Dog walks: Ticknock wood

We are part of  Dublin dog meetup group.
Every saturday we go to a different place and that allows me to discover new dog walks!

Ticknock forest is on the Dublin mountains, 30 minutes far from the city centre.

We met on a Sunday morning at the car park with the other doggies at 12.
The 3 crazy dogs of the group started running and playing, it is safe to leave them off lead and we didn't have problems with the people we met.

The route is very nice, you can follow the main road, big and safe or go on some lateral smaller paths.
There are scenic points with a beautiful view on the coast, Bray and Dublin.
We did a circle, about 90 minutes walk, a bit uphill but not difficult.
There were parts with water where the dogs had a lot of fun.
There are no dangerous cliffs and the dogs can enjoy, explore and run free!
 You can find more information here http://www.dublinmountains.ie/index.php?id=135

At the end of the walk we had some coffee and drinks at the local pub, with an outdoor area where dogs where allowed!

Definitely a nice dog walk, I will go there again and explore new routes! 

Parking Info:

Please use the car park facilties provided and do not block local resident's access along the public road.

Car park closes: 16:00 Nov-March; 20:00 April-Oct
Parking fee price: None

How do I get there?

From the city centre, head for Marlay Park via Rathfarnham. Passing the main entrance to the Park on your right, turn right at Ballinteer, St John's GGA Club and, following the road around the edge of the Park, turn left at the Taylor’s Grange junction onto the R113. Take the second turn on the right and this will bring you to the entrance to Tiknock forest. 

Tiknock Forest Entrance @53.255695,-6.251113

View Tiknock in a larger map

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Canine First Responder certification - Dublin

I am seriously thinking to attend this course (or another similar).
It looks very interesting to be able to be prepared in front of emergency.
This is a certified course that is not far away from me, but I am sure there will be others.

The Canine First Response (CFR) is a worldwide certification agency for First Aid and CPR. This course is the only one approved by Canine First Response.

The course covers the following and more:
Effective use of barriers such as gloves and face shields
Safe scene assessment
Primary Assessment
Canine CPR and rescue breathing
Spinal Injury Management
Control of serious bleeding
Shock Management
Splinting for broken limbs
Choking Management
And more
This course will give you the tools you need to be prepared should that medical emergency arise with your beloved pet.  

http://www.dogtrainingireland.ie/canine-first-aid.php

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Compulsory microchipping in Ireland

I just read that it will be compulsory in Ireland to microchip your dog.
I had Jago microchipped few months ago and I believe that it's very important!

It's not an expensive procedure and not painful for the dog.

Unfortunately many dogs are microchipped but not registered to the actual owner.

Just beware that many vet will not register the dog to your name, so you must do it usually online.
And also remember to change online your contact details if you move or you change phone number.
Unfortunately the same thing happens with the breeder.
Often when I read of lost dogs, they are microchipped but registered only to the breeder, and often it's not possible to find the owner.

There are a lot of events to help get many dogs as possible microchipped.
I know at least two of them, Dublin DSPCA

http://www.dspca.ie/index.jsp?a=615&n=232&p=158

 

and Dog Trust Ireland


http://www.dogstrust.ie/az/m/microchipping/#.UhfWXH91uSo

"Dogs Trust are offering free microchipping for all dogs for the months of August and September. "









Some info from Dog Trust website:

1. What is a microchip?
A microchip is a small electronic device, which is the size of a grain of rice. The microchip is coded with a unique number that can be read by a scanner. A microchip works through radio wave frequency.

2. How is the microchip implanted?
Using a specially designed implanting device the microchip is injected through a sterile needle under the dog's skin.

3. Where is the microchip implanted?
In dogs, the microchip is implanted under the skin, between the shoulder blades.

4. Does it hurt?
No anaesthetic is required and the procedure should cause no more discomfort than a standard vaccination.

more info:
www.dogstrust.ie/az/m/microchipping

Here is 5 top reasons why you should Microchip your pet:

           1. Microchip identification is the most permanent way to identify your pet.
           2. Collars and pet tags are great but they can fall off or be removed.
           3. Microchipping is a safe, practical & excellent way to identify your pet.
           4. Your pets microchip is a unique 15 digit number that once registered online is linked to your details.
           5. Microchipping is a sure way to reunite you and your pet.


