the hind leg near the top and move your fingers along the crease between the leg and the tummy until you feel the lub-dub.

To learn what the beats should be and how to calculate them, read more.

It's easier to get an accurate reading if you just focus on counting the number of pulses per 15 seconds and multiply by 4, instead of concentrating for a whole minute, by using your cell phone's timer or watch with a second hand.

Both animals typically have higher rates after excitement or exercise.
Doggie Pulse: The normal range for dogs should be 70 to 120 beats per minute but smaller pups (and puppies) have a higher pulse rate than their bigger canine cousins.
Kitty Pulse: The normal range for cats should be 110 to 130 beats per minute.

Tip: If you're having trouble identifying the beats, make sure the room is as quiet as possible and that you block everything else out by closing your eyes until you identify the beating, then you can start counting.

Source: Flickr User corsi photo

Four Ways You Can Help Shelters (Other Than Donations)

PetSugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 03:50:06 -0700

Acting as ambassador to the Iams Home 4 the Holidays campaign, Hilary Swank gets cuddly with some cute puppies. What a tough job! The program already has over 3,400 shelters in 17 countries participating in their efforts - you can search by location to see if there's an establishment or breed rescue near you.

If your home is not needing another furry face despite the temptation, find four other ways you can help out - and see more pics of Hilary and the pooches - when you read more.

Dog walkers: Use extra time and get extra exercise by offering your talents as a dog walker on weekends or around your work schedule.
Foster homes: New kittens and puppies may need special one-on-one care so offer to help with the potty and litterbox training for a new babe - you may just fall in love in the process.
Cleaning staff: Someone's got to keep those kennels spotless - find out if you can help out either tidying up or bringing in supplies for weekend or holiday clean fests.
Adoption drives: See if the shelter is holding any special events where you could volunteer your time, playing with and showing off cute, available faces to potential owners.

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