There’s no way that I could read an article called The Problem With Poo and not post about it, right?  At the risk of appearing poo-obsessed, I feel it’s my duty to share some really fascinating facts I just learned about the disposal of your dog’s #2.

So, all along I’ve been thinking that I’m such a good dog owner because I ALWAYS pick up Oscar’s poop.  But a study of Toronto’s public waste revealed it’s made up of a staggering 23-27% pet waste!!  And most of it is in non-biodegradable plastic bags.  Apparently, this is a problem for all major cities and I’m sure New York is no exception.  So, what to do?

Well, the people from BioBag point out that the best way to deal with pet waste is to treat it like human waste…bring it home, separate it from the paper/plastic that was used to pick it up and flush it down the toilet.  Hmm…pretty obvious, but I have to say that this solution has never occurred to me.  Also, it’s probably not going to garner widespread public adoption. 

So BioBag offers another option - they sell 100% biodegradable dog poop bags and they’re not too much more expensive than the non-recyclable version if you buy in bulk.  My recent research on Amazon came up with…

300 BioBags @ $39.99   vs.  120 Bags On Board @ $9.99

Okay, so I’m going to do my part and switch to BioBags…unfortunately I have several months of inventory of the “bad” plastic bags, so maybe it will have to be my 2009 New Year’s resolution.

Anyways, back to the article…my favorite fast fact is that San Francisco is now recycling dog waste into methane gas!!  Those crazy Califonians!  Where do they find the time??  Way to go, SF…the first no-kill city and now you’re even recycling dog poop!

If you want to learn more about the history of dog poop, check out New York’s Poop Scoop Law: Dogs, the Dirt and Due Process, by Michael Brandow, it will be available in stores this August, I can hardly wait!!

On Sunday, we decided to take a family trip up to Harriman State Park for a day of hiking.  I never realized that there was this HUGE park just 30 miles north of NYC.  With more than 225 miles of marked hiking trails, you could go a ton of times without ever having to repeat a trail.  We invested $10.75 in a park map, which we would highly recommend - the trails are well marked, but there are lots of them and we would definitely have gotten lost without our trusty map.

Oscar loves city living - the dog parks, the sidewalk butt-sniffing social scene, etc, but he’s also a big fan of the great outdoors.  He loves going for walks in the woods, but this was our first official “hike”.  Even though he’s technically a Toy dog, he’s a pretty sturdy 20 lbs, so we were hoping that this could become a regular family activity that is fun for everyone.

When we first started out on our hike, Oscar was beside himself with excitement.  Some of the trails were pretty strenuous for the little guy, but O was a trooper - he scrambled up the rocks like a tiny billy goat!!  We did have to create a Brussels Griffon fire-brigade to pass him down some of the steep rock areas. 

Poor Oscar got a bunch of nasty looking bug bites on his belly and apparently he is also a little tick magnet.  The good news for other hikers is that I don’t think he left any ticks behind!!  So, we got to spend a good hour or so after the hike inspecting the O-dog and removing ticks.  We use Frontline, which will kill the ticks within 48 hrs, but since he sleeps in bed with us we do a full tick check whenever we go in the woods.

So, I was starting to feel a little bad towards the end of the hike because I wasn’t sure whether the crazy grin on his face was happiness or panic!  The temp was only in the low 70s, but he was panting pretty hard (even with frequent water breaks).  We finally soaked him down with some stream water which seemed to help, although he HATES getting wet.

Here’s a picture of Oscar, mid-hike…

What do you think?  Is he thinking, “This is the greatest day ever!!” or “Get me the h$@^ out of here!!”? 

 Here he is again, taking a break on a nice rock next to a lake…all hail King Oscar!!

So, I’ve decided that (here in NY) professional dog walkers have the best job in the world for about 3 or 4 months out of the year.  For a month or two in the fall and in the spring they get to walk around the greatest city in the world and hang out with a whole bunch of our “best friends”. 

However, they also have to endure quite a few unbearably hot, cold and/or rainy days.  Not to mention dealing with crazy dog owners, who have entrusted them with the health and well-being of their canine companions.  (Admit it - we’re a demanding crowd.)

