What's in my Bag- DogTraining Edition

What's in my Bag? Dog Training Edition

The following pictures will show you what I bring with me to my dog training sessions. I have packed for agility training but most of the items are not agility specific. Let's get started.

The bag is an Aeropostale leopard pint large tote. I chose this bag because it was spacious, durable, cheap and I didn't mind getting it dirty. It cost me about $5.00 on clearance, I originally bought it as a dog supply bag for my pet care business. The poop bag holder is from Earth Rated and cost $2.00 which I bought from my dog training facility.  

The green bag inside is a purse organizer that I bought on Ebay for $1.00 with free shipping. It is a fantastic deal and it will really help to organize your supplies. The lump of material is Khazi's tug toy,  I did not spend anything on the Tuggie because I make and sell them. The Tuggie is her absolute favourite game to play and it is essential for agility training to use as motivation. I bought the water bottle is from Costco. It is the Contigo brand with the automatic seal, they cost about $15.00 for three bottles of different colours. I always make sure to have a lot of water when training because both Khazi and I get tired and hot fairly quickly. The ball is a standard $0.99 tennis ball from Pet Smart, this was actually left over from my fly ball class, I generally don't use it in agility.  The little container is for holding extra treats so I can refill my treat pouches, agility is all about the rewards. I got the container for 2 for $1.00 at the dollar store.

 From Right to left: extra poop bags, a free pass to free play that I won during obedience training, more treats of a different kind, a pop up water bowl and a training tab I made. The only thing I actually bought from these items was the bowl which. I got it from pet value for about $7.00.

 These pockets contain more training aids. The yogurt container lids are used to teach targeting specific objects or places, I have to bring these to each class, it is a requirement. There are two treat pouches holding a different type of treat in each. I do this to keep Khazi interested in the reward. The red bag cost me $3.00 from the Dollar Store but I didn't like it because you need to have belt loops to keep it up and I always wear yoga pants to class. The blue bag cost $15.00 from the training facility and it was much more practical. I was going to have a DIY treat bag but I needed it immediately so I bought one. It is hard to see in this picture but the last item is a clicker from Pet Smart that cost $0.99. Clickers are not used in the agility course but I like to have it with me so I always know where it is. On a side note, don't ever use a clicker in agility training if your teacher has not made it manditory. One lady in my class had one and every time she would use it all the dogs lost focus and waited for the treat that comes after the click. It was very frustrating.

 This a picture of what is in the last pocket of my training bag... a dog car harness.

I had lost this 6 months ago (since we got her) and just found it today. This will stay in my bag whenever I take her out so I can be sure of her safety in the car. It cost me $35.19 from Pet Value.

That is everything that I carry with me to agility. If you decide to make a training bag for yourself I would suggest adding a mini first aid kit, I was planning on doing so but I haven't finished it yet. I hope this helped you to get prepared and stay organized. If you have any questions or comments do not hesitate to contact me.

Grooming Schedule

When I started up my dog’s grooming schedule I was surprised to find that there are no real grooming checklists or schedules available. I would think that it would be something a lot of people would be interested in. Anyway, I thought I would provide the one I have made for Khazi. These are the basics,I have also included my personal grooming calendar so you can see how I have scheduled my weekly and monthly tasks. I have planned everything around my dog's activities, for example I give Khazi dry bathes every Thursday. I do this because she goes to free play that day and always comes home with slobber in her fur from playing with her puppy friends. I used the calender posted below because it was an easily editable template but my personal calender is more like a printable I found on This Site. The weekly calendar which can be found on the same site is also a fantastic way to keep track of the daily/weekly grooming tasks. I will post the step by step on how to do each thing soon.

Daily

-          Brush and Comb

-          Detangle Minor Knots

-          Wash Face

-          Clean Eyes

-          Brush Teeth

-          Clean Tongue

-

Weekly or Bi Weekly

-          Cut Nails

-          Trim Hair Around Eyes

-          Detangle Major Knots (knot treatment)

-          Clean Ears

-          Dry Bath

-          

Monthly

-          Bathe

-          Cut Hair

      Remove Ear Hair

-     

Doggie DIY: Face and Body Cleansing Wipes

Doggie DIY: Face and Body Cleansing Wipes

I love having cleansing wipes for my dog but being the cheap person that I am, I absolutely hate how much they cost. The average price for wipes is about $10.00 for a pack of 100, the average price of a single paper towels roll is about $1.00 for 50+ sheets. Wipes can be used to clean their fur and paws. I use them to wash my dog's face (beard and mustache areas) because they seem to gather stinky bacteria faster than anywhere else. Never use them near your dogs eyes or other sensitive areas.

 I spent a few hours searching the internet for some good recipes on how to make them but I finally decided on this one because it used simple ingredients and was very easy to make. In fact I already had all the ingredients lying around my house. Unfortunately I don't remember what site I got it the recipe on but I wrote it out here with a few changes of my own. I highly recommend using this recipe, it is much cheaper, more effective and less perfumy than the store bought brands. They are a must in my daily grooming routine.

Products You Will Need

- Water
- Aloe Vera Gel
- 1 Vitamine E Gelcap
- Lavender
-Paper Towels
-Air tight Container
-Mixing Bowl
-Whisk

What do these products do?

Aloe Gel is a natural antibacterial
Vitamin E is great for shiny healthy hair
Lavender is a natural oil that helps to keep away fleas and ticks, it can also help mask odors and has a calming effect.

Steps

Step 1: Boil 2 cups of water

Step 2: When the water has boiled pour it into a bowl

Step 3: Add 1/4 cup of Aloe Gel (Can be found in the first aid or sun care isle but make sure it does not have harmful additives)

Step 4: Burst the casing on a Vitamin E capsule and squeeze it into the bowl.

Step 5: Add 2 drops of lavender oil (I used lavender because I had it handy but you can also use tea tree oil, lemon oil, eucalyptus oil or any other oil that is safe for dogs)

Step 6: Mix all the ingredients together with the whisk for about a minute or until it has a smooth consistency

Step 7: Rip up your paper towels (brand name is best for this so they stay strong when being used), fold them in half and place half of them in your air tight container

Step 8: Once your mixture has cooled down a bit pour it onto the wipes in the container. Once they have soaked in add more paper towels and repeat the process until the container is full. I ended up using an entire roll of paper towels but it may differ depending on what brand of paper towels you use.

These wipes will last for about two months before they should be replaced, if you want them to last longer you could try keeping them in the fridge or keeping the container in a Ziploc bag. If you find they dry out quickly (mine never have) try flipping the container upside down and storing it that way.

A Quick Hello

Hey there Bloggers, this is my first real attempt at a blog and I am so excited! My posts will be dedicated to my life with my first ever dog, Khazi the Bernedoodle. I will be sharing my experiences, tips, tricks, and some doggie DIY. Actually A LOT of DIY because, well... I'm cheap.