Terrible Ticks

Well, Rufus got his first tick of the summer, and it is not even summer yet! ERGH The little blood sucker was on top of his head, and I know exactly how it got there. Rufus has developed a fascination with a family of bunnies that are living in a bush in my backyard. He is not a hunter, he means no harm, but he is just curious. I think he got the tick because he keeps sticking his head in the bush to see what they are doing. 

Much to my dismay I do put flea and tick spot treatment on him, but he still gets a tick from time to time. What flea treatments do you use? Natural and product would be appreciated!

Rufus and Tennis Balls

Ever since Rufus was a baby I have been buying him those small tennis balls that are sized for toy dogs and puppies. Let me tell you, this dog is obsessed with small tennis balls. He has about two dozen of them because he loses them under furniture and I buy him more, then the old ones turn up and the new ones get lost. It is the simplest toy really, but he gets hours of enjoyment from it.

The best thing about the small tennis ball is it helps burn off some of his nervous energy. I can stay seated and just keep throwing that thing down the hall or across the room and he will run and get it and bring it back to me. He looks soooooo cute running with that small tennis ball filling up his whole mouth. I should buy stock in the company that makes them.

Dog Treats

Did you ever notice all the junk that is in dog treats? I try to feed Rufus a more natural diet. In fact, I make his food and I give him a vitamin supplement to ensure he gets all he needs. However, I have yet to try making my own homemade dog treats. I tend to look for more natural dog treats when I am shopping, but labels can be deceiving. 

Lately, I have been sticking to treats that are made of dried meats because they seem the most natural. It is kind of like giving your dog jerky. I like a  treat sold by Doctor Foster Smith called Heathy Snax. You can buy them in chicken or beef and that is all that is in them. They don't even have preservatives, which I love. 

Rufus is a Loud Mouth

I love my dog, but sometimes he can be a little bit of a loud mouth. I mean he barks when people come in the door, when they go out the door, when they go up or down the stairs, when he hears other dogs barking... you get the picture. Well, I have tried just about everything that is humane to correct this problem and nothing works. However, recently I bought the PetSafe ultrasonic trainer and I have to say I think it may be helping. I have to use the manual push feature sometimes, but he definitely doesn't like the noise the device makes. He still barks, but he doesn't go on long barking rants because once the noise goes off he stops. Or if I say "Rufus, stop or I will buzz" he stops. I don't expect perfection from him, he is a dog and in my opinion he has a right to bark. So, I feel the device helps lessen the excessive barking. I like it.

Rufus and His Bone

I don't think a Papillon has ever lived in the wild, but somehow my dog Rufus still has his natural instincts. The other night at two in the morning Rufus was frantically running around my room looking for a place to bury his dog bone. You see, I dared move the dog bone before I laid down because it was buried in my blankets. Rufus buries his chewable bones all over my room. He just adores them. In fact, I am constantly having to buy new ones because the old ones get lost. I am the only one whose dog buries their toys inside the house. 

I Need Help

Rufus has decided he no longer wants to eat his dog vitamin. The dog vitamin is chewable but it looks and smells like a vitamin. Does anybody have any suggestions for a dog vitamin that tastes better he may eat? I don't want to just buy any old dog vitamin without having an inside track on whether or not dogs like them.

What Rufus Eats

Anybody who knows me knows that I am a sucker for my dog Rufus. In no one fact is this more apparent than the fact that I make him homemade dog food. You see, Rufus hates regular dog food and refuses to eat it. I have tried pretty much every premium dog food on the market and he turns his little papillon nose up at all of them. 

I have a pretty good system working when I make his homemade dog food. I make it every two weeks and I freeze it in two day increments. I also give him a multi-vitamin with his homemade dog food to ensure he is getting adequate nutrients. Plus, I add Dr. Pitcairn's recipe for healthy powder in his food when I am making it.

This is what Rufus's Homemade dog food is made of:

Boiled Boneless Chicken Breast

Steamed Green Beans

Steamed Peas

Steamed Carrots

Cooked Brown Rice

Yogurt

Healthy Powder