So, dog walkers of NY, I salute you! 

I’ve had several non dog owners react with surprise when they find out that our dog walker has keys to let himself into our apartment.  (Obviously that’s pretty standard - how else are they going to walk your dog if you’re not home?) 

But, the question seems ridiculous to me for another reason…do I trust the dog walker to be in my apartment unsupervised? 

My apartment??  That’s just stuff.  I can replace all of that. 

I trust them with my dog. 

Hi, Josh here - I’m Oscar’s dad, which is to say, I’m his owner. Lately Oscar’s mom, Anya, and I have been debating various training methods we use on Oscar. I’ve been saying we should do less treat/reward based training even though Anya has managed to get Oscar to do some pretty spectacular things (see video below) using treat based training. Let me see if I can explain what bugs me about it.

Now, when we’re training a dog to do something, say, “sit”, the most frequent training method I’ve seen is to get the dog to associate the behavior, sitting, with receiving a reward - which is usually in the form of a verbal acknowledgment (or a click from a clicker trainer) and a food treat. Eventually, the reward can be weaned back in frequency, and hopefully the dog will still perform the behavior. Instead of a food treat, we can also toss a toy or play tug of war as a reward for the dog.

So what, you may ask, is my problem?

Here’s the thing: Oscar is a very “good” dog. He’s very smart, very sweet, and very spoiled. He knows a ton of commands: sit, stay, lie down, sneak, spin, rollover, kiss, jump, shake, high five, stand, and Anya is even trying to teach him how to read - stay tuned for that one.

The issue is that he knows darn well when he’s going to be rewarded for his tricks, and performs them with considerable speed and zeal when the reward is pending (ie, when Anya gets the bag of treats out). He will still perform the tricks pretty well if he doesn’t see the treats, but not nearly as reliably or enthusiastically.

Now, I don’t know what exactly I’m hoping for - is it possible we could have taught him all of these tricks using only verbal praise and excitement as a reward for the tasks?  Probably not. 

I don’t think that the solution is to “hide” the treats so that Oscar never knows when the treat is coming - although perhaps it’s as simple as that. I guess what I really want is for him to do the tricks because he KNOWS it’s the right thing - because he knows it’s what we’re asking. Unfortunately, I think I’m quite likely anthropomorphizing here, and exhibiting a fundamental misunderstanding of the dog psyche.

What are some reader opinions on this topic? Has anyone had success with non-treat based training? Has anyone been able to successfully wean back the treats and still receive the same enthusiastic response from their dog?

The great thing about living in the West Village is that there are numerous dog friendly dining options - weather permitting, of course.

We frequently take Oscar to Cowgirl on Hudson & West 10th to enjoy some kitchy tex-mex bbq outside.  If you’re in the mood for some Far Eastern treats, Chow Bar on W10th & W4th serves up Asian Fusion and welcomes dogs in their outside area.  Another favorite is Phillipe Marie on Hudson & 11th - serving up traditional American cuisine.

When you’re out walking around, don’t miss the water bowls at James Perse on Bleecker & Charles, Doma on Perry just west of 7th Ave or outside the Birdbath Bakery 7th Ave at Waverly.   Mojo Coffee on Charles (between Greenwhich & Washington) also has a hot scene at their water bowl.

 Got a dog friendly business in your neighborhood that you’d like to share?  Tell us!!

Just a reminder…  Milk-Bone^® is celebrating the brand’s 100^th Anniversary tomorrow in Time Square.  Check out our calendar entry for more details.  While you’re at it, don’t forget to review our full NYC Dog Events Calendar for more fun events for you and your dog!

Holy cow!  I think I just discovered the most fun thing you can do with you clothes on!  We just finished our 2nd lesson in Beginner’s Agility and we are hooked - or at least I’m hooked.  I think Oscar’s enjoying it too - of course, he’s a big fan of pretty much anything that involves him getting treats.

Oscar may not look like he’s built for Agility, but he seems to be learning the course elements pretty quickly.  Josh thinks that he was the best one in the class last night, but if I’m completely objective (or as close as I can get) I have to acknowledge that he has some strong competition.  Oscar’s friend Monty was kicking butt too and a Jack Russell Terrier and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel were also super stars.