So remember, microchipping your dog will be compulsory, but even without a law we must know that is very important!
Unfortunately it happen quite often that a dog get lost.
A lot of times the tag could be lost as well, or the collar, so it would be very difficult to trace back the owner!
If you love your dog, please consider microchipping!

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HOUSE TRAINING YOUR PUPPY – my experience

Here we are!

The puppy is beautiful and cute... but how difficult is to house train him?

Obviously it depends!
I got my first dog when he was 6 months old, coming from a pound.
We were living in an apartment and he was NEVER soiling in the apartment!
Incredible! 

I don’t know how he learnt himself... but he was brilliant!
I spoke with a friend that got his Labrador from the breeder when he was a tiny pup.

He learnt alone as well to don’t pee in the house!

With Jago… another story!

He needed to pee? Everywhere was good… except for the garden!!!

In the first week I was at home, so I started the “crate training”.

The pup should be in the crate and hourly (or every 30-45 minutes, depends from the age) you should bring him outside, maybe running a bit and hopefully he will pee. When he finishes you should give him the command, a treat and praise him a lot.

It was December when Jago arrived.

So, following the directions, I had him in the crate with toys and every hour we were going outside... he was staring at me like asking: “now what?” And I was just standing there … freezing … for 20 minutes!!!

 2 on 3 times he was not doing his pee... we were going back inside frustrated…. and YEAH! PEE TIME!

J

I went back to work.
I didn't want to lock him in a crate for 4 hours, so I gave him access to the garden and the kitchen.
Obviously coming back from work the kitchen was dirty, so the training was proceeding slower than expected, as I wasn't always there to teach him which was the right place.

DO NOT use aggressive strategies, don’t be angry or upset, and don’t put his face in the pee. He won’t understand, he will lose confidence in you, he will be scared and think he needs to hide his pee and it will make everything worse! If you catch him on the act just say a no and take him outside, hopefully he will finish there...

It is very important the product that you use to clean. It shouldn't contain ammonia or other perfumes that will stimulate him to go toilet there again.
It’s very important to cover the smell or he will use that place as his favorite spot.

I think that for at least 3 or 4 months I had ALWAYS the cleaning instruments ready to clean the floor.

The key to house training is preventing "mistakes" and rewarding the puppy for going in your chosen spot.

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Dog sick in the car

Jago used to be always sick in the car.

Since the first time I brought him home, he started… vomiting :S
It continued for EVERY trip, no matter how long and no matter if he had food or not before.
Obviously I started  to carry around a lot of blankets, napkins, and cleaning products..

I have been asking around on forums and to the vet.

He didn't have any health issue, but he was very stressed obviously and he started hating the car.

Every time that he saw me taking the car keys he was running away, hiding, laying on the floor desperate!!

I spoke with his trainers from the puppy classes and they told me that the first thing to do was to get him used to the car.

The stress plays a big role.

So we started to spend time every day in the car, even just for few minutes.

He never wanted to enter, so I used to carry him, but that’s wrong because he has to “choose” to go in the car.

So again, I tried to make the car an “attractive place”.

I brought toys and treats and we were going for just few meters every day.

They say to begin with the engine off, after few days to start the engine, and after few days to start moving.

I bought a seat belt for dogs and I let him sit outside his crate.
I was trying to keep him busy with Kong and treats.

The dog should associate a car trip with something nice, like a park, beach, fun and not only the vet or stressful situations.

The vet also told me that growing older he could start to feel better, as when puppies they have the internal ear very sensitive.

I can say that at 11 months now he is not sick anymore!!

He doesn't like the car too much, but he is going inside on his own (very slowly and I have to “convince” him a bit) and he sleep very quiet (and a bit sad).

I tried some natural tablets but to be honest never worked.

Anyway I still avoid giving food before going for a car trip.

Do you have any suggestion or experience to share about dogs and car travel?

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