I will agree that Oscar was definitely in the top half of the class.  His execution is excellent, the only problem is that he doesn’t seem to get the concept that he’s supposed to be going FAST.  That’s okay for now, because we’re focusing on learning the techniques, but I’m just not sure Oscar’s built for speed.  Oh well, maybe we won’t be traveling the country doing the professional agility circuit, but at least we’re having a lot of fun.

So assuming we graduate from the Beginner class, we’ll definitely be signing up for the Advance Beginner and Intermediate level classes offered by Andra Arden Dog Training at Animal Haven.  These classes are great - I can’t imagine that there are too many indoor locations in Manhattan that have a large enough space to have a mini-agility course. 

Assuming we stick with it and develop some decent agility skills, I’m wondering if there are any outdoor courses where you can go to practice on your own.  Does anyone know of a place nearby?

I’ll leave you with an action shot….Oscar takes the ramp at lightning speed!  Go Oscar, go!!

Okay, so maybe you’re like me…not exactly Betty Crocker.  Too risky to subject your spouse or friends to your cooking?  Afraid of being shunned or ridculed?  Here’s a suggestiong…focus your culinary exploits on your canine friends.  I decided to bake meat cupcakes for Oscar…it sounded like a good idea - a fun treat in flavors that he’s crazy about (chicken and beef). 

After slaving away for a good part of the afternoon, I ended up with a big mess and two dozen mini meat flavored hockey pucks.  I was pretty disappointed with the results of my experiment, but decided to let Oscar taste test anyway.  Lo and behold…he loved the mini meat pucks!!  He chomped the first one down and looked at me with adoring eyes…success!!

So, I’ll stick to ordering take-out for the two-legged members of the family, but I’m happy to know that I can satisfy my homemaker urges by cooking for O-Dog!  For tips on baking for your pooch, check out this article.  There are also lots of dog recipe books and free dog recipies on the web.  Feel free to experiment or dogify your favorite people recipes.  Just make sure to avoid ingredients that are dangerous for dogs.  Check out our post from February 18 for a refresher about foods that are poisonous to your dog. 

Here’s a picture of the special banana-carob birthday cake that I made for Oscar’s 1st birthday and a video of him eating it!!

Elected officials in Massachusetts have recently filed legislation to ban pet rental businesses in the state.  Check out this post by our Boston site for more details.  Flexpetz (the same company causing all the commotion in Mass) already has a NY location.  They operate out of the Wet Nose Doggy Gym at 34 East 13th St.

I don’t think anyone can argue the benefits for the people…the joys of pet ownership, but only when it’s convenient, but is it fair to the dogs?  According to people who oppose pet rental, they believe that it detrimental and can potentially confusing and upsetting to the animal. 

But according to Flexpetz, all of their dogs have been rescued from animal shelters and their hope is that they will be adopted by someone who rents them and falls in love.  Furthermore, pet rental clients are thoroughly screened before they are allowed to become clients and they insist that the dogs are very happy and well cared for.

One of our readers in Boston pointed out that many people don’t how much responsibility is involved in owning a dog.  Many dogs end up in shelters each year because their owners realize too late that they aren’t prepared to take on the responsiblity  of pet ownership.  Could sad situations like this be avoided if people had the opportunity to test drive pet ownership?

What do you think?    Is this a good way to let people enjoy spending a little time with a dog if they are unable to keep one as a pet, or is it unfair for the dogs themselves?

I am so excited to hear that the ASPCA has started construction of the United States’ first Anti-Cruelty Institute in New York. It will open in 2010, and will include a forensic laboratory and veterinary hospital dedicated to animal victims of abuse and neglect.

Of course, this is good news for animal lovers everywhere, but I also learned that there’s another compelling reason to prosecute perpetrators of cruelty and abuse to animals.  According to this article from the Sydney Morning Herald, people who abuse animals are likely to move on to violent crimes towards people.    Examples include serial killers and sexual homicide offenders.

To learn what you can do to help prevent animal cruelty in NYC, check out the ASPCA’s Anti-Cruelty Resource Center and take the pledge to fight animal cruelty.